What is Base64? A Practical Definition

2026-07-283 min read

Try it: free Base64 Encode/Decode

Encode and decode text strings or upload files to convert them to Base64 Data URLs locally.

What is Base64?

Base64 is a binary-to-text encoding that represents arbitrary bytes using 64 printable ASCII characters (A-Z, a-z, 0-9, +, /). It is used to safely embed binary data — images, files, keys — inside text-based formats like JSON, URLs, or email, at the cost of about 33% larger output size. It is an encoding, not encryption: anyone can decode it instantly.

Example

SGVsbG8= decodes to Hello.

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Try the Free Base64 Encode/Decode

Encode and decode text strings or upload files to convert them to Base64 Data URLs locally.

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