Base64 Encoder / Decoder
Turn text into Base64 or read Base64 back into text — full Unicode support, all handled locally in your browser.
How it works
Base64 rewrites arbitrary data using just 64 safe characters — A–Z, a–z, 0–9, plus + and / — so binary content can travel through systems that only expect text, like URLs, email, or JSON.
Encoding groups the bytes into six-bit chunks and maps each to one of those 64 characters, which is why Base64 output is about a third larger than the original. Decoding simply reverses the mapping. This tool handles full UTF-8, so emoji and accented characters survive the round trip.
It's encoding, not encryption. Anyone can decode Base64 instantly, so never treat it as a way to hide secrets — it just makes data safe to transport, not private.
Frequently asked questions
Is Base64 the same as encryption?
No. Base64 is reversible with no key, so it hides nothing. It's a way to represent binary data as text for safe transport, not a way to protect it. Use real encryption for secrets.
Why is my Base64 longer than the original text?
Base64 uses 4 characters for every 3 bytes of input, so the output is roughly 33 percent larger. That's the trade-off for making binary data text-safe.
Does this handle emoji and accented characters?
Yes. It encodes and decodes using UTF-8, so multi-byte characters like é or 🚀 come back exactly as you entered them.