Base64 & URL Encoder / Decoder
Guide: Base64 Explained: What It Is and When to Use It
Nothing you enter or choose here leaves your device. This tool runs in your browser.
How to use
- 1Choose Base64 or URL, then Encode or Decode.
- 2Type or paste your text into the top box.
- 3The result appears below immediately.
- 4Click Copy result, or use the result as new input to chain steps.
Frequently asked questions
What is Base64?
Base64 turns any text or data into a string of 64 safe characters (letters, digits, + and /). It is often used to embed data in emails, URLs and JSON.
Does it handle emoji and accented letters?
Yes. Text is converted as UTF-8 first, so characters such as é, 世界 and emoji encode and decode correctly.
What is URL-safe Base64?
It swaps + and / for - and _ and drops the = padding, so the result can sit inside a URL or file name without further escaping.
Is Base64 encryption?
No. Anyone can decode it, so never use it to protect secrets. It only changes how data is written.
Read the guides
Learn how this works and how to get the most from it.
Developer
Base64 Explained: What It Is and When to Use It
How Base64 encoding works, why it makes data 33% larger, where it is used (data URIs, JWTs, email) and why it isn't encryption.
1 min read
Security
How to Decode a JWT and Read Its Claims
A JSON Web Token has three parts. Learn what each part holds, what exp and iat mean, and why decoding a token isn't the same as trusting it.
1 min read
Developer
Base32 vs Base64: What the Difference Is and When to Use Each
How Base32 and Base64 work, why Base32 is longer but safer for people, and where each is used, from authenticator apps to data URLs.
1 min read
Developer
SSH Keys and Key Pairs Explained: Which Type to Pick
What a public and private key pair is, how SSH keys let you sign in without a password, and how to choose between Ed25519, RSA and ECDSA.
2 min read
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