Base64 turns binary data into ASCII text using 64 safe characters. It’s not encryption — anyone can decode it — but it’s useful when systems only handle text.
Where Base64 shows up
- Embedding small images in CSS or HTML (data URLs)
- Email attachments and MIME bodies
- JWT segments and some API tokens
- Storing binary blobs in JSON or XML
Encode vs decode
Encoding converts raw bytes to a Base64 string. Decoding reverses the process. Padding characters (=) at the end are normal and part of the spec.
Security reminder
Never treat Base64 as secrecy. For passwords and secrets, use proper hashing and encryption — not encoding.
Try it instantly
Encode or decode text with our Base64 Encoder: /tools/base64-encoder-decoder