Free Base64 Encoder & Decoder 2026
Welcome to Code Formatter Base64 Tool ? a secure and simple utility to encode text into Base64 format or decode Base64 strings back into readable text. Base64 is one of the most common encoding schemes used on the internet, allowing binary data (like images or encrypted keys) to be represented as safe, printable ASCII characters.
Whether you are a web developer embedding small images as Data URIs, a DevOps engineer handling Kubernetes secrets, or simply debugging an API response, our online Base64 converter provides instant, client-side processing. Your sensitive data never leaves your browser.
How to Use This Tool
Seamlessly switch between Encoding and Decoding:
To Encode (Text ? Base64)
- Select "Encode" mode (default).
- Type or paste your text into the "Input" box.
- The tool instantly generates the Base64 string in the "Output" box.
To Decode (Base64 ? Text)
- Click the "Decode" toggle button in the toolbar.
- Paste your Base64 string (e.g., `SGVsbG8gV29ybGQ=`) into the "Input" box.
- Read the decoded text in the "Output" box.
What is Base64?
Base64 is a binary-to-text encoding scheme. It represents binary data in an ASCII string format by translating it into a radix-64 representation. The set of characters used includes `A-Z`, `a-z`, `0-9`, `+`, and `/`.
Base64 is designed to carry data stored in binary formats (like images or PDF files) across channels that only reliably support text content (like email bodies or JSON payloads).
Common Use Cases for Base64
1. Data URLs (Images)
Web developers often embed small icons or logos directly into HTML or CSS files using Base64 Data URIs (`data:image/png;base64,...`) to avoid extra HTTP requests.
2. Basic Authentication
HTTP Basic Auth headers usually require credentials to be encoded in the format `Authorization: Basic base64(username:password)`.
3. Kubernetes Secrets
Kubernetes configuration files store secrets (like passwords and API keys) as Base64 encoded strings to prevent accidental exposure (though it's encoding, not encryption!).
4. Email Attachments
MIME (Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions) uses Base64 to transmit binary attachments (like photos) within the text-based email protocols.
Technical Details
- Safe URL Encoding: Standard Base64 uses `+` and `/`, which can cause issues in URL query parameters. Some systems use "URL Safe" Base64 where `+` becomes `-` and `/` becomes `_`.
- Padding: Base64 strings often end with `=` or `==`. This is padding functionality to ensure the string length is a multiple of 4.
- Size Increase: Base64 encoding increases the size of the data by approximately 33%. A 100KB image becomes roughly 133KB encoded string.
Frequently Asked Questions
No! Base64 is encoding, not encryption. It provides zero security. Anyone can decode the string back to the original text smoothly.
That is padding. The encoding process breaks data into 24-bit chunks. If the data doesn't fit perfectly, `=` characters are added to the end to fill the block.
Yes. Standard JavaScript `btoa()` fails on Unicode strings, but we use a UTF-8 encoding wrapper so emojis (??) and special characters decode/encode correctly.
Currently, this tool is optimized for text strings. For images, check our Image to Base64 tool (coming soon).
As a client-side tool, it can handle very large strings (megabytes of text) as long as your browser doesn't run out of memory.
Yes. The conversion happens entirely in your browser using JavaScript. No data is sent to our servers.
The output box will show an error message. Common errors include missing characters or incorrect padding.
Code Formatter ? 2026. Professional developer tools built with privacy and performance in mind.