What is Base64 encoding?
Base64 is a binary-to-text encoding scheme that converts binary data into an ASCII string format. It uses 64 different characters (A-Z, a-z, 0-9, +, and /) to represent data, making it safe for transmission over systems that only handle text.
Is Base64 encoding encryption?
No. Base64 is an encoding scheme, not encryption. It provides no security and can be easily decoded by anyone. Never use Base64 to store sensitive information like passwords.
When should I use Base64 encoding?
Base64 is commonly used for: embedding images in HTML/CSS, transmitting binary data over email, encoding data in URLs (with URL-safe variants), storing binary data in JSON/XML, and basic authentication headers (HTTP Basic Auth). It's ideal when you need to represent binary data as text.
Can I encode files with this tool?
Yes. Use the file input to select any file and it will be converted to a Base64 data URL using FileReader. This is perfect for encoding images, documents, or any binary file.
Does it support Unicode text?
Yes. The tool handles UTF-8 encoding properly, so international characters are encoded and decoded correctly. You can encode text in any language including emojis.
How does auto-detect work?
When enabled, the tool checks if your input looks like a valid Base64 string (correct character set and length) and automatically switches between encode and decode modes. This saves time when working with mixed content.
Is my data safe when using this tool?
Absolutely. All processing happens 100% client-side in your browser. No data is sent to any server. Your text, files, and results never leave your device.
What is the maximum file size I can encode?
There's no hard limit imposed by this tool, but very large files (over 50MB) may cause browser performance issues. For optimal performance, we recommend encoding files under 10MB.
How do I decode Base64 from a URL?
Simply paste the Base64 string from the URL into the input box, make sure "Decode" mode is selected (or enable auto-detect), and click Convert. The tool will decode it back to the original text or data.
What's the difference between Base64 and URL-safe Base64?
Standard Base64 uses '+' and '/' characters, which have special meaning in URLs. URL-safe Base64 replaces '+' with '-' and '/' with '_' to avoid URL encoding issues. This tool uses standard Base64, but you can manually replace these characters if needed.