Free Text to Base64 Converter

Understanding the Text to Base64 Converter

This tool provides a simple, fast, and secure way to handle Base64 encoding and decoding. Base64 is not a form of encryption but rather an encoding scheme that translates binary data into a text-based format. This is essential for transmitting data over channels that are designed to only handle plain text, preventing data corruption.

Our converter works entirely within your browser. No data is sent to our servers, ensuring your information remains private and secure. It correctly handles a wide range of characters, including special symbols and emojis, thanks to its built-in UTF-8 support.

How to Use This Tool

1. Select a Mode: The tool defaults to 'Encode'. If you need to decode a Base64 string, click the 'Switch to Decode' button.
2. Input Your Data: Paste or type your text into the left-hand input box.
3. Get Instant Results: The converted output will appear instantly in the right-hand box as you type.
4. Copy the Output: Click the 'Copy' button to copy the result to your clipboard. Use the 'Copy as Data URL' button for web embedding.

Common Use Cases for Base64 Encoding

• Data URLs: Embedding images or other files directly into HTML or CSS files (e.g., `src="data:image/png;base64,iVBORw..."`). This reduces HTTP requests and can improve page load times.
• API Data Transfer: Safely transmitting binary data within text-based formats like JSON or XML.
• Email Attachments: The MIME (Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions) standard uses Base64 to encode binary file attachments in emails.
• Basic HTTP Authentication: The user's credentials (username:password) are combined and Base64-encoded in the `Authorization` header.

Base64 Code Examples

Here’s how you can perform Base64 encoding and decoding in popular programming languages.

// Encode
const originalText = 'Hello, World! 👋';
const encoded = btoa(originalText);
console.log(encoded); // SGVsbG8sIFdvcmxkIS 👋

// Decode
const decoded = atob(encoded);
console.log(decoded); // Hello, World! 👋

import base64

# Encode
original_text = 'Hello, World! 👋'.encode('utf-8')
encoded = base64.b64encode(original_text)
print(encoded) # b'SGVsbG8sIFdvcmxkISDwn5iB'

# Decode
decoded = base64.b64decode(encoded)
print(decoded.decode('utf-8')) # Hello, World! 👋

using System;
using System.Text;

// Encode
var originalText = "Hello, World! 👋";
var plainTextBytes = Encoding.UTF8.GetBytes(originalText);
var encoded = Convert.ToBase64String(plainTextBytes);
Console.WriteLine(encoded); // SGVsbG8sIFdvcmxkISDwn5iB

// Decode
var base64EncodedBytes = Convert.FromBase64String(encoded);
var decoded = Encoding.UTF8.GetString(base64EncodedBytes);
Console.WriteLine(decoded); // Hello, World! 👋

Base64 vs. Other Encodings

It's important to choose the right encoding for the job. Here's a quick comparison:

• Base64: Best for making any binary data safe for text-based systems. Increases size by ~33%.
• URL (Percent) Encoding: Specifically designed to encode data for use in a URL. It only encodes reserved characters (e.g., spaces become `%20`). Much more efficient for web links.
• Hex (Base16) Encoding: Represents binary data using hexadecimal characters (0-9, a-f). It's human-readable for developers but doubles the data size (1 byte becomes 2 hex chars), making it less efficient than Base64 for data transfer.