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Base64 Encoder & Decoder

A premium Base64 encoder/decoder that works entirely in your browser. Encode plain text to Base64 or decode Base64 back to text with full Unicode, emoji, and multiline support. Features live mode with auto-debounce, intelligent auto-detect, file upload support, character encoding selection, hex and binary previews, and detailed statistics — all without sending any data to a server.

Plain Text

Text to encode

Base64 Output

Encoded Base64

Encode·UTF-8
Auto

Keyboard Shortcuts

EncodeCtrl+Enter
DecodeCtrl+Shift+D
SwapCtrl+Shift+X
ClearCtrl+L

Examples

Pre-built examples to see Base64 encoding in action.

Simple Text

Basic text encoding example

short

Hello, World! Welcome to ForgePlug Base64 Encoder.

JSON

JSON object encoded as Base64

214 chars

{ "name": "ForgePlug", "version": "1.0.0", "tools": [ "Base64 Encoder"...

JWT Sample

JWT token structure (header.payload.signature) in Base64

119 chars

{ "alg": "HS256", "typ": "JWT" }. { "sub": "1234567890", "name": "John D...

Lorem Ipsum

Multi-line text paragraph

231 chars

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Sed do eiusmod tempor i...

Unicode

Unicode characters and special symbols

110 chars

Unicode support: ñóüêç宆™€£¥§©°±×÷¿¡«»‽∞≈≠≤≥√∫∑∂∆∏∑—–•·…‰■□▪▫▲▼◆◇○●◐◑★☆☐☑☒✓✔✕✖✗...

Emoji

Emoji and emoticons

68 chars

🎉✨🚀🌟💡🎯🔥💪⚡🎨💻📱🌍🌈🍕🎸🎭🎪🎢🎡🎠🎪🎭🎨🎯🎯🔥💪⚡🎉✨🚀🌟💡🎯🔥

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Base64?
Base64 is a binary-to-text encoding scheme that represents binary data in an ASCII string format. It uses 64 different characters (A-Z, a-z, 0-9, +, /) plus the '=' padding character. Base64 is commonly used to transmit data over media that are designed to handle textual data, such as email attachments via MIME, storing complex data in JSON, or embedding images in HTML/CSS as data URLs.
Why is Base64 used?
Base64 is used when you need to encode binary data (like images, files, or encrypted data) into a format that can be safely transmitted over text-based protocols like HTTP, JSON, or email (SMTP). Common use cases include embedding images in HTML (data URIs), encoding authentication tokens (Basic Auth), JWT tokens, storing binary data in JSON APIs, and encoding email attachments (MIME).
Is Base64 encryption?
No. Base64 is NOT encryption — it is just encoding. Anyone can decode Base64 instantly using our tool or any Base64 decoder. Base64 does not use a key and provides no security whatsoever. Never use Base64 to protect sensitive data. If you need security, use proper encryption algorithms like AES or RSA. Base64 is only useful for data transmission, not data protection.
How do I decode Base64?
Simply paste your Base64 string into the input area and click 'Decode'. Our tool will automatically detect that the input is Base64 and decode it back to plain text. You can also enable 'Live Mode' for instant decoding as you type. If you want to go the other direction, type or paste plain text and click 'Encode' to convert it to Base64.
Is my data uploaded to a server?
Absolutely not. Everything happens entirely in your browser. The encoding and decoding is done using JavaScript's built-in btoa() and atob() functions combined with the TextEncoder and TextDecoder APIs. Your data never leaves your device — no network requests, no uploads, no server processing. This is a core privacy feature of all ForgePlug tools.
Does Base64 increase file size?
Yes. Base64 encoding increases the data size by approximately 33% (the encoding ratio is about 4:3). For every 3 bytes of input, Base64 produces 4 bytes of output. This overhead is the trade-off for being able to transmit binary data over text-only protocols. For large files, this is something to keep in mind.
Can I encode UTF-8 and Unicode?
Yes! Our tool fully supports UTF-8, Unicode, emoji, special characters, and multiline text. We use the Web's TextEncoder API to convert text to UTF-8 bytes before encoding to Base64, and TextDecoder to convert decoded bytes back to readable text. This ensures that every character, including emojis like 🎉 and special symbols like ñüé, is handled correctly.
Can I encode entire files?
You can upload .txt files up to 10MB in size. The file content is read as text and then encoded/decoded according to your selected mode. For binary files like images or PDFs, the file content will be read as text which may not produce meaningful results. For binary-to-Base64 conversion, a more advanced file reader would be needed.
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Frequently Asked Questions

Everything you need to know about encoding and decoding Base64

What is Base64?
Base64 is a binary-to-text encoding scheme that represents binary data in an ASCII string format. It uses 64 different characters (A-Z, a-z, 0-9, +, /) plus the '=' padding character. Base64 is commonly used to transmit data over media that are designed to handle textual data, such as email attachments via MIME, storing complex data in JSON, or embedding images in HTML/CSS as data URLs.
Why is Base64 used?
Base64 is used when you need to encode binary data (like images, files, or encrypted data) into a format that can be safely transmitted over text-based protocols like HTTP, JSON, or email (SMTP). Common use cases include embedding images in HTML (data URIs), encoding authentication tokens (Basic Auth), JWT tokens, storing binary data in JSON APIs, and encoding email attachments (MIME).
Is Base64 encryption?
No. Base64 is NOT encryption — it is just encoding. Anyone can decode Base64 instantly using our tool or any Base64 decoder. Base64 does not use a key and provides no security whatsoever. Never use Base64 to protect sensitive data. If you need security, use proper encryption algorithms like AES or RSA. Base64 is only useful for data transmission, not data protection.
How do I decode Base64?
Simply paste your Base64 string into the input area and click 'Decode'. Our tool will automatically detect that the input is Base64 and decode it back to plain text. You can also enable 'Live Mode' for instant decoding as you type. If you want to go the other direction, type or paste plain text and click 'Encode' to convert it to Base64.
Is my data uploaded to a server?
Absolutely not. Everything happens entirely in your browser. The encoding and decoding is done using JavaScript's built-in btoa() and atob() functions combined with the TextEncoder and TextDecoder APIs. Your data never leaves your device — no network requests, no uploads, no server processing. This is a core privacy feature of all ForgePlug tools.
Does Base64 increase file size?
Yes. Base64 encoding increases the data size by approximately 33% (the encoding ratio is about 4:3). For every 3 bytes of input, Base64 produces 4 bytes of output. This overhead is the trade-off for being able to transmit binary data over text-only protocols. For large files, this is something to keep in mind.
Can I encode UTF-8 and Unicode?
Yes! Our tool fully supports UTF-8, Unicode, emoji, special characters, and multiline text. We use the Web's TextEncoder API to convert text to UTF-8 bytes before encoding to Base64, and TextDecoder to convert decoded bytes back to readable text. This ensures that every character, including emojis like 🎉 and special symbols like ñüé, is handled correctly.
Can I encode entire files?
You can upload .txt files up to 10MB in size. The file content is read as text and then encoded/decoded according to your selected mode. For binary files like images or PDFs, the file content will be read as text which may not produce meaningful results. For binary-to-Base64 conversion, a more advanced file reader would be needed.

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