What is Base64 encoding used for?

Base64 is used to safely encode binary or non-ASCII data in text-only systems. Common uses include HTTP Basic Authentication headers (Authorization: Basic ), embedding images in CSS (data: URIs), and encoding JWT payload sections.

What is the difference between standard and URL-safe Base64?

Standard Base64 uses + and / characters which are special in URLs. URL-safe Base64 replaces + with - and / with _ so the output can be safely used in URLs and filenames without percent-encoding.

Does it support UTF-8 and non-ASCII characters?

Yes. The encoder first converts your text to UTF-8 bytes then Base64-encodes those bytes, correctly handling all Unicode characters including emoji and accented letters.

How much does Base64 increase the size of data?

Base64 encoding increases data size by approximately 33% — every 3 bytes of input become 4 Base64 characters. This is important to consider when embedding large strings in JSON or HTTP headers.

Can I encode multiple lines of text?

Yes. Paste any multi-line text and the entire content is encoded as a single continuous Base64 string. The newlines are encoded as part of the UTF-8 byte sequence.

Text to Base64 Encoder

Encodes any text input as a Base64 string using UTF-8 encoding. Standard Base64 and URL-safe Base64 (replacing + and / with - and _) are both supported. Base64 encoding is used for embedding binary data in JSON, embedding images in CSS, and encoding credentials in HTTP headers.

Runs entirely in your browser — your input is never uploaded, stored, or logged.

Quickly encode strings for HTTP Basic Auth headers, data URIs, JWT payloads, or any system that requires Base64 input. To decode Base64 back to text, use the Base64 to Text decoder.

How to Use

1Type or paste the text you want to encode.
2The Base64 output updates instantly.
3Copy the encoded string for use in your code or headers.

Common Uses

→Encode strings for HTTP Basic Auth headers
→Convert text to Base64 for safe transport in JSON or XML
→Create data URIs from small text assets
→Test Base64 encoding behavior for debugging

Examples

Encode credentials

Input

username:password

Output

dXNlcm5hbWU6cGFzc3dvcmQ=

Frequently Asked Questions

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