Encode and decode Base64, URL encoding, HTML entities, hex strings, and more — all in your browser, instantly.
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Encoded Output
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File to Base64
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File Output
URL Encoding Reference
Common characters and their URL-encoded equivalents.
Encoding FAQs
Common questions about Base64, URL encoding, and data encoding.
Base64 is a binary-to-text encoding scheme that converts binary data into ASCII text. It uses 64 characters (A-Z, a-z, 0-9, +, /) to represent binary data, making it safe for transmission over text-based protocols like email or embedding in JSON, HTML, and CSS. Base64 increases data size by ~33% — 3 bytes become 4 characters. It's not encryption — it's easily reversed.
URL encoding (percent-encoding) converts characters that aren't allowed in URLs into a % followed by two hex digits. Spaces become %20 (or +), & becomes %26, and so on. Use it when passing special characters in query strings, form data, or API parameters. In JavaScript, encodeURIComponent() encodes everything except unreserved characters; encodeURI() leaves structural URL characters (/, ?, &) alone.
A JWT (JSON Web Token) consists of three Base64URL-encoded parts separated by dots: Header.Payload.Signature. The header specifies the token type and algorithm. The payload contains claims (user data, expiry, etc.). The signature verifies the token hasn't been tampered with. You can decode the header and payload without a secret key — but never use decoded data without verifying the signature server-side.
No. Base64 is an encoding scheme, not encryption. Anyone can decode Base64 data instantly with any decoder. Never use Base64 to "hide" sensitive information like passwords, API keys, or personal data. For actual security, use proper encryption (AES, RSA) or hashing (bcrypt, Argon2). Base64 is only useful for safely transmitting binary data over text-based protocols.