Free Online Base64 Encoder
Safely encode your text to Base64 format. Supports UTF-8, emojis, and special characters with 100% client-side privacy.
Why Use Our Base64 Encoder?
Instant Encoding
Convert your text to Base64 in real-time as you type, with zero latency.
Unicode Support
Full support for UTF-8 characters, emojis, and special international symbols.
100% Secure
Everything runs locally in your browser. Your sensitive text never leaves your device.
Complete Guide to Base64 Encoding
Base64 encoding is a fundamental process in computer science used to represent data in an ASCII string format. It works by translating binary data into a set of 64 characters that are safe to transmit across various networks and systems.
This tool provides a professional-grade solution for developers, offering real-time conversion,UTF-8/Unicode support, and a privacy-first architecture where data never leaves your browser.
How Base64 Encoding Works (The Algorithm)
The Base64 algorithm takes your input data (binary or text) and processes it in the following steps:
- Convert to Binary: The input text is converted into its 8-bit binary representation.
- Group into 24-bits: These binary digits are grouped into chunks of 24 bits (3 bytes).
- Split into 6-bits: The 24-bit chunks are divided into four 6-bit groups.
- Map to Index: Each 6-bit value (0-63) is mapped to a character in the Base64 alphabet (A-Z, a-z, 0-9, +, /).
- Padding: If the total bits aren't divisible by 24, padding characters (
=) are added to the end.
The Standard Base64 Index Table
| Value | Char | Value | Char | Value | Char | Value | Char |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0-25 | A-Z | 26-51 | a-z | 52-61 | 0-9 | 62, 63 | + / |
Why is the output larger?
Because Base64 converts 3 bytes of input into 4 characters of output, the encoded string is approximately 33% larger than the original data. This is the trade-off for data safety.
Developer's Guide: Base64 in Your Language
Most modern programming languages have built-in support for Base64. Here are quick snippets for the most common languages:
// String to Base64
const encoded = btoa("Hello World");
console.log(encoded); // "SGVsbG8gV29ybGQ="
// Note: btoa() fails on Unicode. Use our tool logic instead!// Buffer to Base64
const buf = Buffer.from('Hello World');
console.log(buf.toString('base64'));import base64
message = "Hello World"
encoded = base64.b64encode(message.encode('utf-8'))
print(encoded.decode('utf-8'))$str = 'Hello World';
echo base64_encode($str);
// Output: SGVsbG8gV29ybGQ=import java.util.Base64;
String originalInput = "Hello World";
String encodedString = Base64.getEncoder()
.encodeToString(originalInput.getBytes());import "encoding/base64"
msg := "Hello World"
encoded := base64.StdEncoding.EncodeToString([]byte(msg))Handling Emojis and Unicode (UTF-8)
A common headache for developers is that standard encoding functions often crash or output garbage when dealing with Unicode characters like emojis (🚀) or non-Latin scripts (e.g., Arabic, Cyrillic, Asian characters).
// JavaScript's native btoa() works poorly:
window.btoa("Hello 🌍"); → Throws Error!
// Toolk's Algorithm:
SGVsbG8g8J+MjQ== → Success!
Our tool handles the UTF-8 conversion step automatically before encoding, ensuring 100% data integrity for all languages and symbols.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Base64 secure for passwords?
Absolutely not. Base64 is an encoding scheme, not encryption. It is easily reversible by anyone. Never use it to store passwords or sensitive data. Use cryptographic hashing functions (like SHA-256 or bcrypt) for passwords.
What is "URL Safe" Base64?
Standard Base64 uses + and /, which can cause issues in URL parameters. URL-Safe Base64 replaces these with - and _ respectively, and often removes the = padding.
Why does the output end with =?
The = character is used for padding. Since Base64 groups data into 24-bit chunks, if the input data isn't a multiple of 3 bytes, = signs are added to the end to complete the final block.
Where can I learn more standards?
Base64 is defined in RFC 4648. You can also check the MDN Web Docs.