Base64 & URL Encoder/Decoder
Base64 vs. URL encoding
Base64 encoding converts arbitrary binary or text data into a string using 64 printable ASCII characters — commonly used to embed data in JSON, emails, or data URIs. URL encoding (percent-encoding) escapes characters that have special meaning in a URL, like spaces, ampersands, and slashes, so they can be safely included in a query string.
When would I use this?
- Decoding a Base64-encoded API credential, image, or data URI to inspect its contents.
- Encoding a string to safely embed it in a URL query parameter.
- Debugging a double-encoded or malformed URL parameter.
How it works
This tool uses your browser's native btoa/atob and encodeURIComponent/decodeURIComponent functions, with correct UTF-8 handling for non-ASCII text. Nothing is sent to a server.
Frequently asked questions
Base64 encodes binary or text data into an ASCII string using 64 characters, commonly used for embedding data or transmitting binary content over text protocols. URL encoding (percent-encoding) escapes characters that aren't valid in a URL, like spaces and symbols.
Yes, both the Base64 and URL encoders/decoders correctly handle UTF-8 text, including emoji and non-Latin characters.
Standard Base64 uses + and / characters, which aren't URL-safe. This tool encodes standard Base64; if you need URL-safe Base64 (using - and _), let us know and we'll consider adding it.
No, all encoding and decoding happens locally in your browser using native JavaScript functions.