How to decode Base64
Paste the Base64 into the right-hand box and the decoded text appears on the left. Line breaks and spaces are ignored, padding = signs at the end are optional, and URL-safe Base64, which uses - and _ instead of + and /, is decoded too.
If the result is full of � symbols, the Base64 probably holds a file such as an image or a document, not text. Base64 can hold any kind of data, and only text can be shown in the box.
What Base64 is for
Base64 turns any data into plain letters, digits and the symbols + and /, so it can travel safely through systems built for text. Email uses it to send attachments, web pages use it to embed small images, and many web services use it to pass data in links and headers.
Every three bytes of data become four Base64 characters, so Base64 is about a third larger than the original. The = signs at the end are padding that make the length a multiple of four.
Base64 is an encoding, not encryption. Anyone can decode it, so it should never be used to hide passwords or private information.
You can usually recognise Base64 by eye: a long string of upper and lower-case letters and digits, perhaps with + or /, and often ending in one or two = signs.
Questions and answers
Is it safe to paste private data here?
Decoding happens entirely in your browser, and nothing is sent to us. Remember that anyone can decode Base64, so it is not a way to protect secrets.
Why does it say the length is wrong?
Valid Base64 cannot have a length that leaves one spare character after grouping into fours. A character has probably been lost when copying.
What does URL-safe mean?
A version of Base64 that uses - and _ instead of + and /, so it can sit in web addresses. Both kinds are decoded automatically.
What is SGVsbG8= in text?
Hello.