---
title: "Base64 encode and decode, Unicode-safe"
description: "Free Base64 encode and decode tool. Turn text into Base64 and back in your browser, with emoji and accented letters kept intact, then copy it."
canonical: "https://www.meadowdesk.com/tools/base64-encode-decode"
last_modified: "2026-10-27"
---

# Base64 encoder and decoder

Source: https://www.meadowdesk.com/tools/base64-encode-decode

Free Base64 encode and decode tool. Turn text into Base64 and back in your browser, with emoji and accented letters kept intact, then copy it.

Turn text into Base64 and Base64 back into text, with emoji and accented letters kept intact, then copy the result in one click.

## How to use it

1. Choose Text → Base64 to encode, or Base64 → Text to decode.
2. Paste your input. Spaces and line breaks inside Base64 are ignored when decoding.
3. Copy the result. If the input isn’t valid Base64, the tool says so instead of guessing.

## Base64 encoder and decoder FAQ

**Is Base64 encryption?**
No. Anyone can decode it in a second, with no key. It only makes data safe to carry through systems built for plain text. Never use it to hide a password: if one was shared in Base64, treat it as exposed and make a new one with the [password generator](https://www.meadowdesk.com/tools/password-generator).

**Why is the Base64 version longer?**
It uses 4 characters for every 3 bytes, so it comes out about a third bigger than the original, plus up to two = signs. Paste both into the [word counter](https://www.meadowdesk.com/tools/word-counter) to see the difference. That is the price of fitting any data into plain text.

**Why does my Base64 not decode?**
Usually it uses the other alphabet: Base64url writes - and _ where Base64 has + and /. Swap them back and try again. If it came from a link it may also be [URL-encoded](https://www.meadowdesk.com/tools/url-encode-decode), with %2B and %3D in place of + and =. And it has to decode to text: a Base64 image or file won’t show here.

**How do I read a JSON Web Token?**
A JWT is three Base64url parts joined by dots. Paste the middle part here, with - and _ swapped for + and /, and you get JSON that the [JSON formatter](https://www.meadowdesk.com/tools/json-formatter) lays out. Its exp field is a [Unix timestamp](https://www.meadowdesk.com/tools/unix-timestamp-converter): the moment the token stops working. Reading a token is not checking its signature.

**Where is Base64 used?**
Email attachments, images embedded in a web page or a CSS file as data URIs, API keys in HTTP sign-in headers, and anywhere else binary data has to travel as plain text.