Image to Base64 Converter
Convert any image to a Base64 string or data URL instantly in your browser. Toggle between full data URL and raw Base64. Copy to clipboard in one click.
About Image to Base64 Converter
Convert any image file to a Base64-encoded string directly in your browser — no uploads, no servers, nothing sent over the internet. Simply choose your image and the tool encodes it immediately using the FileReader API built into every modern browser. The output textarea shows the full data URL by default, which you can paste directly into HTML as an `<img src="…">` attribute or into CSS as a `background-image` value. Click Show raw Base64 to strip the `data:…;base64,` prefix and see only the encoded string — useful when a backend or API expects the raw bytes. Below the textarea you can see the original image format (for example JPEG or PNG), the original file size, and the total length of the resulting Base64 string in characters. Click Copy to clipboard to copy whichever view is currently active. The button confirms with a brief Copied! message so you know it worked. Base64 encoding increases file size by roughly one third compared with the binary original. This tool is ideal for embedding small icons, logos, or thumbnails inline into HTML or CSS without an extra network request, and for inspecting exactly what a data URL looks like before using it in code.
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is Base64 encoding?
- Base64 is a way to represent binary data (like an image file) as a plain-text string using 64 printable characters. It lets you embed images directly in HTML, CSS, or JSON without needing a separate file.
- What is the difference between a data URL and raw Base64?
- A data URL includes a header like data:image/png;base64, followed by the encoded string. Raw Base64 is just the encoded string with that header stripped. Use the data URL when embedding in HTML or CSS; use raw Base64 when an API or backend expects only the encoded bytes.
- Does this tool send my image anywhere?
- No. The entire conversion happens in your browser using the FileReader API. Your image never leaves your device.
- Why is the Base64 string larger than my original image?
- Base64 encoding expands every 3 bytes of binary data into 4 ASCII characters, which increases the size by roughly 33%.