Base64 encoding increases the file size by approximately 33% . This makes it inefficient for very large files.

The Ultimate Guide to Base64 Encoding: What It Is and How It Works

The MIME (Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions) standard uses Base64 to send attachments via SMTP.

Base64 is a group of binary-to-text encoding schemes that represent binary data in an ASCII string format. It translates "raw" bytes (zeros and ones) into a set of 64 printable characters. The Base64 Character Set

Convert each 6-bit value (0-63) to its corresponding character in the Base64 alphabet. Example: The word "Man" encodes to TWFu . What is the "=" Padding?

"Man" becomes three 8-bit bytes (24 bits total).

The "64" in the name refers to the 64 specific characters used to represent data: A-Z (26) Lowercase letters: a-z (26) Numbers: 0-9 (10) Special symbols: + and / (2) Padding: The = sign (used to fill out the end of a string) Why Use Base64?

Take the ASCII values of your text (e.g., "Man").

Base64 Encode May 2026

Base64 encoding increases the file size by approximately 33% . This makes it inefficient for very large files.

The Ultimate Guide to Base64 Encoding: What It Is and How It Works

The MIME (Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions) standard uses Base64 to send attachments via SMTP. base64 encode

Convert each 6-bit value (0-63) to its corresponding character in the Base64 alphabet. Example: The word "Man" encodes to TWFu . What is the "=" Padding? Base64 encoding increases the file size by approximately 33%

"Man" becomes three 8-bit bytes (24 bits total).

Take the ASCII values of your text (e.g., "Man").