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Decode a Base64 string to text

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turns a Base64 string back into the original text, perfect for inspecting tokens, payloads and config files

Why decode text in base64?

Base64 decoding is used to recover original data from its base64 representation. This is especially useful when you receive base64-encoded data and need to convert it to its original format, whether it's text, binary data (such as images), or other types of data.

Features of the base64 decoding tool

This tool allows you to easily decode base64-encoded text. You can paste a base64 string into the text area and recover the decoded version of the original text.

How to use the base64 decoding tool

On the decoding page, paste the base64 string you want to decode into the dedicated text area. Click the decode button to convert the base64 string into decoded text.

Once the text is decoded, it will be displayed in a result area. You can copy the decoded text to use in your projects or applications.

Example of base64 text decoding

Here is an example of decoding a base64 string "Qm9uam91ciwgbW9uZGUgIQ==" into original text: 


Hello, world!

Frequently asked questions

Is base64 an encryption?

No, it's a simple reversible encoding without a key or secret. Anyone can decode a base64 string with a tool like this one or the base64 -d command. Base64 is used to transport arbitrary bytes in a text channel, not to protect content. To secure data, use a real encryption algorithm like AES.

Why does my decoding produce weird characters?

If the result contains inconsistent symbols, the original string probably encodes binary bytes (image, archive, cryptographic key) and not text. Our tool is designed for UTF-8 text. To decode an image, use the base64 image decoder.

What do the = characters at the end mean?

Base64 processes bytes in groups of three to produce four characters. When the length is not a multiple of three, the result is padded with one or two = characters. A valid base64 string therefore always has a length that is a multiple of four.

What is the difference between base64 and base64url?

Classic base64 uses + and /, which pose problems in URLs and filenames. The base64url variant replaces them with - and _ and often removes padding. This is the format used by JWTs and many tokens. Our decoder tolerates both variants.

Is the text sent to a server?

Decoding passes through our server for the duration of the request, without being kept afterwards. For very sensitive strings (API keys, passwords), prefer the local command echo "string" | base64 -d on Linux or macOS which sends nothing over the network.

How to re-encode decoded text?

Use our base64 text encoder to do the reverse operation. The round trip is strictly lossless as long as the source text is in UTF-8 and you don't modify the intermediate string.

Example request

curl -X POST https://cdrn.fr/api/v1/tools/base64-text-decoder/execute \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"text_encoded":"..."}'

Input schema

Field Type Required Default
text_encoded string ✓ –

Endpoints

  • GET https://cdrn.fr/api/v1/tools - lists every available tool
  • GET https://cdrn.fr/api/v1/tools/base64-text-decoder - returns the schema for this tool
  • POST https://cdrn.fr/api/v1/tools/base64-text-decoder/execute - runs this tool with a JSON payload