Image to Base64 Converter
Upload any image and instantly get the Base64 encoded string. Copy as data URI, raw Base64, or HTML img tag.
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How It Works
Upload Your Image
Drop any image file — JPG, PNG, WebP, GIF, SVG, BMP, or ICO. No file size limit.
Instant Conversion
Your image is converted to Base64 right in your browser. Nothing is uploaded to any server.
Copy or Download
Copy as data URI, raw Base64, HTML img tag, or CSS background. Or download as a text file.
What Is Base64 Encoding?
Base64 converts binary files (like images) into plain text so you can embed them right in your code.
The concept is straightforward. Base64 takes the raw bytes of a file and turns them into a string of regular text characters -- letters, numbers, plus signs, slashes. A 64-character alphabet, hence the name. Every 3 bytes of binary input becomes 4 characters of text output, which means the encoded version is roughly 33% bigger than the original. That's the price you pay for being able to jam an image directly into an HTML file or a JSON payload without any binary data involved.
Fun fact: this whole scheme was originally invented for email. Early email systems could only deal with plain text, so attaching a photo meant encoding it as text first. These days, the main use case is web development -- embedding small images directly in HTML, CSS, or JavaScript so the browser skips the extra network request it'd normally need to fetch the file.
How Base64 Encoding Works
Here's how it works mechanically: the encoder grabs 3 bytes at a time (24 bits total), splits them into four 6-bit chunks, and maps each chunk to a character from the Base64 alphabet. If the input doesn't divide evenly by 3, you get padding characters (those `=` signs at the end) to fill things out.
Quick example: the text "Hi" is 2 bytes. The encoder splits those bits into three 6-bit groups that map to the characters S, G, and k. Since the input was only 2 bytes instead of 3, one padding character gets tacked on. Final result: "SGk=". Not exactly human-readable, but that's the point -- it's meant for machines to parse.
Data URIs: Embedding Images in Code
A data URI is how you actually use a Base64 image in a web page. The format looks like this: data:[mediatype];base64,[data]. For a PNG, that'd be something like data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgo.... You can drop this anywhere you'd normally put an image URL -- in an img tag's src, a CSS background-image, a JavaScript Image object, wherever. The browser treats it just like a regular URL, except the image data is right there inline instead of being fetched from a server.
Why Convert Images to Base64?
There are a handful of situations where embedding a Base64 image actually makes more sense than linking to a file. Here are the main ones.
Reduce HTTP Requests
Every image on a page triggers a separate round trip to the server. Got 30 tiny icons? That's 30 HTTP requests for decoration alone. Embed them as Base64 in your HTML or CSS and all those requests disappear. For images under about 10KB, the saved network overhead more than makes up for the slightly larger file.
Email HTML Templates
Here's one that catches a lot of people off guard: most email clients block external images by default. Your beautifully designed email shows up with broken image icons until the reader clicks "display images." Nobody clicks that. Embed your logo and key icons as Base64 and they show up immediately -- the data's already in the HTML, no external fetch needed.
Single-File Applications
Building a browser extension? A self-contained HTML report? A widget that has to work with no server behind it? You can't reference external image files in any of those. Base64 lets you bake everything -- HTML, CSS, JavaScript, images -- into one file. Nothing external to break, nothing to host separately.
CSS Sprites & Stylesheets
Checkmark icons. Arrows. Loading spinners. Those tiny UI elements that show up on every page. They're perfect Base64 candidates -- usually under 2KB each, and inlining them in your CSS means they load with the stylesheet instead of triggering individual HTTP requests. The CSS file gets a bit bigger, but overall page load gets faster.
API Payloads & JSON
JSON can't handle binary data. Full stop. So when you need to send an image through a REST API, a webhook, or any text-based protocol, Base64 is how you get it in there. Most AI image APIs -- OpenAI, Replicate, Stability AI -- expect images as Base64 strings, and they send results back the same way.
Database Storage
Sometimes you just want to stick a thumbnail in a database row without spinning up S3 or configuring a file server. Base64 strings drop right into a text column. It's not the right move for large images, but for tiny avatars, icons, or thumbnails that logically belong alongside their data? It keeps things dead simple.
Image to Base64 Converter Features
Everything runs locally in your browser. Your images never touch a server.
100% Client-Side
Your images never leave your device. All conversion happens in the browser using the FileReader API.
Instant Conversion
Images are encoded to Base64 in milliseconds. No upload delay, no server processing, no waiting.
All Formats
Supports JPG, PNG, WebP, GIF, SVG, BMP, ICO, and any image format your browser supports.
Multiple Output Formats
Copy as data URI, raw Base64, HTML img tag, or CSS background-image — ready to paste into your code.
Unlimited & Free
No daily limits, no sign-up, no watermarks. Convert as many images as you need, forever free.
Works Everywhere
Runs on any device — desktop, tablet, or phone. No software or extensions needed, just a browser.
How to Use Base64 Images in Code
Got your Base64 string? Here's how to actually use it in real projects.
HTML Image Tag
Use the data URI directly in the src attribute of an img tag:
<img src="data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANS..." alt="My image">CSS Background Image
Embed the image as a CSS background using the url() function with a data URI:
.icon {
background-image: url('data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANS...');
background-size: contain;
width: 24px;
height: 24px;
}JavaScript Image Object
Create an Image object and set the source to the data URI:
const img = new Image();
img.src = 'data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANS...';
img.onload = () => document.body.appendChild(img);React / JSX
Use the data URI in JSX just like a regular image URL:
const base64Image = 'data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANS...';
return <img src={base64Image} alt="My image" />;JSON API Payload
Include the raw Base64 string (without the data URI prefix) in JSON:
{
"image": "iVBORw0KGgoAAAANS...",
"filename": "photo.png",
"content_type": "image/png"
}Base64 Encoding Size Impact
Base64 makes things about 33% bigger. Here's a practical guide to when it's worth it and when it's not.
| Original Size | Base64 Size | Recommendation |
|---|---|---|
| < 2 KB | ~2.7 KB | Embed as Base64 — eliminates HTTP request overhead |
| 2 - 10 KB | ~2.7 - 13.3 KB | Good candidate for Base64 — especially for CSS/email |
| 10 - 50 KB | ~13.3 - 66.7 KB | Consider carefully — use for emails, avoid in CSS |
| 50 - 200 KB | ~66.7 - 266.7 KB | Usually better as external file — too large for inline |
| > 200 KB | > 266.7 KB | Use external file — Base64 hurts performance at this size |
The 33% increase is unavoidable -- it's baked into how the encoding works (3 bytes of binary become 4 bytes of text). For small stuff like icons and logos under 10KB, skipping the HTTP request usually makes up for the extra size. But once you're past 20-30KB, you're bloating your HTML or CSS with a giant string that can't be cached on its own. At that point, just serve the image as a normal file and let the browser cache it properly.
Best Practices for Base64 Images
A few rules of thumb so you don't accidentally tank your page performance.
Keep Base64 Images Small
Stick to images under 10KB. Once you go bigger, the encoded string starts bloating your HTML or CSS file in a way that actually hurts load times. The browser can't cache a Base64 image separately from the page, either. If it's over 10KB, just serve it as a regular file.
Optimize Before Encoding
Run your image through TinyPNG, ImageOptim, or convert it to WebP before you Base64-encode it. There's no point encoding a 50KB unoptimized PNG when you could compress it to 5KB first. Smaller source file = shorter Base64 string = less bloat in your code.
Use Data URIs in CSS for UI Icons
This is the sweet spot for Base64. Small icons that appear on every page -- checkmarks, arrows, close buttons, spinners. Embed them in your main CSS file, and they get cached along with the stylesheet. No extra HTTP requests, no flash of missing icons on first load.
Avoid Base64 for Responsive Images
You can't use srcset or sizes with a Base64 data URI, so responsive images are out. If you need different image sizes for different screen widths or pixel densities, serve external files with proper responsive markup instead.
Consider Gzip Compression
Here's a silver lining: Base64 strings compress surprisingly well with gzip or brotli because of the repetitive character patterns. So the actual transfer size over the wire is smaller than the raw string length suggests. That 33% overhead? It's partially offset by your server's compression. Not fully, but enough to take some of the sting out.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is my image uploaded to a server?
Is there a file size limit?
What image formats are supported?
Why is the Base64 string larger than the original file?
What is a data URI?
Can I convert Base64 back to an image?
Does it work with animated GIFs?
Can I use Base64 images in emails?
Is Base64 encoding secure?
How many images can I convert?
Does it work on mobile?
What's the difference between Raw Base64 and Data URI?
When should I NOT use Base64 images?
Can I use SVG files?
How does this compare to command-line tools?
How do I convert base64 back to JPG or PNG?
How do I convert an image to base64 in Python?
import base64, then with open('image.png', 'rb') as f: encoded = base64.b64encode(f.read()).decode('utf-8'). To create a data URI, prepend the MIME type: f'data:image/png;base64,{encoded}'. This is common in Flask and Django for embedding thumbnails in API responses.How do I convert an image to base64 in JavaScript?
reader.readAsDataURL(file) returns a data URI with the base64 string. In Node.js, use fs.readFileSync('image.png').toString('base64') to get the raw base64, then prepend 'data:image/png;base64,' for a data URI. The Canvas API can also export any canvas element as base64 using canvas.toDataURL().Can I base64 encode an image from a URL?
requests.get(url).content then base64.b64encode(). In Node.js, fetch the image, get the arrayBuffer, and convert to base64.What is the base64 size limit for HTML or CSS?
How do I embed a base64 image in a Markdown file?
. Works on GitHub, GitLab, and most renderers. However, it makes the file huge and hard to read, so only practical for tiny images like badges or icons. For larger images, host them externally and reference the URL.Is base64 or a URL better for web performance?
Can I convert a screenshot to base64?
How do I use base64 images in React Native?
<Image source={{uri: 'data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgo...'}} />. Useful for bundling small images without an asset pipeline. For larger images, use require() or fetch from a remote URL for better memory management.Can I convert multiple images to base64 at once?
base64.b64encode(). In Bash: for f in *.png; do base64 "$f" > "$f.b64"; done. For a quick web approach, convert each image here one at a time.Base64 Image Encoding in Python, JavaScript & PHP
Need to convert images to base64 programmatically? Here's the quick reference for every major language.
Python
Python's standard library makes base64 encoding straightforward. Read the file as binary, encode it, and decode the bytes to a UTF-8 string. This is the most common approach for Django, Flask, and FastAPI backends that need to embed images in API responses or database records.
import base64
with open("photo.jpg", "rb") as f:
encoded = base64.b64encode(f.read()).decode("utf-8")
data_uri = f"data:image/jpeg;base64,{encoded}"JavaScript / Node.js
In the browser, the FileReader API handles conversion automatically. In Node.js, read the file into a Buffer and call .toString('base64'). Both environments support data URIs natively, so you can use the result directly in img tags, Canvas, or API requests.
// Node.js
const fs = require('fs');
const base64 = fs.readFileSync('photo.jpg').toString('base64');
const dataUri = `data:image/jpeg;base64,${base64}`;
// Browser (FileReader)
const reader = new FileReader();
reader.onload = () => console.log(reader.result); // data URI
reader.readAsDataURL(file);PHP
PHP's base64_encode() function handles the conversion in a single call. Read the file with file_get_contents(), encode it, and build the data URI. This is commonly used in WordPress plugins, Laravel views, and email templates generated server-side.
$imageData = file_get_contents('photo.jpg');
$base64 = base64_encode($imageData);
$dataUri = 'data:image/jpeg;base64,' . $base64;cURL / Command Line
On macOS and Linux, the base64 command is built in. On Windows, use certutil. Pipe the output into your clipboard or a file for quick use in HTML, CSS, or API testing tools like Postman.
# macOS / Linux
base64 -i photo.jpg | pbcopy # copies to clipboard
# Windows
certutil -encode photo.jpg output.b64Convert Base64 Back to an Image
Base64 encoding is fully reversible. Here's how to decode a base64 string back to a JPG, PNG, or any image format.
Decode in Your Browser
The quickest way to see a base64 image: paste the full data URI (data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgo...) directly into your browser's address bar and press Enter. The image displays immediately. Right-click and "Save As" to download it as a file. This works in Chrome, Firefox, Safari, and Edge with no tools needed.
Decode in Python
Python's base64.b64decode() reverses the encoding. Strip the data URI prefix first if present, then write the decoded bytes to a file with the appropriate extension.
import base64
# Strip data URI prefix if present
b64_string = "iVBORw0KGgo..." # raw base64
image_bytes = base64.b64decode(b64_string)
with open("output.png", "wb") as f:
f.write(image_bytes)Decode in JavaScript
In the browser, convert the base64 string to a Blob and create a downloadable link. In Node.js, use Buffer.from() to decode and write to disk.
// Browser — trigger download
const b64 = "iVBORw0KGgo...";
const byteArray = Uint8Array.from(atob(b64), c => c.charCodeAt(0));
const blob = new Blob([byteArray], { type: "image/png" });
const url = URL.createObjectURL(blob);
window.open(url);
// Node.js
fs.writeFileSync("output.png", Buffer.from(b64, "base64"));When to Decode
Common scenarios where you need to go from base64 back to an image file: extracting images from API responses, saving email-embedded images, debugging data URIs in CSS or HTML, recovering images stored as base64 in databases, or converting Markdown-embedded images to separate files for better version control.
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