Image to Base64 Converter

Complete Guide to Base64 Image Encoding

What Is Base64 Encoding and How Does It Work?

Base64 converts binary image data into a ASCII text string using 64 characters (A-Z, a-z, 0-9, +, /). Each 3 bytes of binary data becomes 4 Base64 characters. The resulting text can be safely embedded in HTML, CSS, JSON, XML, and email — anywhere that only accepts text content. The trade-off is a ~33% increase in data size.

Data URI vs Raw Base64 — Which Format to Use?

A data URI includes the MIME type prefix (data:image/png;base64,...) and can be used directly in src attributes and CSS url(). Raw Base64 is just the encoded string — useful for API payloads, database storage, and custom processing. Use data URI for HTML/CSS embedding; use raw Base64 for programmatic use.

When to Use Base64 Images (and When Not To)

Good use cases: small icons under 10KB, email template images, self-contained HTML files, inline SVG badges, CSS background patterns. Avoid for: large photos (creates bloated HTML), images that benefit from browser caching, anything over 20KB. For web performance, serving images as separate files is almost always better for large assets.

Privacy & Security — Browser-Only Processing

Snipinsta's Base64 converter runs entirely in your browser using the JavaScript FileReader API. Your image is never uploaded to any server. The conversion happens locally on your device, making it safe for sensitive images like ID cards, medical records, or confidential documents.

Frequently Asked Questions