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Free Online Image to Base64 Converter

Convert any image to a Base64 data URI string for embedding in HTML, CSS, or JSON. No server uploads.

Image preview

How to Convert an Image to Base64

Select any image file from your device. The tool instantly reads it, generates the Base64-encoded data URI, and displays it in the textarea. Click Copy to Clipboard to grab the raw data URI, or Copy as img Tag to get a ready-to-paste HTML snippet. The image preview confirms what was loaded.

What is a Base64 Data URI?

A data URI embeds a file directly into a string using Base64 encoding. This lets you include images inline in HTML, CSS, or JSON without needing a separate image file. It is commonly used for small icons, email templates, and single-file HTML documents.

Keep in Mind

Base64 encoding increases the data size by about 33 percent compared to the binary original. This makes it ideal for small images (under 10 KB) but impractical for large photographs. For large images, hosting the file separately and linking to it is more efficient.

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Frequently Asked Questions

What is Base64 encoding?
Base64 is a method of encoding binary data into ASCII text characters. It allows binary files like images to be represented as plain text strings.
Why is the Base64 string longer than the original file?
Base64 encoding increases size by approximately 33% because every 3 bytes of binary data are represented as 4 ASCII characters.
Where can I use a Base64 data URI?
You can embed it directly in HTML img tags, CSS background-image properties, JSON files, Markdown documents, and email templates.
Is there a size limit?
The tool can handle any image your browser can load. However, very large Base64 strings may cause performance issues when embedded in web pages.
Is my image uploaded anywhere?
No. The FileReader API reads the image locally in your browser. Nothing is transmitted to any server.