Image to Base64
Convert an image to a Base64 string or data URI, entirely in your browser.
Drop an image here or click to browse
The image is converted in your browser — nothing is uploaded.How to use the Image to Base64
Step 1 — Add an image
- Drag an image onto the box or click to browse.
- A preview and size appear instantly.
Step 2 — Choose the format
- Keep the data URI prefix for direct use in HTML/CSS.
- Untick it for the raw Base64 bytes only.
Step 3 — Copy
- Copy the Base64 string, or copy it as a ready CSS background rule.
Private by design
- Everything runs in your browser; the image is never uploaded.
Frequently asked questions
It encodes an image as text so it can be embedded directly in HTML, CSS, or JSON without a separate file request — handy for small icons and inline assets.
Keep it (data:image/...;base64,) if you will use the string directly in an img src or CSS background. Drop it if you only need the raw encoded bytes.
Yes, by about a third. Base64 suits small images; large ones are better served as normal files.
No. The conversion happens entirely in your browser using the FileReader API — the image never leaves your device.
Yes. Use the “Copy as CSS background” button to get a ready-made background-image rule.
About the Image to Base64 converter
This tool encodes an image as a Base64 text string — and optionally a full data URI — so it can be embedded directly inside code instead of loaded as a separate file. The conversion happens entirely in your browser, so the image never leaves your device.
What Base64 encoding is for
Browsers and code expect images as binary files, but sometimes it is convenient to carry an image as plain text. Base64 represents the image's bytes using a 64-character alphabet, producing a string you can paste into an HTML img tag, a CSS background, a JSON payload, or an email template. Wrapped as a data URI — beginning with data:image/png;base64, — it becomes a self-contained image that needs no separate file or network request.
When to use it, and when not to
Inlining as Base64 shines for small, frequently used assets: icons, logos, tiny background patterns, or images embedded in a single-file template. It removes an extra HTTP request, which can speed up the first paint. The trade-off is size — Base64 is about a third larger than the original binary, and large inline images bloat your HTML or CSS and cannot be cached separately by the browser. As a rule, inline small images and keep large ones as ordinary files.
Prefix or no prefix
The data URI prefix tells software what the string represents. Keep it when you will drop the string straight into an img src or a CSS url(), since those need the full data: URI to render. Remove it when another system expects only the raw encoded bytes, for example an API field that adds its own wrapper.
Privacy
This runs completely in your browser using the FileReader API; nothing is uploaded or stored. To go from a Base64 string back to text or other formats, see the Base64 Encoder / Decoder; to read colours from an image, see the Image Color Picker.