Image to Base64: What It Is and How to Convert

Base64 encoding turns your image into a plain-text string you can paste directly into code. No separate file needed.

What Is Base64?

Base64 is a way to represent binary data (like an image) using only text characters. When used with images, it looks like this:

data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAA...

The result is called a data URI, and browsers can display it just like any image.

When Is Base64 Useful?

• Emails — embed logos so they never break
• HTML single-file pages — ship one HTML file with all images inside
• CSS — background images without extra HTTP requests
• JSON — send images through APIs without file uploads
• Favicons — small icons inline

When Should You NOT Use Base64?

Large images as Base64 are bigger than the original file (about 33% overhead). Use it for small icons and logos — not for 5 MB photos.

How to Convert an Image to Base64 Online

1. Open our Image to Base64 tool
2. Upload any image (JPG, PNG, WebP, GIF)
3. Click Convert to Base64
4. Copy the result or download it as a .txt file

And that's it. Paste the data URI straight into your HTML <img src="..."> or CSS background-image: url(...) and it just works.

Convert your first image now: Image to Base64