Image to Base64 Converter
Convert PNG, JPG, WebP, GIF or SVG up to 10 MB to a Base64 data URI. Copy the URI, raw Base64, or ready-to-paste img and CSS background code.
Conversion happens entirely in your browser. Your image never leaves your device.
Drop an image here
PNG, JPG, WebP, GIF, SVG · up to ~10 MB
How It Works
Base64 turns any byte sequence into plain text, so a binary image file can live inside HTML, CSS or JSON without a separate request. This tool reads your file with the browser's FileReader API, gets the ready-made data URI from readAsDataURL, and splits it into the parts you need.
- The encoding
- Base64 maps every 3 bytes of the file to 4 characters from an alphabet of 64 symbols (A–Z, a–z, 0–9, +, /). The output is therefore about 33% larger than the file, but it survives any text-only channel unchanged — no encoding glitches, no extra files.
- Data URIs
- A data URI pairs the payload with a label: data:MIME_TYPE;base64,DATA. For an image the MIME type (image/png, image/jpeg, …) is prepended automatically, and browsers can render the string directly wherever a normal image URL would go.
- Where it shines
- Icons, avatars and small logos embedded in HTML or CSS eliminate extra HTTP requests and keep the page self-contained. For large photos the 33% size penalty and the bloated markup usually make a real image file the better choice.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a Base64 data URI?
A data URI is a text representation of a file that starts with a prefix like data:image/png;base64, followed by the file's contents encoded in Base64. Browsers can render it directly in place of a separate image file, which is why it is handy for embedding small images in HTML, CSS and JSON without any extra requests.
Why does the Base64 output look so long?
Base64 represents 3 bytes with 4 characters, so the encoded string is always about 33% larger than the original file. A 100 KB image becomes roughly a 133 KB data URI. That overhead is why Base64 embedding is best for small images — icons, avatars, thumbnails — rather than full-resolution photos.
Which image formats are supported?
PNG, JPG, WebP, GIF and SVG files up to 10 MB. The conversion is a pure byte-to-text encoding, so the original format and quality are fully preserved — the data URI renders exactly like the source file.
Does the image get uploaded anywhere?
No. The file is read with the browser's FileReader API entirely on your device, and the Base64 string is generated locally in JavaScript. No server, no network request — the image never leaves your device.
Where can I use the data URI?
Anywhere a normal image URL works: as the source of an image tag, as a CSS background-image url() value, in inline styles, in JSON payloads or CMS fields. The tool also generates the ready-to-paste image tag and CSS snippet for you.