Encoder / Decoder — How to Use It Online for Free
The Encoder / Decoder converts text between its plain form and Base64, URL encoding and HTML entities — in both directions. These are the three encodings that appear daily in links, APIs, emails and web code.
Each encoding solves a transport problem: Base64 carries binary data through text-only channels, URL encoding makes text safe inside addresses, and HTML entities let you show characters like < and > on a page without the browser treating them as code. Decoding is the reverse detective work — a strange string in a link or a log is very often just encoded text waiting to be read.
How to use the Encoder / Decoder
- Paste the text you want to convert.
- Choose the encoding — Base64, URL or HTML entities.
- Click Encode or Decode, as needed.
- Copy the converted result.
A quick example
A link you received contains a query like q=best%20phone%20under%2020000. Paste it here and URL-decode it to read it plainly: 'best phone under 20000'.
Tips for better results
- If a string ends with = signs and uses only letters, numbers, + and /, it is probably Base64 — try decoding it.
- Encode the whole string, not word by word — encoders handle spaces and symbols as part of the text.
- Double-encoding happens (a %2520 in a URL) — decode twice if the first result still looks encoded.
Working with plain text
Plain text is the most portable format there is — it pastes into forms, documents, code and messages without carrying hidden formatting with it. Most text trouble comes from invisible things: double spaces, stray blank lines, trailing spaces, and encoding quirks picked up when text is copied from PDFs and web pages. The workflow that fixes almost anything is: clean first (remove extra spaces and duplicates), then transform (case, sorting, find-and-replace), then measure (word count). Because every tool here works on a pasted copy in your browser, you can experiment freely — your original document is never at risk, and nothing you paste leaves your device.
Common questions
When is URL encoding needed? When text goes inside a web address: spaces become %20, and characters like &, ? and # must be encoded or they break the link's meaning. Anything typed into a URL — search queries, names, messages — needs it.
Is Base64 a kind of encryption? No — Base64 is only a way to carry data safely as text; anyone can decode it instantly (this very tool does). Never treat Base64 as protection for passwords or secrets.
Do I need to sign up or install anything? No. The Encoder / Decoder is completely free, needs no account and nothing to install — it runs in your browser, and anything you type stays on your device.
One tool rarely finishes the whole job. The natural companions to this one are covered in the Word Counter guide and the Case Converter guide — between them, most text tasks can be handled end to end in the browser, with no installs and no accounts.