To convert an image to Base64, drop a PNG, JPG, WebP, GIF, SVG, AVIF, BMP or ICO file above and click Convert to Base64. Choose the output you need — a data URI, raw Base64, a ready img tag or a CSS background-image line — and press Copy. The original bytes are encoded, so quality never changes.
How to use the Image to Base64 tool
- 1
Add one or more images
Drop PNG, JPG, WebP, GIF, SVG, AVIF, BMP or ICO files onto the drop area, or click to select them. Several files can be encoded at once.
- 2
Click Convert to Base64
Each file's bytes are read in your browser and encoded as Base64 exactly as they are, without re-compressing the image.
- 3
Pick the output format
Switch between a full data URI, raw Base64, an HTML img tag or a CSS background-image declaration, depending on where the code will go.
- 4
Copy and paste
Use the Copy button next to each result and check the size shown, so you know how much the string will add to your page or stylesheet.
When to embed an image in HTML or CSS as Base64
Base64 turns binary data into plain text. Wrapped in a data URI, that text can stand in for an image URL, so the image travels inside the HTML, CSS or JSON file instead of being a separate download. That is handy for small icons and logos in a stylesheet, images in HTML email templates, single-file demos and prototypes, and API payloads or config files that only accept text.
The cost is size. A Base64 string is about 33 % larger than the binary file, and an embedded image cannot be cached separately by the browser, so it is re-downloaded every time the file containing it is. For that reason it suits small images best: a 2 KB icon becomes roughly 2.7 KB of text, which is fine, while a large photo would bloat your page and is better served as a normal file.
Because the converter shows the size of every result, you can decide case by case whether to embed an image in HTML or CSS or keep it as an ordinary file.
Data URI, raw Base64, img tag or CSS: which output to copy
A Base64 data URI starts with data:, followed by the file's media type such as image/png, then ;base64, and the encoded text. Paste it anywhere a URL is expected: the src attribute of an image, a CSS url() value or a JSON field. Raw Base64 is just the encoded text without that prefix, which is what many APIs and libraries ask for.
The img tag output wraps the data URI in a complete HTML image element you can drop straight into a page, and the CSS output gives you a ready background-image line for a stylesheet. All four come from the same encoding, so switching between them does not re-process the file.
PNG to Base64 and JPG to Base64 work the same way. SVG to Base64 is useful when a tool will not accept inline SVG markup; the encoded SVG stays a vector, so it still scales cleanly at any size.
A Base64 image encoder that keeps files private
The encoder reads your files with the browser's own APIs and never re-encodes the pixels, so the Base64 output decodes back to an identical file. Nothing is resized, compressed or converted along the way.
Nothing is uploaded either. The files stay on your device, are processed inside the tab and are discarded when you close it. That matters for logos, unreleased designs or screenshots you would rather not hand to a third-party server. The tool is free, with no signup.
Tips for the best results
- Embed only small images such as icons, logos and simple graphics; Base64 adds about a third to the file size.
- Compress or resize an image before encoding it, since the Base64 string grows with every byte of the original.
- For SVG icons, Base64 avoids quoting problems when the markup would otherwise break a CSS or JSON string.
- Use raw Base64 when an API asks for the encoded content alone, and the data URI when it expects a URL.
- Large images are usually better linked as files so the browser can cache them between pages.
Frequently asked questions
How do I convert an image to Base64?
Drop the image into the box above and click Convert to Base64. Then choose data URI, raw Base64, img tag or CSS background-image and click Copy. The encoding happens in your browser, and the output decodes back to exactly the original file.
What is a Base64 data URI?
It is a string that contains the whole image as text, in the form data:, the media type such as image/png, ;base64, and then the encoded bytes. Browsers accept it wherever an image URL is allowed, so the image needs no separate file.
Does converting to Base64 reduce image quality?
No. The tool encodes the original file bytes without re-compressing anything, so the image is exactly the same when decoded. What changes is size: Base64 text is about 33 % larger than the binary file.
Which image formats can I convert?
PNG, JPG, WebP, GIF, SVG, AVIF, BMP and ICO files are supported, and you can add several at once. Each result shows its size, so you can see what embedding it would add to your code.
Should I use Base64 images on my website?
For small icons, logos and email templates it can save a request and keep everything in one file. For photos and larger images it usually hurts, because the text is bigger and cannot be cached separately. Check the size shown before embedding.
Are my images uploaded to a server?
No. The Base64 encoding runs entirely in your browser. Your images are never sent to Krawly's servers and nothing is stored, so private logos and screenshots stay on your device. Closing the tab discards the files and results.
Private by design. Every Krawly converter runs inside your browser using JavaScript and WebAssembly. Your files are not uploaded, stored or seen by anyone — when you close the tab, they are gone.