Base32 Encode/Decode
Convert text to and from Base32 using multiple standard alphabets including RFC 4648, Base32Hex, Crockford's, and Z-base-32.
How to Use
Base32 is a binary-to-text encoding scheme that represents binary data in an ASCII string format. It works by taking 8-bit bytes and grouping them into 5-bit chunks. Each 5-bit chunk can represent a number from 0 to 31, which is then mapped to a specific 32-character alphabet.
Why Use Base32 over Base64?
Base64 uses 64 characters, including both upper and lower case letters, plus symbols like + and /. This makes Base64 highly efficient for transferring data, but difficult for humans to read, dictate over the phone, or use in file systems (which are often case-insensitive).
Base32 solves this by using only 32 characters. It is completely case-insensitive and avoids special symbols. The tradeoff is that Base32 output is about 20% larger than Base64 output.
About This Tool
Supported Alphabets
- Standard (RFC 4648): The default standard. Uses A-Z and 2-7. It pads the end of the string with
=characters. - Base32Hex: Also defined in RFC 4648. It uses 0-9 and A-V. Useful in programming because it preserves the sorting order of the underlying binary data.
- Crockford's Base32: Excludes the letters I, L, O, and U to prevent human confusion with numbers and accidental profanity. Our decoder automatically corrects common typos (e.g., typing an
oinstead of a0). - z-base-32: Permutes the standard alphabet so that the easiest characters to read and type represent the most common 5-bit chunks, making it highly human-friendly.