Base32 Encoder / Decoder
Encode text or files to Base32, or decode Base32 back to text. Supports RFC 4648 standard and Base32Hex variants with optional padding.
Example Inputs
What is Base32?
Base32 is a binary-to-text encoding scheme defined in RFC 4648 that represents binary data using a 32-character alphabet. The standard alphabet uses uppercase letters A through Z and digits 2 through 7. It is commonly used in TOTP/HOTP secret keys (Google Authenticator), DNSSEC NSEC3 records, onion addresses (Tor), and file systems where case sensitivity is not guaranteed.
The encoding converts every 5 bytes (40 bits) of input into 8 Base32 characters, with each character representing 5 bits. The = character is used for padding when the input length is not a multiple of 5 bytes. Base32 increases data size by approximately 60%, more than Base64's 33%, but offers the advantage of being case-insensitive.
Base32 vs Base64
| Feature | Base32 | Base64 |
|---|---|---|
| Alphabet size | 32 chars (A-Z, 2-7) | 64 chars (A-Z, a-z, 0-9, +, /) |
| Case sensitive | No | Yes |
| Size overhead | ~60% | ~33% |
| Encoding ratio | 5 bytes → 8 chars | 3 bytes → 4 chars |
| Common use | TOTP, DNS, Tor | Email, data URIs, APIs |