PNG to Base64 Converter

What Is PNG to Base64 Conversion?

PNG to Base64 conversion encodes the binary data of a PNG file into a text string prefixed with data:image/png;base64,. The output is a complete data URI that browsers interpret as an inline image. You can embed this string directly in HTML <img> tags, CSS background-image declarations, JSON API payloads, or JavaScript source code without referencing an external file.

Why Convert PNG Images to Base64?

Converting small PNG images to Base64 eliminates HTTP requests, which reduces page load latency for icons, logos, and UI elements. Base64 PNGs can be embedded in CSS sprites, included in JSON API responses, and placed in HTML email templates where external image hosting is unreliable. The technique is most effective for PNGs under 10 KB, where the 33% size overhead is offset by removing a network round trip. For general image encoding, see the Base64 image encoder.

How Does the PNG to Base64 Converter Work?

This tool uses the browser FileReader API to read the uploaded PNG file as a data URL. The readAsDataURL() method produces the complete Base64 data URI including the data:image/png;base64, MIME type prefix. An Image element loads the data URL to extract pixel dimensions. All processing runs locally in your browser memory with zero server communication. Learn more about the underlying encoding at What Is Base64.

What Are the Best Practices for PNG Base64 Encoding?

Encode only small PNG files to avoid bloating HTML and CSS documents. The following table lists size thresholds and recommendations for PNG Base64 usage in web projects.

Use Base64 for icons, favicons, and small UI graphics. Larger PNGs benefit from CDN delivery and browser cache. Check the output size with the Base64 size calculator. Compare trade-offs at Base64 vs binary.

How Do You Use PNG Base64 in HTML and CSS?

In HTML, set the Base64 string as the src attribute of an <img> tag. In CSS, use the string inside url() for background-image. Both methods render the PNG without an external HTTP request.

<!-- HTML inline image -->
<img src="data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgo..." alt="Icon">

/* CSS background image */
.icon {
  background-image: url('data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgo...');
  background-size: contain;
}

Generate ready-to-use HTML and CSS snippets with the Base64 embed generator. To reverse the process, use the Base64 to PNG converter.

Frequently Asked Questions