On GNU/Linux, decode a Base64 string with printf '%s' 'SGVsbG8=' | base64 --decode (or base64 -d). The command prints Hello to standard output. For macOS and other Unix-like systems, check the installed base64 utility’s manual: decode flags vary between implementations.
Decode a Base64 string on GNU/Linux
GNU coreutils accepts encoded data from standard input and writes the decoded bytes to standard output. For a short, pasted string, run:
printf '%s' 'SGVsbG8=' | base64 --decodeThe output is Hello. The shorter GNU option is -d:
printf '%s' 'SGVsbG8=' | base64 -dprintf '%s' sends the string as written without appending a newline to the encoded input. That makes it a more predictable choice than echo, whose handling of escapes and trailing newlines can differ between shells.
GNU’s base64(1) manual describes the utility as encoding or decoding a file or standard input to standard output. With no file argument, it reads standard input; a hyphen (-) can also specify standard input explicitly.
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Decode a Base64 file or save the result
Print decoded text
Pass the encoded file as an argument:
base64 --decode message.b64This is suitable when the recovered bytes are text you intend to read. The command writes them to your terminal.
Save decoded bytes to a file
For binary data—or whenever you want a file rather than terminal output—redirect standard output:
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base64 --decode archive.b64 > archive.binBase64 can represent any bytes, not just readable text. Redirecting the result avoids displaying binary data in the terminal. The same standard-output behavior also lets the decoder feed another command in a pipeline.
Check the decode flag on macOS and other Unix systems
There is no single decode flag to assume across every Unix-like system. GNU/Linux documents -d and --decode; the cited archived manual for macOS 10.13.6 documents -D and --decode. See the macOS base64 manual for that version.
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On the machine where you are running the command, check base64 --help or man base64 and use the option documented by that utility. The GNU -d form should not be treated as universal.
Recognize Base64url and framed uuencode data
Base64url uses a different alphabet
Standard Base64 uses + and /; Base64url substitutes - and _. GNU coreutils documents basenc for decoding the URL-safe variant:
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basenc --base64url --decode input.txtThis option is specific to GNU’s documented utility; check whether basenc and that format are available on other systems. See the GNU basenc(1) manual.
A uuencode envelope is not a bare Base64 string
uudecode handles uuencode-formatted input, not an ordinary bare Base64 value. POSIX describes it as searching for data compatible with uuencode formats and creating the named file, or a file specified with -o. POSIX uuencode -m uses MIME Base64 inside a framed format with introductory lines and a terminating ====. Use uudecode for that envelope, not for an unframed string. See the POSIX uudecode manual and POSIX uuencode manual.
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Troubleshoot a failed decode
If decoding does not work, check the input before trying to force the command to accept it:
- Confirm the value is actually Base64 and was copied completely.
- Check whether it uses the standard alphabet or Base64url’s
-and_. - GNU
base64accepts newlines in encoded input. Its-ior--ignore-garbageoption can ignore other non-alphabet characters, but use it only when you know the extra characters are harmless copied formatting. Otherwise it may hide accidental characters in damaged data. - For binary output, redirect to a file rather than inspecting it as terminal text.
A command that completes after ignoring unexpected characters does not establish that the input was intact or that the decoded result is correct. Do not strip punctuation or pipe unknown decoded bytes into a shell or executable as a first troubleshooting step.
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