TSV to Base64

Encode TSV and spreadsheet cells to Base64 with tabs preserved.

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TSV to Base64 Converter That Keeps Every Tab

Tab-separated values are what you get when you copy a range of cells from Excel, Google Sheets, Numbers, or LibreOffice Calc. This tool encodes that TSV text to Base64 and decodes it back without losing a single tab character, so the columns reappear exactly when you paste the decoded data into a spreadsheet again.

Why tabs are fragile

Tabs are invisible, and many places quietly destroy them: chat apps, ticket systems, some code editors that convert tabs to spaces, web forms that trim whitespace, and YAML files where tabs are not allowed at all. Encoding the table as Base64 turns it into a single line of letters and digits that none of these systems will touch. The receiver decodes it and gets the original \t-separated rows back. For example, Name\tAge encodes to TmFtZQlBZ2U= – the tab is hidden inside ZQlB.

Typical workflows

  • Spreadsheet to API – copy cells from Google Sheets, encode them here, and send the Base64 in a JSON field to an import endpoint.
  • Bioinformatics and research – many scientific tools export .tsv or .tab files; Base64 lets you embed small datasets in notebooks or config files.
  • Database dumps – PostgreSQL COPY ... TO and MySQL SELECT ... INTO OUTFILE default to tab-delimited output.
  • Download links – with Output as data URI you get data:text/tab-separated-values;base64,... for a one-click export link.

Using the tool

Paste your cells or open a .tsv, .tab, or .txt file. Commas, quotes, and semicolons inside cells need no escaping in TSV, and they are preserved byte for byte, along with non-English characters encoded as UTF-8. The decoder accepts wrapped, URL-safe, or unpadded Base64 and data URIs. If your data uses commas as delimiters, the sibling CSV to Base64 tool explains CSV-specific details, and Text to Base64 covers general Unicode text.

Frequently Asked Questions

Yes. Every tab (byte 0x09) is encoded like any other byte and comes back as a real tab after decoding. Nothing is converted to spaces, so you can paste the decoded output straight into Excel or Google Sheets and the columns line up again.

When you copy cells in Excel, Google Sheets, or LibreOffice, the clipboard contains tab-separated text. Values with commas or quotes don't need escaping in TSV, which makes it simpler and less error-prone for copy-and-paste workflows.

No, Base64 only preserves what you give it. If an editor already converted tabs to spaces, copy the data again directly from the spreadsheet or open the original .tsv file with the file button so the tabs are intact before encoding.