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Decompress text

Paste compressed data as Base64 (gzip or deflate) and read the original text. The decompression runs in your browser and nothing is uploaded.

How it works

  1. Paste your text

    Paste the text, or the code you want to convert back.

  2. Converted straight away

    The tool compresses with gzip and writes the result as Base64 code, or turns such a code back into text.

  3. Copy or download

    You see straight away how much shorter the text has become.

Example

The example string H4sIAAAAAAAC//NI… becomes Hello world! This is compressed text. 😀, and the note says that gzip data was found and gave 40 characters.

What it accepts

Base64 text, standard or URL-safe (- and _), with or without = padding and even with a data: prefix. Spaces and line breaks are ignored. The tool recognises gzip and deflate data automatically and shows which one it found and how many characters came out.

If the code is truncated, contains characters that don't belong in Base64, or isn't compressed data at all, you get a clear message instead of nonsense.

Typical sources

Strings made by compress text, by gzip plus base64 on the command line, or by apps and APIs that send compressed payloads as Base64.

To decode plain Base64 that isn't compressed, use Base64 decode. For text that was locked with a password, use decrypt text.

Frequently asked questions

Which input formats are accepted?

Base64 text, standard or URL-safe (`-` and `_`), with or without `=` padding and even with a `data:` prefix. Spaces and line breaks are ignored.

How does it know whether it is gzip or deflate?

It recognises the data automatically and the note shows which one it found, together with the number of characters that came out.

What do I get if the code is damaged?

A clear message, such as *Invalid character "@": this is not Base64 code*, instead of nonsense. The same goes for truncated code and for Base64 that is not compressed data at all.

Can I decode normal Base64 that is not compressed?

Not here. Use [Base64 decode](/en/code/base64-decode) for that, and come back for data that was compressed first.