Encode text as quoted-printable (RFC 2045), the email transfer encoding that keeps mostly-ASCII text readable while escaping everything else.
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Processed privately in your browser — nothing you paste is uploaded, logged or stored.
Readable text through a 7-bit channel
Quoted-printable, defined in RFC 2045, encodes only the bytes that need it: everything printable stays as itself and anything else becomes =XX. For mostly-ASCII text that is far more readable than Base64 and far smaller, which is why email uses it for message bodies.
Worked example
"café" → caf=C3=A9 lines wrap at 76 characters with a trailing = a very long line...= ...continues here
Soft line breaks
A trailing = means “this line continues” and is removed on decoding. It exists because mail transports historically enforced a 76-character limit and would wrap or truncate anything longer, corrupting the message.
When Base64 is the better choice
Quoted-printable is efficient when most bytes are printable and terrible when they are not — binary encoded this way is three characters per byte, worse than Base64. Attachments therefore use Base64 and text bodies use quoted-printable.
Limits
An encoding for transport, fully reversible by anyone and offering no protection. Encoding is done in your browser.
How to use the Quoted-Printable Encoder
- Paste the message text.
- Keep the 76-character soft line breaks unless the consumer specifically wants unwrapped output.
- Click "Encode".
Frequently asked questions
When is quoted-printable preferable to Base64?
When the text is mostly ASCII. Only the unusual characters are escaped, so the message stays broadly readable and grows very little. For text that is mostly non-ASCII – Chinese or Arabic, say – almost every character would be escaped and Base64 is both smaller and simpler.
What is a soft line break?
An equals sign at the end of a line, meaning "this line continues". It exists because email systems historically limited lines to about 78 characters. The decoder removes soft breaks and rejoins the text.
Why is a trailing space encoded?
Because mail servers have historically stripped trailing whitespace, which would silently corrupt the message. Encoding it as an escape guarantees survival – a small rule that prevents a genuinely confusing class of bug.
