How to copy a decoded image to the clipboard on a Mac
You can do this with B64 in one click. Here is how, and when it beats saving a file.
Sometimes the picture is not going into a folder. It is going into a message, a document, a ticket, a presentation — and the file you would have to create on the way is a file you would then have to remember to delete.
There is no purchase and no account for any of this, and no time limit on it. Encoding and Batch are the paid features; turning Base64 back into a picture is not.
Copy the picture
Decode the payload
Paste it into Decode (⌘2) — raw Base64, a data URI, or a payload wrapped in HTML, CSS or Markdown.
Click Copy Image
The decoded picture goes onto the clipboard as an image, not as text.
Paste it wherever it is going
A mail message, a document, a chat, a design tool. No file is written at any point.
This is the picture, not the string. Pasting it into a text field gives you nothing useful; pasting it into anything that accepts images gives you the picture.
When to copy rather than save
| What you are doing | Better |
|---|---|
| Pasting into one message or document | Copy Image |
| Keeping it in a project folder | Save… |
| Checking what a payload is | Quick Look, then decide |
| Handing several files to somebody | Batch, then Save All |
| Anything where the filename matters | Save… |
What ends up on the clipboard
An image representation of the decoded bytes, which is what other apps expect to receive. Note that this is the picture: a paste is not necessarily byte-identical to the original file, because the receiving app decides how to store what it is given.
When byte fidelity matters — an archive, a checksum comparison, anything where the original file matters — use Save… instead. That writes the decoded bytes exactly.
Troubleshooting
Nothing pasted
The destination may not accept images. Try a document or a mail message rather than a plain-text field.
I got the Base64 string instead of the picture
You used the wrong command, or copied from the input box. Copy Image sits beside the decoded picture, not beside the text.
The pasted image is not identical to the original file
Expected — the receiving app decides how to store an image it is handed. Use Save… when the exact bytes matter.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between Copy and Copy Image?
Copy Image puts the decoded picture on the clipboard. Copy, in the Encode workspace, puts the Base64 string there. They are different things for different destinations.
Is the pasted image byte-identical to the original file?
Not necessarily — the receiving app decides how to store what it is handed. Use Save when the exact bytes matter.
Do I need to save the file first?
No. Copy Image works straight from the decoded result, with nothing written to disk.
Is this free?
Yes. Everything in Decode is free forever.