Uuencode and Xxencode Encoder and Decoder
Encode or decode uuencode and xxencode text.
Encode plain text into uuencode or xxencode data lines, or decode existing uuencoded and xxencoded text back into readable text.
Choose Default, Original, or Xxencode when you need a specific alphabet for compatibility with legacy examples, mail archives, or old transfer scripts.
What is Uuencode?
Uuencoding, or Unix-to-Unix encoding, is a legacy binary-to-text format created for moving file data through mail and other text-oriented transports. Encoded payload lines include their original byte length, so spacing can be meaningful when you work with historical output.
This tool is intended for inspecting and converting text payloads. When you encode text, the page emits encoded data lines and a zero-length terminator line. When you decode, it accepts payload lines and common begin / end wrappers, but it does not recreate files or preserve file names, file modes, or permissions.
Uuencode was common for email attachments and Usenet posts before MIME Base64 became the usual choice. It is still useful when you need to inspect legacy messages, compare encoder output, test decoders, or understand how older Unix transfer formats represented binary data as printable text. It is not encryption and should not be used to hide or secure sensitive data.
Supported Algorithms
The following algorithms are supported by this Uuencode and Xxencode encoder and decoder:
Default uuencode uses a common uuencode alphabet where zero maps to a grave accent (`) instead of a space. This avoids leading and trailing space characters that can be hard to see or accidentally trim.
Original uuencode uses the historical printable ASCII range from space through underscore. It is useful when you need output that matches older Unix documentation or archived messages.
Xxencode uses the xx alphabet, +-0123456789ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZabcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz. Xxencode was designed to survive character set translation more reliably than classic uuencode by avoiding punctuation-heavy output.
All three modes use the same legacy line structure. The difference is the 64-character alphabet and the corresponding length and terminator characters.
