JWT Decoder

Free JWT decoder — decode and inspect the header and payload of a JSON Web Token, including expiry, entirely in your browser. Nothing is uploaded.

Learn more: JWT & Web Tokens ExplainedHow JSON Web Tokens work — structure, signing (HS256 vs RS256), claims, verification and best practices.

Runs entirely in your browser — nothing you enter is uploaded or stored.

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Decode any JSON Web Token

Paste a JWT to instantly read its header and payload as pretty-printed JSON, plus a human-readable view of the standard time claims (iat, nbf, exp).

This tool does not verify the signature. Decoding a JWT is not the same as trusting it — anyone can read a token's contents. Only a server holding the secret (HMAC) or the correct public key (RSA/EC) can confirm the token is genuine and untampered. Never make security decisions based on a decoded-but-unverified token.

Frequently asked questions

Does this verify the signature?

No. This tool only DECODES the JWT — it splits and base64url-decodes the header and payload. Verifying the signature requires the signing key (or public key), which the tool never has. Do not trust a decoded token as authentic.

What do the dates mean?

iat = issued-at, nbf = not-before, exp = expiry. They are stored as seconds since the Unix epoch; the tool renders them as UTC dates and flags whether the token is currently expired.

Is my token uploaded?

No — everything runs locally in your browser. Nothing leaves the page.

Why does decoding fail?

A valid JWT has three dot-separated parts (header.payload.signature), each valid base64url, and the first two must be valid JSON. If any of that is off, an error is shown.

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