# JWT Decoder

Decode JWT tokens

> Canonical page: https://elysiatools.com/en/tools/jwt-decoder

- **Category:** Security

- **Keywords:** jwt, decoder, token, json, web, auth, decode

## Overview

The JWT Decoder is a secure, browser-based utility that allows you to instantly inspect the contents of JSON Web Tokens. By pasting your encoded string, you can view the header, payload, and signature components in a readable format without sending data to a server.

## Inputs

- **JWT Token** (text): Enter JWT token to decode...
- **Show Header** (checkbox)
- **Show Payload** (checkbox)
- **Show Signature** (checkbox)

## When to use

- Debugging authentication issues in web applications.
- Verifying the claims and expiration time within a token.
- Inspecting token structure during API development.

## How it works

- Paste your encoded JWT string into the input field.
- Select your display preferences to show or hide the header, payload, or signature.
- The tool automatically decodes the Base64Url-encoded segments and displays the JSON structure.

## Use cases

- Checking user roles and permissions embedded in the token payload.
- Troubleshooting 'Invalid Token' errors by inspecting the 'exp' (expiration) claim.
- Reviewing custom claims added by your authentication provider.

## Frequently asked questions

### Is my token data sent to a server?

No, all decoding happens locally in your browser. Your data never leaves your device.

### Can this tool verify if a token is valid?

This tool decodes the content for inspection but does not perform cryptographic signature verification.

### What parts of the JWT can I view?

You can view the header, the payload (claims), and the signature, depending on your selected display settings.

### Does this work with expired tokens?

Yes, the decoder will display the contents of any validly formatted JWT, regardless of its expiration status.

### Is the signature decoded or verified?

The signature is displayed as a raw string; this tool does not validate the signature against a secret key.

## Related tools

- [JWT Inspector & Verifier](https://elysiatools.com/en/tools/jwt-inspector-verifier): Decode a JWT (header + payload) with syntax highlighting, diagnose standard claims, and verify the signature with HS*/RS*/PS*/ES*/EdDSA keys — plus a tampered-token forgery demo
- [Distributed Trace Decoder & Waterfall Visualizer](https://elysiatools.com/en/tools/distributed-trace-decoder-waterfall-visualizer): Decode Jaeger, Zipkin, or OpenTelemetry trace JSON and render span timing, dependencies, and error hotspots as an interactive waterfall report
- [BSON Converter](https://elysiatools.com/en/tools/bson-converter): Encode and decode data to/from BSON (Binary JSON) format
- [Smile Converter](https://elysiatools.com/en/tools/smile-converter): Encode and decode data to/from Smile (binary JSON) format
- [UBJSON Converter](https://elysiatools.com/en/tools/ubjson-converter): Encode and decode data to/from UBJSON (Universal Binary JSON) format
- [JWK Generator & Parser](https://elysiatools.com/en/tools/jwk-generator): Generate JSON Web Keys (JWK) for RSA, EC (P-256/P-384/P-521/secp256k1), and OKP (Ed25519/Ed448/X25519/X448), or parse an existing JWK to inspect its parameters, thumbprint, and metadata
- [JWT Generator](https://elysiatools.com/en/tools/jwt-generator): Generate JWT tokens with custom claims and algorithms
- [Snowflake / Discord ID Bit Decoder](https://elysiatools.com/en/tools/snowflake-discord-id-bit-decoder): Decode 64-bit Snowflake-style IDs for Discord, Twitter, Mastodon, Sonyflake, Instagram, or a custom bit profile. Extract timestamp, worker/process/machine, sequence fields, align platform epochs, and infer a Discord shard when a shard count is supplied.

## Samples

- [JWT Samples](https://elysiatools.com/en/samples/jwt-samples): Comprehensive JWT examples from basic token structure to advanced security implementations
- [Terraform Plan JSON Samples](https://elysiatools.com/en/samples/terraform-plan-json-samples): Sample Terraform plan JSON files exported from terraform show -json style payloads for dependency visualization and change review
- [Hex/Unicode Encoding Format Samples](https://elysiatools.com/en/samples/text-hex-unicode-formats): Examples of hex (\xXX) and unicode (\uXXXX) escape sequence encoding formats
- [WebRTC Real-Time Communication Samples](https://elysiatools.com/en/samples/webrtc-samples): Comprehensive WebRTC samples for peer-to-peer audio/video communication, data channels, screen sharing, and signaling server implementation

## Related content

- [JWT Construction and Security Review](https://elysiatools.com/en/hubs/jwt-construction-and-security-review): Build a controlled JWT fixture or inspect an authorized sample, then review claims, algorithms, expiry, sensitive fields, and signature evidence without confusing decoding with verification.
- [Authorized JWT, OTP, TOTP, and Session Test Workflow](https://elysiatools.com/en/hubs/token-session-and-2fa-workflows): Build sanitized auth fixtures, separate token generation from decoding and verification, test OTP/TOTP timing, and audit JWT and session evidence without exposing real secrets.
- [Credential and JWT Security Workflow](https://elysiatools.com/en/hubs/auth-token-security): Generate or validate password credentials and inspect JWT security signals without treating key pairs as passwords.