About the UUID to Short ID
Shorten a UUID from 36 characters to 22 for use in links, file names and QR codes, and turn the short ID back into the full UUID whenever you need it. Nothing is lost: the short ID holds exactly the same 128 bits.
Paste one UUID or a whole column of them. Each line is converted on its own, and any line with a problem is pointed out without stopping the rest.
How it works
A UUID is a 128-bit number. The usual form writes it in hexadecimal, 4 bits per character, plus four hyphens. A short ID writes the same number with a larger alphabet, about 6 bits per character, so 22 characters are enough.
Base62 uses only digits and letters, so it is safe everywhere, including places where - or _ are not allowed. Base58 also leaves out 0, O, I and l, which are easy to confuse when someone types the ID by hand. Base64url is the standard URL-safe encoding many programming languages have built in.
UUIDs are accepted with or without hyphens, in capitals, in braces as Windows shows GUIDs, or with a urn:uuid: prefix. The version is shown next to each result, for example v4 for random UUIDs and v7 for time-ordered ones.
Assumptions and limits
- Pick the same format to turn a short ID back into a UUID: the formats are not interchangeable.
- Base62 and base64url IDs are always 22 characters. Base58 IDs are usually 22 but can be shorter for UUIDs that start with zeros.
- Short IDs are case-sensitive: Ab and aB are different IDs.
Worked examples
Shorter links
/orders/919108f7-52d1-4320-9bac-f847db4148a8 becomes /orders/4QgAS76dLuYGIOevxRNdwe in base62, and the server turns it back into the UUID to look the order up.
IDs read over the phone
Choose base58 so a support agent never has to ask whether a character is a zero or the letter O.
Checking a short ID
Switch to 'Short ID → UUID' and paste the ID from a link to see which database record it points to.
How to use the UUID to Short ID
- Choose the direction. UUID to short ID, or back.
- Pick the format. Base62, base58 or base64url.
- Paste and copy. One per line; copy all the results.
Frequently asked questions
Can two UUIDs give the same short ID?
No. The conversion is a change of number base, not a hash, so every UUID has exactly one short ID in each format and the short ID always converts back to the original UUID.
Which format should I use?
Base62 is the safest choice for links and file names because it only has letters and digits. Use base58 when people will read or type IDs, and base64url when your programming language or database already supports it.
How do I do the same conversion in my code?
Read the UUID as a 128-bit number and write it in base 62 with the alphabet 0–9, A–Z, a–z, padded to 22 characters. For base64url, encode the 16 bytes without padding; most languages have this built in.
Is the short ID secret or encrypted?
No. Anyone can turn it back into the UUID with this page or a few lines of code. It is just a shorter way to write the same value, so treat it exactly as you would treat the UUID itself.
Does it work with GUIDs from Windows or .NET?
Yes. Paste them as shown, with or without braces and hyphens. The UUID is read in the standard byte order defined for UUIDs, which is the order of the hex digits as written.
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