GoKawiilTurboCrypt switches encrypted file-name encoding from Base91 to new Base84 scheme
TurboCrypt, a git and file encryption tool originally built for Unix, is moving its encrypted file and directory name encoding from Base91 to a newly defined Base84 alphabet. The change was driven by the addition of Windows support, since several characters used in the Unix-safe Base91 alphabet are forbidden on Windows filesystems and shell tools. The new 84-character set excludes nine Windows-forbidden symbols and trailing dots, ensuring names work reliably across Linux, macOS and Windows.
GoKawiil's interpretation of the reporting above, not reported fact.
Cross-platform encryption tools need file-naming schemes that survive the quirks of different operating systems' file APIs, not just their underlying filesystems' theoretical capabilities. By carefully excluding characters and dot-endings that break Windows Explorer, shell commands, or macOS Finder, Base84 offers a more universally safe and efficient alternative to existing encodings like Base64 or Base91 for machine-generated opaque names.
- TurboCrypt is adopting a new Base84 encoding for encrypted file and directory names to support Windows alongside Unix and macOS.
- Base84 uses 84 printable ASCII characters, excluding nine Windows-forbidden symbols and trailing dots to avoid filesystem and shell issues.
- The encoding is meant for software-generated, opaque names used in remote storage, offering better compatibility and smaller size than Base64.
Source: 00f.net — Frank Denis, 2026-09-11
Published there as: “Base84 deserves a place in file names”
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