# Disable Image to Base64 Conversion

Some users[^1] may wish to host their imagery and media via a 3rd party source or simply want to avoid the heavy weight added with using base64 strings (~133%+ in size). 

To disable this feature, open your `_phpetite/_config.php` file and change the `images_to_base64` variable to false.

```.php
// Activate or disable images to base64 strings
$images_to_base64 = false;
```

[^1]: Thanks to [Minor49er](https://news.ycombinator.com/user?id=Minor49er) for suggesting this option on [Hacker News](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=26175904)