diff --git a/src/qball/Base64Transcoder.cc b/src/qball/Base64Transcoder.cc
index 0f366f89..a5940063 100644
--- a/src/qball/Base64Transcoder.cc
+++ b/src/qball/Base64Transcoder.cc
@@ -74,18 +74,18 @@ Base64Transcoder::Base64Transcoder()
 }
 
 ////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
-int Base64Transcoder::encode(int nbytes, const byte* const from, char* const to)
+int Base64Transcoder::encode(int nbytes, const qbyte* const from, char* const to)
 {
-  const byte* fptr = from;
+  const qbyte* fptr = from;
   char* tptr = to;
   
   int n3 = nbytes / 3; // number of groups of three bytes
   
   while ( n3-- > 0 )
   {
-    byte ig0 = *fptr++;
-    byte ig1 = *fptr++;
-    byte ig2 = *fptr++;
+    qbyte ig0 = *fptr++;
+    qbyte ig1 = *fptr++;
+    qbyte ig2 = *fptr++;
 
     *tptr++ = etable[ig0 >> 2];
     *tptr++ = etable[((ig0 & 3) << 4) | (ig1 >> 4)];
@@ -97,9 +97,9 @@ int Base64Transcoder::encode(int nbytes, const byte* const from, char* const to)
   
   if ( nr == 2 )
   {
-    byte ig0 = *fptr++;
-    byte ig1 = *fptr++;
-    byte ig2 = 0;
+    qbyte ig0 = *fptr++;
+    qbyte ig1 = *fptr++;
+    qbyte ig2 = 0;
     
     *tptr++ = etable[ig0 >> 2];
     *tptr++ = etable[((ig0 & 3) << 4) | (ig1 >> 4)];
@@ -108,8 +108,8 @@ int Base64Transcoder::encode(int nbytes, const byte* const from, char* const to)
   }
   else if ( nr == 1 )
   {
-    byte ig0 = *fptr++;
-    byte ig1 = 0;
+    qbyte ig0 = *fptr++;
+    qbyte ig1 = 0;
     
     *tptr++ = etable[ig0 >> 2];
     *tptr++ = etable[((ig0 & 3) << 4) | (ig1 >> 4)];
@@ -122,7 +122,7 @@ int Base64Transcoder::encode(int nbytes, const byte* const from, char* const to)
 
 ////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
 int Base64Transcoder::decode(const int nchars, const char* const from, 
-  byte* const to)  
+  qbyte* const to)  
 {
   // Decode Base64 chars in array "from" into bytes in array "to"
   // White space and new lines are skipped
@@ -131,11 +131,13 @@ int Base64Transcoder::decode(const int nchars, const char* const from,
   // nchars: number of chars in array "from"
   // the number of bytes successfully translated is returned
   
-  byte a0,a1,a2,a3,b0,b1,b2,b3;
+  qbyte a0,a1,a2,a3,b0,b1,b2,b3;
+  
   int c;
   const char* fptr = from;
   const char* const fptr_end = from+nchars+1;
-  byte* tptr = to;
+  qbyte* tptr = to;
+  
   
   while ( fptr < fptr_end-4 )
   {
@@ -153,8 +155,8 @@ int Base64Transcoder::decode(const int nchars, const char* const from,
 #endif
       break;
     }
-    a0 = (byte) c;
-    b0 = (byte) dtable[c];
+    a0 = (qbyte) c;
+    b0 = (qbyte) dtable[c];
  
     do
     {
@@ -169,8 +171,8 @@ int Base64Transcoder::decode(const int nchars, const char* const from,
 #endif
       break;
     }
-    a1 = (byte) c;
-    b1 = (byte) dtable[c];
+    a1 = (qbyte) c;
+    b1 = (qbyte) dtable[c];
  
     do
     {
@@ -185,8 +187,8 @@ int Base64Transcoder::decode(const int nchars, const char* const from,
 #endif
       break;
     }
-    a2 = (byte) c;
-    b2 = (byte) dtable[c];
+    a2 = (qbyte) c;
+    b2 = (qbyte) dtable[c];
  
     do
     {
@@ -201,8 +203,8 @@ int Base64Transcoder::decode(const int nchars, const char* const from,
 #endif
       break;
     }
-    a3 = (byte) c;
-    b3 = (byte) dtable[c];
+    a3 = (qbyte) c;
+    b3 = (qbyte) dtable[c];
  
     if ((b0|b1|b2|b3) & 0x80)
     {
diff --git a/src/qball/Base64Transcoder.h b/src/qball/Base64Transcoder.h
index 75838125..7e1c9c79 100644
--- a/src/qball/Base64Transcoder.h
+++ b/src/qball/Base64Transcoder.h
@@ -35,18 +35,18 @@
 #include <cstdio>
 #include <string>
 using namespace std;
-typedef unsigned char byte;
+typedef unsigned char qbyte; // qball byte to avoid conflicts with std::byte
 
 class Base64Transcoder
 {
   char etable[64];  // encode table
-  byte dtable[256]; // decode table
+  qbyte dtable[256]; // decode table
 
   public:
   
   Base64Transcoder();
-  int encode(int nbytes, const byte* const from, char* const to);
-  int decode(int nchars, const char* const from, byte* const to);
+  int encode(int nbytes, const qbyte* const from, char* const to);
+  int decode(int nchars, const char* const from, qbyte* const to);
   void byteswap_double(size_t n, double* const x);
   void byteswap_int(size_t n, int* const x);
   int print(int nchars, const char* const buf, ostream& o);
diff --git a/src/qball/SlaterDet.cc b/src/qball/SlaterDet.cc
index 331b3af9..0cada83c 100644
--- a/src/qball/SlaterDet.cc
+++ b/src/qball/SlaterDet.cc
@@ -2886,7 +2886,7 @@ void SlaterDet::print(ostream& os, string encoding) {
         int outlen = xcdr.nchars(nbytes);
         char* b = new char[outlen];
         assert(b!=0);
-        xcdr.encode(nbytes,(byte*) &wftmpr[0],b);
+        xcdr.encode(nbytes,(qbyte*) &wftmpr[0],b);
         // Note: optional x0,y0,z0 attributes not used, default is zero
         os << "<grid_function type=\"double\""
            << " nx=\"" << ft.np0()
@@ -3146,7 +3146,7 @@ void SlaterDet::write(SharedFilePtr& sfp, string encoding, double weight, int is
           int outlen = xcdr.nchars(nbytes);
           char* b = new char[outlen];
           assert(b!=0);
-          xcdr.encode(nbytes,(byte*) &tmpr[0],b);
+          xcdr.encode(nbytes,(qbyte*) &tmpr[0],b);
           // Note: optional x0,y0,z0 attributes not used, default is zero
           if ( ctxt_.myrow() == 0 )
             {