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Text to Binary

Convert text to its binary, hex, or decimal byte representation and back, live.

Direction

Representation

Converted live as you type. Nothing leaves your browser.

How to convert text to binary online

  1. Pick a direction

    Choose Text to code to encode your words, or Code to text to decode a binary, hex, or decimal string back into readable text.

  2. Choose a representation

    Switch between binary, hex, and decimal to write the same bytes three different ways.

  3. Type and copy

    Type or paste your input and the result appears live below, ready to copy with one click.

Why use this tool

Three representations

See each byte as an 8-bit binary group, a two-digit hex pair, or a plain decimal value, switched with one tap.

Both directions

Encode text to code, or decode a code string straight back into text, without swapping to another tool.

Real UTF-8 with an honest byte count

Accented letters and emoji encode to their true multi-byte form, and a quiet line shows the character and byte totals so nothing is hidden.

Tolerant decoding

Paste groups separated by any spaces, tabs, or line breaks. If a group is not valid, the tool names it instead of guessing.

Instant and free

Every keystroke updates the output. There is no convert button, no account, and no quota.

Nothing leaves your browser

Translating happens locally in the page. Your text is never uploaded or stored.

About this tool

A computer never really stores the letter H. It stores a number, and beneath that a run of ones and zeros. This translator makes that layer visible: type a word and watch it become the exact bytes a machine keeps in memory. Encoding H and i, for example, gives 01001000 01101001, two bytes, one per letter.

It reads in both directions. Paste a binary, hex, or decimal string that someone handed you, from a classroom exercise, a puzzle, or the clue buried in an online mystery, and the tool turns it back into text. Separators are forgiven, so single spaces, several spaces, tabs, or line breaks between groups all parse the same way, and any group that is not valid gets named rather than silently dropped.

The honest part is the byte count. Plain ASCII covers the unaccented English letters, digits, and common punctuation as one byte each, which is the tidy picture most tutorials show. Real text needs more: an accented e or a curly quote takes two bytes, many symbols take three, and an emoji takes four. The counter under the result reflects this, so a single emoji reads as one character but four bytes. To convert whole numbers between binary, decimal, and hex rather than text, use the number base converter. For a printable, transport-safe encoding of the same bytes, see Base64, and to name the character behind a code point, try the unicode inspector.

Frequently asked questions

Why does each letter become 8 digits?
A byte is 8 bits, and one byte holds one basic character, so each letter shows as eight ones and zeros. Shorter values are padded with leading zeros to keep every group aligned at eight digits.
Does it handle emoji and accented characters?
Yes. Text is read as UTF-8, so an accented letter becomes two bytes, many symbols three, and an emoji four. Each byte still shows as one group, and the counter under the result reports the true character and byte totals.
How should I separate groups when decoding?
Use any whitespace: single spaces, several spaces, tabs, or line breaks all work the same way. If a group contains a character that is not valid for the chosen representation, the tool points to that group instead of guessing.
What is the difference between ASCII and UTF-8 here?
ASCII covers the unaccented English letters, digits, and common punctuation as one byte each. Anything past that, from accents to emoji, needs the wider UTF-8 form, which is why some characters take more than one byte.
Is my text uploaded anywhere?
No. All translating happens in your browser as you type. Your text is never uploaded, stored, or logged.

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