Binary to Text Converter
Convert binary code to text and text to binary instantly. Supports ASCII and Unicode characters with bit-level breakdown.
About this calculator
Two boxes, text and binary, stay in sync as you type in either one, with a bit-level breakdown. It supports ASCII and Unicode characters.
Binary is how computers store text: every character is a number, and every number is a pattern of bits. This translator makes the link visible. Nothing is uploaded.
How to use it
- Type in the Text box or the Binary box.
- The other updates automatically.
- Use Copy Binary or Copy Text.
How text becomes binary
Computers store each character as a number and write the number in binary. In ASCII the letter A is 65, which is 01000001 in 8-bit binary. Each group of 8 bits is one byte. To decode, read each byte, convert it to decimal and look up the character. Hexadecimal is a shorter way to write the same bytes: A = 41.
Worked example
Examples
| A | 01000001 |
| Hi | 01001000 01101001 |
| Hello | 01001000 01100101 01101100 01101100 01101111 |
| 01001111 01001011 | OK |
Tips and common mistakes
- Separate bytes with spaces to avoid ambiguity.
- Each ASCII character needs 8 bits; accented and non-Latin characters use more bytes in UTF-8.
- Binary is read right to left: the rightmost bit is worth 1.
- Capital and lower-case letters differ by one bit (A = 65, a = 97).
- Use the ASCII Table to look up a character's code.
Frequently asked questions
How do I convert text to binary?
Replace each character with its 8-bit ASCII code.
What is A in binary?
01000001.
How do I convert binary to text?
Split into bytes, convert each to decimal and look up the character.
What is a byte?
8 bits.
Does it support emoji?
Only if the tool handles UTF-8 multi-byte characters.
Why are there spaces between bytes?
For readability.