Binary Translator

This free Binary Translator turns text into binary code and binary back into text. It also converts text to hexadecimal, decimal, octal and Base64, converts whole numbers between any bases from 2 to 36, and lets you flip the bits of a single byte to see how binary works. A short game helps you practice reading binary. Everything runs in your browser.

How to use the translator

1. Type or paste text into the top box. The lower box shows the same text as binary, one 8-bit group per byte.
2. Pick a format. Binary, Hex, Decimal, Octal and Base64 each show the same bytes in a different way.
3. Choose the spacing. Bytes can be split by spaces, commas or new lines, or run together with no gaps.
4. Translate the other way. Paste binary (or hex, decimal, octal or Base64) into the lower box and the text appears in the top box.

The Copy buttons copy either box. Under the boxes, a table lists every character you typed with its Unicode code point and its bytes, so you can see exactly where each group of bits comes from.

How text becomes binary

Computers store text as numbers. The translator uses UTF-8, the encoding used by most web pages. Plain English letters, digits and punctuation take one byte each, matching the older ASCII codes: the letter H is 72, which is 01001000 in binary. Letters with accents, such as é, take two bytes. Most Chinese and Japanese characters take three bytes, and emoji take four.

When you decode, the translator accepts groups of up to 8 bits separated by spaces, commas or new lines, or one long run of bits whose length is a multiple of 8. Base64 also accepts the URL-safe form with – and _.

What happens with a mistake

If something cannot be read, the tool says why and leaves your text alone: a digit other than 0 or 1, a group that does not split into bytes, a decimal above 255 or a character that does not belong in Base64. Bytes that are not valid UTF-8 show a replacement mark and a warning.

Number base converter

The Bases tab converts a whole number from any base between 2 and 36 into binary, octal, decimal, hexadecimal and a second base you choose. Bases above 10 use letters as digits (hex uses A to F). Large numbers stay exact, even with hundreds of digits, because the tool uses whole-number arithmetic rather than rounding. Negative numbers are shown with a minus sign. For numbers up to 65,535 it also shows the working: divide by 2, keep the remainders, and read them from bottom to top.

Bits and the ASCII table

The Bits tab shows one byte as eight switches. From right to left they are worth 1, 2, 4, 8, 16, 32, 64 and 128, and the value is the sum of the switches that are on. Tap them to see the decimal, hex and octal values, the signed (two’s complement) value, and the ASCII character. Buttons invert, shift, add one or pick a random byte. The ASCII tab lists all 128 ASCII codes with their decimal, hex and binary values, and you can search it by character or by control-code name.

Learn binary game

The Game tab has two 60-second modes. In Flip the bits, you see a decimal number and tap bits until the binary matches it. In Read the binary, you see a binary number and pick its decimal value from four choices; a wrong pick costs three seconds. Start with 4 bits (0 to 15) and move up to 8 bits (0 to 255). Your best score for each mode and your recent results are saved in this browser.

Tips

• Learn the place values 8, 4, 2, 1 first. Every 4 bits is one hex digit, which makes long binary much easier to read.
• Capital letters start at 65 (01000001) and small letters at 97 (01100001). The only difference is the bit worth 32.

FAQ

Why does my emoji turn into so much binary?

In UTF-8, an emoji takes four bytes, so it becomes four 8-bit groups, 32 bits in all.

Can it read binary without spaces?

Yes, as long as the number of bits is a multiple of 8. The tool splits it into bytes for you.

Is Base64 encryption?

No. Base64 is a way to write bytes using 64 safe characters. Anyone can decode it, so it does not keep anything secret.

Like number puzzles? Train your speed with Math Sprint or test how many digits you can hold in Number Memory.