Computer science tools · Free converter
Binary to Text Converter
Turn a string of 0s and 1s into readable text, or convert your own text to binary. Paste your input below, choose an encoding, and see the bytes behind your result.
Use 8-bit bytes. Spaces, line breaks, commas, and 0b prefixes are accepted. You can also paste a continuous bit string.
Conversion runs in your browser. This tool does not send your input to a server.
Show the byte-by-byte breakdown
Each row is one byte. A non-ASCII UTF-8 character can span several rows. The preview shows the first 64 bytes.
| Byte | Binary | Decimal | Hex | ASCII / byte note |
|---|
How do you convert binary to text?
Paste your binary code into the input box, keep UTF-8 selected, and click Convert to text. The converter reads the bits as bytes and decodes those bytes into text. For example, 01001000 01101001 becomes Hi.
Paste your binary
Enter complete groups of eight bits. Spaces between bytes make the input easier to check, but a continuous string also works.
Choose the encoding
UTF-8 handles English, accented letters, other scripts, and emoji. Select ASCII when your exercise specifically asks for ASCII.
Convert and check
Read your result, open the byte breakdown, then copy or download it. Use Swap direction to convert the result back.
Try a binary code example
These examples load into the tool and convert when you select them.
What does a binary translator actually do?
A binary translator converts between readable text and the bytes used to represent it. Binary is a base-2 number system: each digit, called a bit, is either 0 or 1. Eight bits make one byte.
Text needs a character encoding before those numbers can become letters. In ASCII, decimal 65 represents uppercase A. Written as an eight-bit byte, 65 is 01000001. UTF-8 uses the same byte for A, while using multiple bytes for many other characters.
This is a text converter, rather than a binary arithmetic calculator. It does not add binary numbers or convert a whole bit string into one decimal integer. It also cannot recover text from an arbitrary image, executable, compressed file, or encrypted message.
How to convert binary to ASCII by hand
For basic ASCII text, separate the input into eight-bit bytes, convert each byte to decimal, and look up that decimal value in an ASCII table. Keep the bytes in their original order.
Worked example: 01000001 → A
The eight positions have values of 128, 64, 32, 16, 8, 4, 2, and 1, from left to right. Add only the values beneath a 1.
64 + 1 = 65. ASCII value 65 = A.
For 01001000 01101001, the first byte is 64 + 8 = 72 (H). The second is 64 + 32 + 8 + 1 = 105 (i). Put them together to get Hi.
ASCII defines 7-bit values from 0 to 127. This tool displays them in 8-bit bytes, with a leading zero. Do not remove that zero when preparing byte-formatted input.
Binary to ASCII conversion table
Use these common values to check a homework answer or spot a missing space. Uppercase and lowercase letters have different codes.
| Character | Binary byte | Decimal | Hexadecimal |
|---|---|---|---|
| Space | 00100000 | 32 | 20 |
| Line feed | 00001010 | 10 | 0A |
| ! | 00100001 | 33 | 21 |
| 0 | 00110000 | 48 | 30 |
| 1 | 00110001 | 49 | 31 |
| A | 01000001 | 65 | 41 |
| B | 01000010 | 66 | 42 |
| H | 01001000 | 72 | 48 |
| Z | 01011010 | 90 | 5A |
| a | 01100001 | 97 | 61 |
| h | 01101000 | 104 | 68 |
| i | 01101001 | 105 | 69 |
| z | 01111010 | 122 | 7A |
A space inside the message is 00100000. A space between binary byte groups is just a separator; it does not add a space to the decoded message. A line feed inside the message is 00001010.
ASCII vs. UTF-8: which should you use?
Choose UTF-8 unless you know the source uses ASCII. Plain ASCII text is valid UTF-8 too, so the same English letter codes work in both modes. Strict ASCII mode rejects byte values above 127 and text outside the ASCII character set.
UTF-8 represents each Unicode scalar value using one to four bytes. For example, é becomes 11000011 10101001, and 👋 becomes 11110000 10011111 10010001 10001011. A visible symbol made from multiple Unicode code points can take even more bytes.
The converter reports bytes, bits, and Unicode code points separately. Code points are not always the same as visible characters: a letter with a combining accent or a joined emoji can contain more than one.
If your source is UTF-16, Windows-1252, or another encoding, use a converter that explicitly supports that encoding. Choosing UTF-8 here will not make an incompatible byte sequence readable.
Why is my binary code not converting?
| Problem | What to check |
|---|---|
| Characters other than 0 and 1 | Remove labels and unsupported symbols; supported separators are whitespace and commas. |
| A group has fewer than eight bits | Copy the original byte again, including its leading zeros. |
| A continuous string is incomplete | The total number of bits must be divisible by eight. |
| The bytes are not valid UTF-8 | Check for missing bytes or a different source encoding. |
| ASCII mode rejects the input | Use UTF-8 if the source is UTF-8 and contains non-ASCII characters. |
| The result looks blank | Inspect the breakdown for spaces, line feeds, NUL, or other control bytes. |
The tool rejects invalid input instead of silently dropping digits or replacing broken UTF-8 with a question mark. It does not guess missing bits. For large inputs, the limit is 1,000,000 input characters; .txt files have a 1,000,000-byte limit.
When is a binary-to-text converter useful?
- Computer science homework: check ASCII values and show how bit positions produce a decimal number.
- Programming practice: inspect UTF-8 bytes and compare code points with byte counts.
- Binary puzzles: decode a message written as text bytes, then check it by converting back.
- Learning about data: see why a space has its own byte and why an emoji needs more than eight bits.
Converting text to binary is encoding, not encryption. Anyone using the same encoding can decode it. Use the tool for learning and conversion rather than protecting a secret message.
Binary translator FAQs
How do I translate binary to English?
Select Binary → Text, paste complete eight-bit bytes, and click Convert to text. If the bytes encode English text in ASCII or UTF-8, the result will show that text. The tool decodes data; it does not translate between human languages.
What does 01000001 mean?
In ASCII and UTF-8, 01000001 represents uppercase A. Its decimal value is 65. Lowercase a is 01100001, or decimal 97.
Can I convert binary without spaces?
Yes. A continuous bit string is accepted if its length is divisible by eight. For example, 0100100001101001 decodes to Hi. Input containing separators must have complete eight-bit groups, with an optional 0b prefix on each group.
Can I convert text, emoji, and other languages to binary?
Yes, in UTF-8 mode. Accented letters, Arabic, Telugu, Chinese, and emoji can be encoded and decoded when the binary input contains valid UTF-8 bytes. ASCII mode is limited to values 0–127.
What is the difference between binary to text and binary to decimal?
Binary to decimal treats a binary number as a numeric value. Binary to text interprets bytes using an encoding. For example, 01000001 has the decimal value 65; ASCII assigns that value to A.
Does each character use eight bits?
Each byte uses eight bits. ASCII characters fit in one byte, but non-ASCII UTF-8 code points use two, three, or four bytes. A visible character made from several code points may require more bytes.
How do I copy or save the result?
After converting, choose Copy result or Download .txt. If your browser blocks clipboard access, select the result in the output box and copy it with your keyboard or phone’s selection menu.
Can this tool decode a .bin file?
No. The file picker accepts a UTF-8 .txt file containing written binary digits or text. A raw .bin file is different from a text file containing 0s and 1s.
Is this binary converter free?
Yes. No account is needed. The same input and file limits apply to everyone, and conversion takes place in your browser.
How this converter handles your input
The calculator uses your browser’s TextEncoder and TextDecoder APIs for UTF-8, with an explicit range check for ASCII. UTF-8 decoding is strict: invalid sequences produce an error. The file picker reads a selected .txt file locally, and the download button creates a text file from the result.
The converter’s code does not upload or store the text you enter. For details about the rest of this website, see our Privacy Policy.
Technical reference: RFC 3629: UTF-8. Examples and tool checked on October 3, 2026.