Convert text to binary digits and decode binary back to text. Supports ASCII, UTF-8, spaces between bytes, and multiple display formats.
Whether you're a developer debugging data, a student learning how computers represent text, or a hobbyist exploring encoding, I7 Pixel's binary converter handles it instantly — with no server, no upload, and no signup. Everything runs directly in your browser.
spaced bytes, a continuous bit string, 0b-prefixed bytes, or one byte per line — whatever your workflow needs.Converting text to binary (or binary back to text) takes four simple steps.
Understanding the mechanics behind binary encoding helps you use the output correctly and interpret what you see.
Every character on your keyboard — and every character in Unicode — has a numeric identifier called a code point. When you type the letter A, its code point is 65 in decimal. The binary converter takes that decimal number and writes it as an 8-bit binary string: 01000001. Each of the eight positions represents a power of 2, from 2⁷ (128) on the left down to 2⁰ (1) on the right. For A: 0×128 + 1×64 + 0×32 + 0×16 + 0×8 + 0×4 + 0×2 + 1×1 = 65.
A byte is the standard unit of text storage in computing, and one byte contains 8 bits. ASCII — the original English-language character encoding — defines 128 characters, each fitting in 7 bits (values 0–127). The 8-bit byte leaves one extra bit for extended character sets. Modern text typically uses UTF-8, which encodes common characters (most Latin scripts) as a single byte and uses 2–4 bytes for characters outside that range. This tool uses JavaScript's charCodeAt(), which returns the UTF-16 code unit, then pads it to 8 bits — correctly handling all standard ASCII and most common Unicode characters.
The reverse process — binary to text — takes groups of 8 bits, converts each group back to a decimal number, then maps that number to the corresponding character. The tool accepts spaced bytes (01001000 01100101), continuous strings (0100100001100101), and 0b-prefixed formats (0b01001000 0b01100101) — stripping prefixes and whitespace automatically before decoding. Each 8-bit group must contain exactly 8 binary digits (0 or 1); the tool will report an error if a group has the wrong length or contains invalid characters.
Binary conversion comes up in many real-world situations, from classroom exercises to professional development tasks.
Common characters and their 8-bit binary equivalents — a handy reference for verification and learning.
| Char | Decimal | Binary (8-bit) | Char | Decimal | Binary (8-bit) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A | 65 | 01000001 | a | 97 | 01100001 |
| B | 66 | 01000010 | b | 98 | 01100010 |
| C | 67 | 01000011 | c | 99 | 01100011 |
| D | 68 | 01000100 | d | 100 | 01100100 |
| E | 69 | 01000101 | e | 101 | 01100101 |
| H | 72 | 01001000 | h | 104 | 01101000 |
| I | 73 | 01001001 | i | 105 | 01101001 |
| Z | 90 | 01011010 | z | 122 | 01111010 |
| 0 | 48 | 00110000 | Space | 32 | 00100000 |
| 1 | 49 | 00110001 | ! | 33 | 00100001 |
| 9 | 57 | 00111001 | ? | 63 | 00111111 |
Answers to the most common questions about binary conversion.
Binary is a base-2 number system that uses only two digits: 0 and 1. Computers use it because electronic components — transistors — naturally exist in two states: off (0) and on (1). Every piece of data stored or processed by a computer, from text to images to programs, is ultimately represented as a sequence of these bits.
Yes — completely free. There are no character limits, no watermarks, no accounts, and no charges. Convert as much text as your browser can handle. The only practical limit is your browser's memory for very large inputs.
No — never. All conversion logic runs in JavaScript entirely inside your browser. Your text is never transmitted, logged, or stored anywhere outside your own device.
Four formats are available: Spaced separates each byte with a space (e.g. 01001000 01100101); Continuous outputs one unbroken bit string; Prefixed adds 0b before each byte; and One byte per line puts each byte on its own line for easy reading.
Yes. Switch to Binary → Text mode in the Options panel (or press the Swap button), paste your binary string, and click Convert. The tool accepts spaced bytes, continuous strings, and 0b-prefixed formats — it normalises the input automatically.
Each character is mapped to its code point value (from ASCII or Unicode), then padded with leading zeros to fill 8 bits — one full byte. This is the standard representation in ASCII and the single-byte range of UTF-8. Characters outside the 0–255 range (extended Unicode) would technically need more bytes, but the tool uses JavaScript's 16-bit code units and pads to 8 bits for display consistency.
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