Binary to Text Converter
Decode a string of 0s and 1s into the message it hides. Paste binary with spaces between bytes or as one continuous stream, and read the text instantly.
- Runs in your browser
- No sign-up
- Free to use
How to use Binary to Text
- Paste the binary code into the left box.
- Bytes can be separated by spaces, commas or new lines, or written without separators.
- The decoded text appears on the right.
- If something is wrong, the message below points to the invalid item.
Binary to Text features
Flexible input
Space-separated bytes, comma-separated bytes, 0b prefixes or a continuous stream.
UTF-8 decoding
Multi-byte characters such as é, 日 and emoji are decoded correctly.
Clear error messages
Tells you which item contains a digit other than 0 or 1, or that the bits do not divide into bytes.
Graceful fallback
Bytes that are not valid UTF-8 are shown as Latin-1 characters with a warning, instead of being lost.
Live result
Decodes as you type or paste.
Private
Runs entirely in your browser.
When to use Binary to Text
- Decoding binary messages from puzzles, games and escape rooms.
- Checking homework for computing classes.
- Reading binary found in documentation or source code comments.
- Verifying the output of a program that writes bits.
- Decoding messages hidden in images or text for CTF challenges.
Binary to Text FAQ
What format should the binary be in?
Groups of eight bits per byte, such as 01001000 01101001. Separators are optional; without them the total number of digits must be a multiple of eight.
Why do I get strange characters?
The binary may use a different encoding, be shifted by a bit, or contain 7-bit groups. Check that each group has exactly eight digits.
Can it decode 7-bit ASCII?
Separate the 7-bit groups with spaces; each group is read as a number, so 1001000 decodes to H just like 01001000.
What does the UTF-8 warning mean?
Some byte sequences are not valid UTF-8. The converter then shows each byte as a single character so you can still inspect the content.
How do I make binary from text?
Use the Text to Binary converter.
What do the spaces between groups mean?
Nothing to a computer: they are only there to make bytes easier for people to read. Stored data is a continuous stream of bits. This is why the decoder accepts binary with or without spaces, as long as the total number of digits is a multiple of eight.
Reading binary by hand
Each binary digit is a power of two. In an eight-bit byte the positions are worth, from left to right, 128, 64, 32, 16, 8, 4, 2 and 1. To read 01001000, add the values where a 1 appears: 64 plus 8 is 72. In the ASCII table 72 is the capital letter H.
A few patterns make binary text easy to recognise. Capital letters start with 010 and lower-case letters with 011. The space is 00100000. Digits start with 0011. Spotting those prefixes is a quick check that a string of bits really is text.
Beyond basic English, characters are stored as several bytes in UTF-8. The first byte of such a sequence starts with 110, 1110 or 11110, announcing two, three or four bytes, and each following byte starts with 10. A decoder uses these markers to reassemble the character’s Unicode number.
If decoding produces nonsense, the most common causes are a missing or extra bit near the start, which shifts every following byte, or binary that represents something other than text, such as numbers or image data.