Text to binary converter
This converter shows the binary code behind text by writing each byte as eight 0s and 1s. Students, teachers and developers use it to learn how computers store letters, emoji and other characters.
- Runs in your browser
- Free, no account needed
- Copy or download the result
Result
Example
Hi 👋
01001000 01101001 00100000 11110000 10011111 10010001 10001011
How to use the text to binary converter
- Type text into the Text box.
- Choose a Separator: Space between bytes, No separator or New line per character.
- Choose Decimal bytes: Binary only or Also show decimal.
- Press Run, then Copy result or Download.
How it works
Text is encoded as UTF-8, so basic English letters use 1 byte each, accented letters usually 2 and emoji 4.
Each byte is written as exactly 8 bits with leading zeros, such as 01001000 for H.
New line per character puts all the bytes of one character on their own line, which shows how many bytes each character needs.
Also show decimal adds the same bytes as numbers from 0 to 255. Input is limited to 100,000 bytes.
Everything runs in your browser. Your input is not uploaded or stored.
Questions and answers
What is H in binary?
H is byte 72, which is 01001000 in binary.
Why does an emoji give 32 bits?
Most emoji are stored as 4 bytes in UTF-8, and each byte is 8 bits.
Is this ASCII or UTF-8?
UTF-8. For basic English letters, digits and symbols, UTF-8 and ASCII give the same bytes.
How do I convert binary back to text?
Use the binary to text converter, which reads 8-bit groups and decodes them as UTF-8.