Text to Binary Converter
Convert text to binary code and binary back to text instantly. Supports ASCII and Unicode characters. Also converts to hexadecimal, octal, and decimal. Free, private — everything runs in your browser.
How Text to Binary Conversion Works
Every character in text has a numeric code. In ASCII, the letter 'A' is 65, which in binary is 01000001. This text to binary converter takes each character's code point and converts it to its binary representation. Each character becomes an 8-bit binary number (or more for Unicode characters beyond ASCII).
Conversion Examples
A → ASCII 65 → Binary: 01000001
Hello → 01001000 01100101 01101100 01101100 01101111
01001000 01101001 → Hi
Understanding Binary Code
Binary is a base-2 number system using only 0 and 1. Computers store all data — text, images, video — as binary. Each binary digit (bit) represents a power of 2. Eight bits make a byte, which can represent 256 different values (0-255), enough for all ASCII characters.
Text to Binary for Developers
Developers frequently need to inspect binary representations for debugging network protocols, file formats, encryption, and data encoding. This converter supports multiple output formats — binary, hexadecimal (base-16), octal (base-8), and decimal — making it useful for various programming and debugging scenarios.
ASCII vs Unicode
ASCII uses 7 bits to represent 128 characters (0-127), covering English letters, digits, and common symbols. Unicode extends this to support over 143,000 characters from all writing systems. UTF-8, the most common encoding, uses 1-4 bytes per character and is backwards compatible with ASCII.
Common Conversion Tips
Always verify the source and target units or formats before converting — selecting the wrong option is the most common mistake. For precise conversions, enter values with as many decimal places as you have available. If converting multiple items, work through them one at a time to avoid mixing up results. Bookmark this page for quick access when you need to convert again in the future.
Frequently Asked Questions
How does text to binary conversion work?
Each character has a numeric code (ASCII/Unicode). The converter takes each character's code and converts it to its binary (base-2) representation. For example, 'A' has ASCII code 65, which is 01000001 in binary.
What is the difference between ASCII and binary?
ASCII is a character encoding standard that assigns numbers to characters (A=65, B=66). Binary is the base-2 number system. When you convert text to binary, you first get the ASCII code, then convert that code to binary.
Can I convert binary back to text?
Yes! Use the "Binary → Text" mode. Enter space-separated 8-bit binary values and the converter will decode them back to readable text.
What output formats are supported?
Four formats: Binary (base-2), Hexadecimal (base-16), Octal (base-8), and Decimal (base-10). All represent the same character codes in different number systems.
Is my data secure?
Yes. All conversion happens locally in your browser. No data is sent to any server. Your text stays completely private on your device.