Text to binary
Paste text to turn it into binary, or paste binary to turn it back into text. It encodes UTF-8 bytes as 8-bit groups, so emoji and any language work. Everything runs in your browser.
Text and binary
Open the tool in the direction you need — each has its own page:
How to convert text to binary
- Choose Encode (text → binary) or Decode (binary → text).
- Type or paste your input; the result updates as you type.
- Copy the result.
About text and binary
Computers store text as numbers: each character maps to one or more bytes under an encoding such as UTF-8, and each byte is eight binary digits. Converting text to binary spells out those bits, which is useful for learning how encoding works, for puzzles and ciphers, or for low-level debugging.
This converter is UTF-8 safe, so accented letters, non-Latin scripts and emoji round-trip correctly rather than getting mangled. It runs entirely in your browser, so it is instant and private — nothing you paste is uploaded.
Binary is the most literal way to write bytes, and also the bulkiest: every character of ordinary text becomes at least eight digits, so a short sentence balloons to hundreds of 0s and 1s. That is why programmers usually reach for hexadecimal or Base64 when compactness matters, and why binary shines elsewhere — classrooms, puzzle hunts and any moment you want to see exactly what the machine sees.
Do not expect one group of eight bits per character. UTF-8 is a variable-width encoding: plain English letters take a single byte, accented letters like é take two, most Chinese characters three, and emoji four — 32 bits for one symbol. So the number of 8-bit groups in your output reflects bytes, not characters, and a short message full of emoji produces far more binary than its length suggests.
Frequently asked questions
How is text converted to binary?
Each character is encoded as its UTF-8 byte or bytes, and every byte is written as eight bits (0s and 1s). Letters, punctuation, emoji and non-Latin scripts are all supported.
How do I convert binary back to text?
Switch to Decode and paste your binary. Spaces between the 8-bit groups are optional — the tool reads the bits and turns them back into text.
Why 8 bits per byte?
A byte is eight bits, and UTF-8 stores text as bytes, so grouping the binary in eights keeps it aligned to real characters and easy to read.
Is my text uploaded?
No. Encoding and decoding happen entirely in your browser, so whatever you paste never leaves your device.
Why won't my binary decode?
Usually the input is not clean eight-bit bytes. Check that it contains only 0s and 1s, that the total number of digits is a multiple of eight, and that nothing extra crept in when copying — line numbers, dashes or stray punctuation. A single missing or added digit shifts every byte after it, turning the rest of the message into gibberish.