How do you convert text to binary?

Each character is encoded to its UTF-8 bytes, and each byte is written as 8 binary digits, so 'A' becomes 01000001, with multi-byte characters producing more than one 8-bit group in sequence.

Why does one character sometimes produce more than 8 bits?

Because the tool uses UTF-8, where characters outside the basic ASCII range, such as accented letters or emoji, are represented by two to four bytes, each of which becomes its own 8-bit group in the output.

Why does decoding fail on my binary string?

Decoding requires the bit count to be a multiple of 8 and the string to contain only 0, 1 and whitespace; a stray character, or a bit count that doesn't divide evenly into whole bytes, raises an error.

Does spacing between bytes matter when decoding?

No, any whitespace between byte groups is stripped before decoding, and a single unbroken run of bits with no spaces at all works just as well, as long as the total length is a multiple of 8.

Binary ↔ Text

Convert text to 8-bit binary and back, UTF-8 aware, entirely local.

Local, Runs entirely in your browser, your data never leaves your device.

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Convert text to binary bytes, byte by byte

Turning a word into its binary form is a common exercise when learning how computers represent text, and turning a run of 0s and 1s back into readable text is the same problem in reverse. This tool encodes text to space-separated 8-bit bytes using UTF-8, so a character outside the ASCII range correctly expands into more than one byte, and decodes a binary string back to text. The conversion happens locally in your browser as you type.

How to use the Binary ↔ Text

Choose Text → Binary or Binary → Text from the mode toggle above the input.
Type or paste text to encode, or a string of 0s and 1s to decode, into the left panel.
Read the converted result in the right panel; encoding groups bits into 8-bit bytes separated by spaces.
Use the swap button to flip direction, carrying the current output into the input for the other mode.

Encoding is UTF-8 aware, so an ASCII character like 'A' becomes one 8-bit byte, while an accented letter, emoji or CJK character can expand to two, three or four bytes, each still shown as its own 8-bit group.

Decoding tolerates any whitespace between byte groups, or one unbroken run of bits, but the total bit count must be a multiple of 8 since a partial byte cannot map to a character.

Frequently asked questions

How do you convert text to binary?: Each character is encoded to its UTF-8 bytes, and each byte is written as 8 binary digits, so 'A' becomes 01000001, with multi-byte characters producing more than one 8-bit group in sequence.
Why does one character sometimes produce more than 8 bits?: Because the tool uses UTF-8, where characters outside the basic ASCII range, such as accented letters or emoji, are represented by two to four bytes, each of which becomes its own 8-bit group in the output.
Why does decoding fail on my binary string?: Decoding requires the bit count to be a multiple of 8 and the string to contain only 0, 1 and whitespace; a stray character, or a bit count that doesn't divide evenly into whole bytes, raises an error.
Does spacing between bytes matter when decoding?: No, any whitespace between byte groups is stripped before decoding, and a single unbroken run of bits with no spaces at all works just as well, as long as the total length is a multiple of 8.