To convert binary to text, split the bits into groups of 8, convert each group to a decimal number, then look up that number in an ASCII or UTF-8 table. For 01001000 01101001, the numbers are 72 and 105, which spell Hi.
Method
- Write the binary in bytes of 8 bits. If there are no spaces, count from the left.
- Convert each byte to decimal. Add the place values: 128, 64, 32, 16, 8, 4, 2, 1 for each bit that is 1.
- Look up the number in the ASCII table to find the character.
Worked example
Decode 01000011 01100001 01110100.
| Byte | Working | Decimal | Character |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01000011 | 64 + 2 + 1 | 67 | C |
| 01100001 | 64 + 32 + 1 | 97 | a |
| 01110100 | 64 + 32 + 16 + 4 | 116 | t |
Common mistakes
- Dropping or adding a bit, which shifts every later byte.
- Reading the bits right to left.
- Forgetting that capital and small letters have different codes (65 versus 97).
Skip the arithmetic with the binary to text converter, which also shows the steps.
Worked example with a full word
Decode 01000011 01101111 01100100 01100101. Split into four bytes and decode each: 01000011 = 67 = C, 01101111 = 111 = o, 01100100 = 100 = d, 01100101 = 101 = e. The word is Code.
Practice problems
| Binary | Answer |
|---|---|
| 01001000 01101001 | Hi |
| 01011001 01100101 01110011 | Yes |
| 01000111 01101111 | Go |
| 01010011 01110101 01101110 | Sun |
Special characters
Punctuation and spaces are characters too: a space is 00100000 and an exclamation mark is 00100001. Characters outside basic English take two to four bytes in UTF-8, so a single letter such as é appears as two bytes: 11000011 10101001.
FAQ
Do I need spaces between bytes?
No, but they make it easier to read. The tool also accepts unbroken streams.
What if the length is not a multiple of 8?
A bit is missing or extra. Check the source or try 7-bit groups.
Can binary contain non-English text?
Yes, using UTF-8, where one character can take 2 to 4 bytes.