Code
Binary to Text Converter
Have a string of ones and zeros and want to know what it says? Paste it here. This decoder reads 8-bit binary and turns it straight back into readable text.
Hi
It works entirely on your device. Separate each byte with a space and the message appears as you paste.
How the Binary to Text works
Each 8-digit group is read as a base-2 number. That number is looked up in the character set and replaced by the matching letter, digit or symbol.
The tool splits on spaces, so as long as each byte is separated by whitespace it will decode cleanly, even across multiple lines.
Examples
Binary to Text chart
Every letter at a glance. Use it to read or write by hand.
Why your binary will not decode
Decoding is where binary goes wrong, and almost always for one of four reasons. Working through them in order solves nearly every case.
First, the grouping. This tool reads whatever sits between spaces as one number, so 01001000 01101001 decodes cleanly while 0100100001101001 as a single run does not: it is read as one enormous number rather than two bytes. Insert a space every eight digits.
Second, 7-bit against 8-bit. Older systems used seven bits per character. If your string divides by seven but not by eight, it is probably 7-bit ASCII, and it needs a leading zero added to each group before it will read as modern 8-bit.
Third, dropped leading zeroes. A capital A is 01000001, and something that strips the leading zero leaves 1000001, which is seven digits and will not line up. If your total bit count is slightly under a multiple of eight, suspect this.
Fourth, it may not be binary at all. A string of ones and zeroes could be Bacon's cipher written with digits instead of A and B, in which case the groups are five long rather than eight. If the count divides by five and not by eight, try the Bacon cipher instead, or paste it into the identifier.
History and origins
Decoding binary is simply reversing the storage step every computer performs. The ASCII table that assigns a number to each character has been stable since the 1960s, so old binary decodes the same as new binary.
People most often meet raw binary in puzzles, escape rooms and programming exercises, where a hidden message is written out as bytes to be cracked.
Frequently asked questions
My binary will not decode, what is wrong?
Check that each group has exactly 8 digits and that groups are separated by spaces. Stray characters or missing spaces are the usual cause of garbled output.
Can it read binary without spaces?
This decoder expects spaces between bytes so the boundaries are unambiguous. If your binary has no spaces, insert one every eight digits first.
Learn more
Go deeper on the ideas behind this tool.
Not sure this is the right tool?
If you have a message and you are not certain what it is, the cipher identifier reads the character set and the letter statistics and tells you which scheme it most likely uses, and why. It covers every code and cipher on this site.