# How do I convert binary to text?

Reads binary code (8 bits per byte) as UTF-8 text, which includes plain ASCII.

- Page: https://www.acalculator.org/convert/binary-to-text
- JSON spec: https://www.acalculator.org/convert/binary-to-text.json
- Version: 7e8e1aaf2834

## Default answer

Example with the default inputs (Binary 01001000 01100101 01101100 01101100 01101111): The binary says "Hello".

## Inputs

| Key | Label | Description |
| --- | --- | --- |
| binary | Binary | Binary code: groups of 8 bits (0s and 1s), with or without spaces between them. |

## Outputs

| Key | Label | Description |
| --- | --- | --- |
| text | Text | The bytes read as UTF-8 text. |
| bytes | Bytes | How many bytes (groups of 8 bits) the binary holds. |

## Method

Split the binary into bytes of 8 bits, turn each byte into a number from 0 to 255, and read the bytes as UTF-8 text.

## Assumptions

- Each byte is 8 bits, most significant bit first. A group of fewer than 8 bits between spaces is padded with 0s on the left.
- Spaces, commas, and any character other than 0 and 1 separate bytes.
- A leading byte order mark (EF BB BF) is kept as the character U+FEFF, as RFC 3629 section 6 allows.
- Bytes are read as UTF-8, which matches ASCII for the codes 0 to 127. A byte that is not valid UTF-8 shows as �.

## Worked examples

1. binary = 01001000 01101001 gives text = Hi, bytes = 2. Source: hand calculation in content.mdx: 01001000 = 72 = H, 01101001 = 105 = i (ASCII); Python 3 bytes([72, 105]).decode().
2. binary = 0100100001101001 gives text = Hi, bytes = 2. Source: hand calculation in content.mdx: the same 16 bits without a space split into two bytes.
3. binary = 11000011 10101001 gives text = é, bytes = 2. Source: RFC 3629 (UTF-8): C3 A9 encodes U+00E9; Python 3 bytes([0xC3, 0xA9]).decode("utf-8") = "é".

## FAQ

### How do I convert binary to text?

Split the binary into groups of 8 bits. Turn each group into a number from 0 to 255 by adding the place values (128, 64, 32, 16, 8, 4, 2, 1) of its 1s. Then look up each number in the ASCII table, for example 72 is H and 105 is i.

### What does 01001000 01101001 mean?

01001000 is 64 + 8 = 72, which is H in ASCII, and 01101001 is 64 + 32 + 8 + 1 = 105, which is i. Together they say "Hi".

### Do I need spaces between the bytes?

No. Without spaces the converter splits the bits into groups of 8 from the left. With spaces, each group is one byte, and a short group like 1000001 is padded with a 0 on the left.

### What is the difference between ASCII and UTF-8?

ASCII gives the codes 0 to 127 to English letters, digits, and symbols. UTF-8 uses the same one-byte codes for those characters and adds sequences of 2 to 4 bytes for every other character, such as é (11000011 10101001).

### Why do I see a � in the answer?

The bytes are not valid UTF-8 at that point, for example a byte above 127 on its own. Check that no bit is missing or extra.