Binary Translator
The Binary Translator converts text into 8-bit binary and binary code back into readable text, live as you type. It fully supports Unicode/UTF-8, so emoji and accented characters work too — handy for learning how computers store text, homework, and puzzles. Text is first converted to its UTF-8 byte sequence with the browser's TextEncoder, then each byte is written as one 8-bit binary group. ASCII characters (code points 0–127, covering standard English letters, digits, and punctuation) always encode to exactly one byte, but characters outside that range need more: anything from U+0080 to U+07FF (most Latin accented letters) takes 2 UTF-8 bytes, U+0800 to U+FFFF takes 3, and characters above U+FFFF, such as most emoji, take 4 — so the number of 8-bit groups in the output can exceed the number of characters you typed.
Translates text to 8-bit binary and binary back to readable text (full Unicode/UTF-8 supported). Type in either direction and copy the result. Everything runs in your browser.
How This Tool Works
Choose Text → Binary or Binary → Text, type or paste your input, and the result updates instantly. Use Swap to flip the direction, and copy the output with one click.
Formula & Method
Each character is encoded to its UTF-8 byte(s), and each byte is written as 8 binary digits (bits). Decoding reverses this: every 8 bits become one byte, which is decoded back to a character.
Example Calculation
Typing café in Text → Binary mode produces five 8-bit groups, not four: 01100011 01100001 01100110 11000011 10101001. The letters c, a, and f are plain ASCII, so each maps to a single byte (c = 99 = 01100011, a = 97 = 01100001, f = 102 = 01100110), but é (U+00E9) falls outside ASCII and needs two UTF-8 bytes — 11000011 10101001, i.e. 0xC3 0xA9 — which is why a 4-character word yields 5 binary groups. Pasting that binary into Binary → Text mode splits it back into 5 bytes, decodes the UTF-8 sequence, and returns café.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I convert text to binary?+
Type your text in “Text → Binary” mode and the 8-bit binary appears instantly, with one group of 8 digits per byte.
Does it handle emoji and accents?+
Yes — it uses UTF-8, so emoji, accented letters, and other Unicode characters convert correctly (they may use more than 8 bits each).
Why do I get a length error?+
Binary text must be a multiple of 8 digits (one byte = 8 bits). Remove any stray digits or spaces so the total is divisible by 8.
Why does a 4-letter word sometimes produce 5 or more groups of binary?+
Because non-ASCII characters take more than one byte in UTF-8. Plain English letters each encode to a single 8-bit byte, but an accented letter like é needs two bytes and most emoji need four, so the count of 8-bit groups can be higher than the number of characters you typed — café, for example, produces 5 groups for its 4 characters.
What happens if I paste binary that isn't valid UTF-8?+
The tool decodes in strict mode (TextDecoder with fatal:true), so a byte sequence that doesn't form valid UTF-8 — like a stray continuation byte — throws an error and the tool shows "That binary doesn't decode to valid text" rather than silently displaying garbled characters.
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<a href="https://everyfix.net/tools/binary-translator/">Binary Translator</a> by <a href="https://everyfix.net">EveryFix</a>Related Tools
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