Free Hex to Binary Converter

Hex to binary converter: convert hexadecimal to binary, free and private

A hex to binary converter rewrites a hexadecimal number as the bits it stands for. To convert hexadecimal to binary free and privately, type or paste a value such as 0x1A or #FF5733 into Hexadecimal Input, keep Hex → Binary selected and click Convert to Binary. Each hex digit becomes exactly four bits, so 1A becomes 0001 1010. The conversion runs in your browser; nothing is uploaded, and you can confirm that in the Network tab of DevTools.

The method is a lookup, not arithmetic. Because 16 is 2 to the power 4, one hex digit always equals four bits (a nibble), so you can convert by hand with the table below. Going back, split the bits into groups of four from the right, pad the leftmost group with zeros and swap each group for its hex digit: 1101 0110 is D6. Click Binary → Hex for that direction, or open the dedicated binary to hex converter.

Hex only changes how bits are written, never the value: 0xFF and 1111 1111 are the same number. For base 8 and base 10 use the octal to decimal converter and the decimal to octal converter.

Table of Use: hex and binary inputs with their results

Color codes are a common reason to paste hex here. To turn #RRGGBB into RGB, HSL or CMYK instead, use the color code converter, or choose a shade visually with the color picker.

Features

• Both directions. Hex → Binary and Binary → Hex buttons switch the tool. Hex input is case-insensitive; hex output is upper case.
• Prefixes accepted. Hex may start with 0x or #, binary with 0b. Spaces, tabs, colons and underscores inside a value are ignored, so AA:BB:CC and 1101_0110 are single values.
• Lists of values. Each line is converted separately and blank lines are kept. Commas, semicolons or a new prefix split values on one line.
• Group binary output. 4 bits (nibbles), 8 bits (bytes, padded to whole bytes) or No spaces. Changing it re-formats the result on screen.
• Add 0x prefix to hex output. A checkbox for Binary → Hex, ticked by default.
• No size limit on values. Digits are converted one at a time, so there is no 32-bit or 64-bit ceiling and no rounding.
• Checked as you type. An invalid character is named in a red message, with its line number for lists.
• Undo, Redo, Swap, Copy, Download, Clear. Swap moves the result into the input and converts it back. Download saves hex-to-binary.txt or binary-to-hex.txt.
• Counters and shortcut. The output shows its bit count, and Ctrl+Enter (Cmd+Enter on a Mac) converts.

It converts digits, not meanings: no signed numbers, byte order or text decoding, and a minus sign or decimal point is rejected. To turn bits into letters, use the binary to text converter.

How to convert hex to binary, step by step

1. Pick the direction. Hex → Binary is selected when the page opens; click Binary → Hex to reverse it.
2. Set the output option. For Hex → Binary, open Group binary output and choose 4 bits (nibbles), 8 bits (bytes) or No spaces. For Binary → Hex, tick or untick Add 0x prefix to hex output.
3. Type or paste your value into Hexadecimal Input (Binary Input in the other direction). Put one value per line to convert a list.
4. If a red message appears under the box, fix the invalid character it names; the Convert button stays disabled until you do.
5. Click Convert to Binary (Convert to Hex), or press Ctrl+Enter or Cmd+Enter.
6. Read the result in Binary Output. The counter above it shows how many bits it contains.
7. Click Copy, Download or Swap. Undo and Redo step through earlier conversions; Clear empties both boxes.

Who can use it

• Programmers and students checking bit flags and masks: 0x0F AND 0xAA is easy to follow as 0000 1111 AND 1010 1010.
• Embedded developers reading register values and datasheet constants.
• Network engineers inspecting MAC addresses and packet bytes. Percent-encoded URLs use the same two-digit hex bytes, which the URL encoder produces for you.
• Web developers and designers breaking a color code into its red, green and blue bytes.
• Security and data people reading digests: a SHA-256 value from the SHA-256 hash generator is 64 hex digits, which is 256 bits, and a UUID from the UUID generator is 32 hex digits, or 128 bits.
• Learners checking hand conversions, then moving on to the text to ASCII converter and the ASCII to text converter.

FAQs