Computers store text as bytes. A byte is eight bits, and each bit is a 0 or 1. Text to Binary shows those bytes, using UTF-8 for the text.
Try one letter
Open the tool and type A in Text or binary. Leave Decode binary to text off. Result should show 01000001. Count the digits: there are eight, so this is one byte.
Now type AB. The result should be 01000001 01000010. The space is only there to help you see the two bytes. To go back, turn on Decode binary to text, replace the input with 01000001 01000010, and check that the result says AB.
If one character takes more space
Try é. In UTF-8, it needs more than one byte, so you will see more than one eight-bit group. This is normal. When decoding, the tool keeps 0 and 1 and ignores other characters in the input. If the number of bits is not a multiple of eight, it reports an error; check that you copied every digit. Binary is a representation of text, not a way to keep text secret.
Where your input goes
Processing runs in your browser. The tool does not upload your input to ilham.dev.
Related guide
For more background, read Text Formatting and Cleanup.
Questions you might have
- Why is one character sometimes more than eight bits?
- Because it is not ASCII. UTF-8 uses one byte for ASCII characters and up to four for others, so an accented letter or an emoji comes out as two or more groups of eight bits.