Conversion Result
Enter text, select settings, then calculate.
Formatted byte output
Encoding comparison
Includes current normalization and text filters.| Encoding | Bytes | BOM | Total with BOM | Difference | Compatibility note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No comparison yet. | |||||
Character and byte table
| # | Character | Description | Code point | Decimal | Hex | Binary | Encoded bytes | Byte count |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No character data yet. | ||||||||
Bytes to Text Converter
Paste decimal, hexadecimal, binary, Base64, or escaped byte data. Invalid input is identified before decoding.
Decoded text
Formula Used
Byte count depends on the selected character encoding. UTF-8 uses one to four bytes per Unicode code point. Total bits equal total bytes multiplied by eight.
Total bits = Total bytes × 8
Storage estimate = Total bytes × Number of records
How to Use This Calculator
- Enter text or upload a supported text file.
- Select an encoding and desired byte output format.
- Choose normalization, filtering, BOM, and storage options.
- Review statistics, encoding comparisons, and character details.
- Copy, download, print, or reverse-decode the result.
Example Data
| Text | Encoding | Byte sequence | Total bytes |
|---|---|---|---|
A | UTF-8 | 41 | 1 |
Hello | UTF-8 | 48 65 6C 6C 6F | 5 |
é | UTF-8 | C3 A9 | 2 |
€ | UTF-8 | E2 82 AC | 3 |
😀 | UTF-8 | F0 9F 98 80 | 4 |
Understanding Text and Bytes
Bits and bytes
A bit stores one binary value. A byte normally contains eight bits. File sizes commonly measure groups of bytes.
Characters and code points
A displayed symbol may contain multiple Unicode code points. Combining marks can form one visible grapheme. Character counts therefore differ between tools.
UTF-8 storage
Basic ASCII characters use one UTF-8 byte. Many accented characters use two bytes. Emoji commonly require four UTF-8 bytes.
Byte order marks
A BOM can identify an encoding or byte order. UTF-16 and UTF-32 benefit most from it. UTF-8 usually works without a BOM.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why do bytes differ from characters?
Encodings assign different byte sequences to characters. ASCII text often uses one byte each. Unicode symbols can require several bytes.
How many bytes does UTF-8 use?
UTF-8 uses one through four bytes. Common English text normally uses one byte. Emoji usually use four bytes.
What is a Unicode code point?
A code point is a numbered Unicode value. It identifies an abstract character or mark. Encodings convert that value into bytes.
Why can one visible symbol have multiple code points?
Some symbols combine letters and marks. Emoji sequences can join several code points. Grapheme counting treats them as one symbol.
Should UTF-8 files include a BOM?
Most UTF-8 files do not need one. Some software uses it for detection. It adds three bytes to the file.
What happens to unsupported ASCII characters?
ASCII only covers values zero through 127. This calculator substitutes question marks when needed. You can also remove non-ASCII text.
What does normalization change?
Normalization standardizes equivalent Unicode sequences. NFC often produces compact composed text. NFD separates letters from combining marks.
Can I decode byte values back into text?
Yes, use the reverse converter section. Select the input format and encoding. Invalid byte values receive clear warnings.
Are uploaded files sent to a server?
The browser reads selected files locally. This page does not upload them automatically. External libraries may load from public CDNs.
What is Windows-1252?
Windows-1252 is a single-byte legacy encoding. It adds punctuation beyond ISO-8859-1. Modern applications generally prefer UTF-8.
How accurate are compressed size estimates?
Compression depends on repeated patterns and algorithms. The browser estimate uses gzip when available. Actual archive sizes may vary.