# Text to Binary Converter Convert text to and from binary bit strings using ASCII (7-bit) or UTF-8 (8-bit) encoding > Canonical page: https://elysiatools.com/en/tools/text-to-binary - **Category:** Format Conversion - **Keywords:** binary, text, encode, decode, ascii, utf-8, bit string, base2, text to binary ## Overview The Text to Binary Converter allows you to instantly translate plain text into binary bit strings and decode binary sequences back into readable text. Supporting ASCII, UTF-8, and UTF-16 BE encodings, the tool offers customizable bit lengths, padding options, and separators to fit your data formatting needs. ## Inputs - **Input** (textarea): Enter text or binary bit string... - **Operation** (select) - **Encoding** (select) - **Bits Per Char** (select) - **Separator (encode only)** (select) - **Pad to full byte (7-bit mode)** (checkbox) ## When to use - When you need to convert plain text into binary representations of 0s and 1s for computer science studies, debugging, or data transmission analysis. - When decoding binary bit streams back into human-readable text using specific encodings like UTF-8 or ASCII. - When formatting binary outputs with custom separators like spaces or newlines for documentation and reports. ## How it works - Input your plain text or binary bit string into the input area. - Select the operation to either encode text to binary or decode binary to text. - Configure your encoding scheme, bits per character, and separator preferences. - View the instantly generated output in the result pane. ## Use cases - Teaching or learning binary representation of characters in computer science courses. - Debugging low-level network packets or data payloads that represent text as binary streams. - Creating obfuscated text or solving cryptography puzzles that require binary encoding and decoding. ## Frequently asked questions ### What encodings does this converter support? It supports UTF-8 (variable length), ASCII (7-bit), and UTF-16 BE (16-bit) encodings. ### Can I decode binary strings that do not have spaces between bytes? Yes, you can decode continuous binary strings by setting the separator option to 'None'. ### What does the 'Pad to full byte' option do? In 7-bit ASCII mode, it adds a leading zero to pad each character's binary representation to a standard 8-bit byte. ### How do I convert binary back to text? Select 'Binary to Text' as the operation, paste your binary bit string into the input, and the tool will decode it. ### Does this tool support UTF-16? Yes, you can select the 16 bits (UTF-16 BE) option under the Bits Per Char setting. ## Related tools - [ASCII85 Converter](https://elysiatools.com/en/tools/ascii85-converter): Encode and decode text to/from ASCII85 format (Adobe version) - [Base32 Converter](https://elysiatools.com/en/tools/base32-converter): Encode and decode text to/from Base32 format with multiple variants - [Base45 Converter](https://elysiatools.com/en/tools/base45-converter): Encode and decode text to/from Base45 format (RFC 9285) - [Base58 Converter](https://elysiatools.com/en/tools/base58-converter): Encode and decode text to/from Base58 format with Bitcoin and Ripple variants - [Base62 Converter](https://elysiatools.com/en/tools/base62-converter): Encode and decode text to/from Base62 format (0-9, A-Z, a-z) - [Base64 Converter](https://elysiatools.com/en/tools/base64-converter): Encode and decode data to/from Base64 format with URL-safe options - [Base91 Converter](https://elysiatools.com/en/tools/base91-converter): Encode and decode text to/from Base91 format (ascii+basE91 algorithm) - [Braille Converter](https://elysiatools.com/en/tools/braille-converter): Convert text to Braille Unicode characters or decode Braille to text ## Samples - [Text with Emoji Samples](https://elysiatools.com/en/samples/text-with-emoji-samples): Mixed language text containing various Unicode emojis for testing emoji extraction - [Text with Date Samples](https://elysiatools.com/en/samples/text-with-date-samples): Text containing various date formats for testing date extraction and parsing - [Text Case Format Samples](https://elysiatools.com/en/samples/text-case-formats): Examples of different text case formats: camelCase, snake_case, kebab-case, PascalCase, and more - [Chinese-English Mixed Text Samples](https://elysiatools.com/en/samples/text-chinese-english-mixed-samples): Sample text files with mixed Chinese and English content for testing automatic spacing tools ## Related content - [Binary Encoding, File Forensics, and Integrity Tools](https://elysiatools.com/en/hubs/binary-encoding-file-forensics-integrity): Inspect raw bytes, convert radix and text encodings, identify file signatures, measure entropy, and verify hashes or checksums in one practical binary-data workflow. - [Text Case, Encoding, and Normalization Conversion Tools](https://elysiatools.com/en/hubs/text-convert): Compare text case conversion, character-width conversion, encoding conversion, quoted-printable handling, and inline text normalization tools in one hub. - [Text Tools](https://elysiatools.com/en/hubs/text-utility): Explore 33 text tools for utility workflows and compare closely related utilities quickly. - [Text Analysis, Readability, and Content Inspection Tools](https://elysiatools.com/en/hubs/text-analyze): Compare text statistics, language detection, readability scoring, sentiment analysis, moderation review, and pattern analysis tools in one hub.