# Binary to text converter: run it free, or from your agent Converts binary, hex, decimal or octal bytes to UTF-8 text and back, with format detection and a per character table. ## Prompt Use looot to read a raw API response my logs saved as bytes. 1. Set up https://looot.ai/skill.md. 2. Decode these bytes as UTF-8 on this machine: [paste hex or binary]. 3. If the text is JSON, list its fields. 4. Search the catalog for the endpoint that returns this shape and check its price before you call it again. 5. Say which field holds the error, if any. ## What it needs Bytes in binary, hex, decimal or octal, or plain text ## What comes back - decoded text - bytes in binary, hex, decimal or octal - code point and bytes per character ## Endpoints and providers None. The tool on the web page runs in the browser and calls no endpoint. ## What it costs Nothing. The tool on the web page runs in the visitor's browser: no account, no API call and no limit per hour. The prompt above runs the same job from your own looot account with current data, billed per call. ## Decode a message Read binary or hex someone posted in a puzzle, a CTF or a classroom. ## Inspect bytes See the exact UTF-8 bytes of an emoji or an accented letter. ## Read log dumps Turn a hex dump from a log or a packet capture back into text. ## Teach encoding Show how one character becomes one to four bytes. ## How do I convert binary to text? Split the binary into groups of 8 bits, one byte each, turn each byte into a number and read the numbers as UTF-8 text. Paste the binary here and the page does all three steps. Groups may be separated by spaces or not at all. ## Does it support hex, decimal and octal? Yes. Pick the format, or leave Detect on: only 0 and 1 reads as binary, any a to f or 0x reads as hex, plain numbers read as decimal. Octal needs to be picked by hand because it looks like decimal. ## Why does the text show strange symbols? The bytes are not valid UTF-8, often because a digit is missing or the bytes were written in another encoding. The page warns you and shows the replacement character where a byte did not decode. ## How many bytes is one character? In UTF-8, ASCII letters take one byte, most accented letters two, most Asian scripts three, and emoji four. The table under the result shows the bytes of each character. ## What is the binary for the letter A? 01000001, which is 65 in decimal and 41 in hex. Type A with the direction set to text to bytes to see it. ## Is it ASCII or UTF-8? UTF-8. For the first 128 characters UTF-8 and ASCII are the same bytes, so ASCII binary decodes the same way. ## Is anything sent to a server? No. The conversion runs in your browser. ## Related tools - /free-tools/base64-encoder-decoder - /free-tools/hash-generator - /free-tools/url-encoder-decoder ## Last reviewed 2026-10-14.