Text to Hex Converter & Hex to Text Decoder

Free Online Text to Hex Converter & Hex to Text Decoder

Convert text to hexadecimal (hex) or decode hex back to plain text instantly. Perfect for developers, programmers, web designers, and anyone working with hex color codes, binary data, or low-level programming. Free, fast, and completely private - no data leaves your browser.

Key Features

Why Use Our Hex Converter?

How to Convert Text to Hex

1. Select Text to Hex Mode: Click the "🔐 Text to Hex" button to switch to encoding mode.
2. Enter Text: Paste or type your plain text into the input textarea.
3. Auto-Encode: The tool automatically converts your text to hexadecimal in real-time.
4. Review Output: See the hex encoded result in the output panel with character counts.
5. Copy or Download: Click "Copy" to clipboard or "Download" to save as TXT, HTML, or JSON file.

How to Convert Hex to Text

1. Select Hex to Text Mode: Click the "🔓 Hex to Text" button to switch to decoding mode.
2. Paste Hex String: Paste your hexadecimal string into the input textarea (spaces are automatically removed).
3. Auto-Decode: The tool automatically validates and decodes the hex string to readable text.
4. Check for Errors: If the hex is invalid, you'll see an error message explaining the issue.
5. Use Decoded Text: Copy the decoded plain text or download it in your preferred format.

What is Hexadecimal Encoding?

Hexadecimal (hex) is a base-16 numbering system that uses 16 distinct symbols: 0-9 for values zero to nine, and A-F (or a-f) for values ten to fifteen. When encoding text to hex, each character is converted to its corresponding ASCII or Unicode value, which is then represented as a two-digit hexadecimal number.

Common Use Cases for Hexadecimal

Perfect For

Hexadecimal vs Other Number Systems

Understanding Size Increase

Pro Tips for Hexadecimal Conversion

• Not for Security: Hex encoding is NOT encryption. Anyone can decode hex to text. Use proper encryption for sensitive data.
• Case Insensitive: Hex values are case-insensitive. "4A" and "4a" are equivalent. Both represent decimal 74.
• Even Length: Valid hex strings must have an even number of characters (each byte = 2 hex digits). Odd lengths indicate errors or missing padding.
• Spaces Are OK: When decoding, spaces between hex pairs are automatically ignored, so "48 65 6C 6C 6F" works fine.
• Color Codes: Web color codes are hex values: #RRGGBB where RR=red, GG=green, BB=blue (e.g., #FF0000 = pure red).
• Leading Zeros: Hex values under 16 (decimal) need a leading zero: "0A" not just "A" for proper byte representation.
• Use for Debugging: Hex dumps are invaluable for debugging binary protocols, file formats, and low-level data structures.
• Escape Sequences: In programming, use \x prefix for hex escape sequences: "\x48\x65\x6C\x6C\x6F" = "Hello".
• Unicode Characters: For Unicode beyond ASCII, characters may need 3-4 byte sequences (6-8 hex digits) in UTF-8 encoding.

Common Hexadecimal Applications

Best Practices

• Validate Input: Always validate hex strings before decoding to prevent errors and security issues.
• Use Consistent Case: While hex is case-insensitive, stick to one case (usually lowercase) for consistency in your codebase.
• Document Encoding: Clearly document whether text is UTF-8, ASCII, or another encoding when converting to/from hex.
• Handle Errors Gracefully: Implement proper error handling for invalid hex strings instead of letting applications crash.
• Use Proper Tools: For large hex dumps, use specialized hex editors or command-line tools (xxd, hexdump) for better performance.
• Consider Alternatives: For data transmission, Base64 is more efficient than hex (33% vs 100% overhead).
• Test Edge Cases: Test with special characters, Unicode, emojis, and very long inputs to ensure robust handling.

Troubleshooting Common Errors

Quick Reference: Common ASCII Characters in Hex