Tech
Base Converter (Binary, Hex, Octal)
Convert numbers between binary, octal, decimal, hexadecimal, base32, and any custom base from 2 to 36.
Convert
Binary (base 2)
11111111
Octal (base 8)
377
Decimal (base 10)
255
Hexadecimal (base 16)
FF
Base32
7V
Custom (base 3)
100110
Frequently Asked Questions about the Base Converter (Binary, Hex, Octal)
What is base conversion used for?
Programmers use base conversion daily to read memory addresses in hex, inspect bit flags in binary, decode file permissions in octal, and parse encoded identifiers. For example, decimal 255 is binary 11111111, octal 377, and hex FF, all the same value written in different bases.
What is the difference between binary, octal, and hex?
Binary uses 2 symbols (0-1), octal uses 8 (0-7), decimal uses 10 (0-9), and hexadecimal uses 16 (0-9 plus A-F). A higher base packs more information per character: the 8-bit value 11111111 in binary is just FF in hex, which is why hex is the preferred shorthand for bytes and memory addresses.
Why is hex used for colors and memory addresses?
Two hex digits represent exactly one byte (values 0-255), so a 24-bit RGB color fits in six characters (like #1A2B3C) and a 32-bit address fits in eight. That compactness makes hex easier to read and less error-prone than a long string of binary digits.
Can I convert very large numbers?
Yes. The converter uses JavaScript BigInt internally, so 64-bit integers, 16-digit hex values, and even larger inputs convert without precision loss. Standard floating-point arithmetic loses accuracy above 2^53.
What is base32 used for?
This calculator's base32 uses the positional number system with 32 symbols (digits 0-9 then letters A-V), which is the standard mathematical base-32 representation. It differs from RFC 4648 base32 (the A-Z plus 2-7 alphabet used for TOTP secrets and Onion addresses), so check which encoding a specific protocol expects before using the output directly.