How to encode and decode hexadecimal
Convert UTF-8 text to hex bytes, or hex back to text, with Toolora’s Hex Encode / Decode tool.
What hex encoding is for
Hex is a readable way to show raw bytes in logs, firmware dumps, and binary protocols. Each byte becomes two characters (0–9, a–f).
Steps
1) Open Hex Encode / Decode at /tools/hex-encode-decode. 2) Choose Text → Hex or Hex → Text. 3) Paste input (0x prefix is allowed when decoding). The result updates as you type — there is no Run button. Conversion stays in your browser.
Worked example
“Hi” becomes 4869 (UTF-8). Odd-length hex fails decode. Number Base Converter turns the integer 255 into FF — that is a magnitude, not the letters H and i. Hash Generator prints a SHA digest as hex; that is not reversible text. Spaces in hex dumps are stripped or rejected depending on paste — keep an even count of digits.
Privacy
Bytes stay in the tab. Related: /tools/base64-encode, /tools/number-base-converter, /tools/hash-generator.
Common mistakes
Pasting a SHA-256 digest into Hex → Text produces garbage or an error — a hash is not UTF-8 text. Number Base Converter answers “what is 255 in hex,” not “spell hello in hex.” Odd nibble counts fail. 0x prefixes are stripped on decode; keep an even number of digits. Base64 is a different alphabet. Firmware dumps with ASCII gaps in the middle are not a single hex blob. Close the tab if the bytes are a key material dump.