Hex to ASCII Text Converter
To use Hex to ASCII text converter, type the hexadecimal values e.g. "70 6C 61 6E 74 73" and click on the Convert button and you will get the ASCII text value of "plants" on right side. All the hex values should be separated by space delimiter to get the correct result.
Hex to ASCII Text Conversion:
- Hexadecimal Numeral System
- Why Convert Hex to ASCII?
- How to Convert Hex to ASCII
- Hex to ASCII Text Examples
- ASCII Table
- FAQs (Hex to ASCII Text Conversion)
Hexadecimal Numeral System
Hexadecimal numbers or hex numbers uses the number 16 as its base (radix). The hexadecimal numeral system or base-16 numeral system uses 16 symbols (10 decimal digits "0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9" and first six letters of English Language "A, B, C, D, E and F"). These letters are used to represent values from 10 to 15. Each hex digit represent power of 16. The rightmost digit represent 160 and the next digit to the left 161 and so on.
Each hex digit can be represented by four binary bits also called nibble. For example, 7 can be represented as 0111 and 4 can be represented as 0100. 1 byte = 8 bits = 2 hex digits.
Example:
Hex number "4C" can be represented as:
(4 × 161) + (12 × 160) = (64 + 12) = 76 (decimal)
Why Convert Hex to ASCII?
It is essential for data decoding to convert encoded hex data into human-readable text for easier interpretation. Moreover, it is used for file analysis to reveal readable content in hexdumps, aiding debugging and reverse engineering. It can also be used to inspect and understand protocol messages, debug communication issues and detect malacious payloads.
How to Convert Hex to ASCII Text
Follow the following steps:
Step 1: Get the hex bytes (2 chars) separated by space delimiter.
Step 2: Convert all the hex bytes to their corresponding decimal values.
Step 3: Get the ASCII char codes for all decimal values from the ASCII table.
Step 3: The final value is the ASCII text.
Hex to ASCII Text Examples
Example 1: Convert the hex bytes "4B 65 79 62 6F 61 72 64" to ASCII text.
| Hex | Hex to Decimal | Decimal | ASCII | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 161 | 160 | ||||
| 16 | 1 | ||||
| 4 | 11 | (B) | = (4 × 16) + 11 | 75 | K |
| 6 | 5 | = (6 × 16) + 5 | 101 | e | |
| 7 | 9 | = (7 × 16) + 9 | 121 | y | |
| 6 | 2 | = (6 × 16) + 2 | 98 | b | |
| 6 | 15 | (F) | = (6 × 16) + 15 | 111 | o |
| 6 | 1 | = (6 × 16) + 1 | 97 | a | |
| 7 | 2 | = (7 × 16) + 2 | 114 | r | |
| 6 | 4 | = (6 × 16) + 4 | 100 | d | |
Example 2: Convert the hex bytes "48 69 20 48 6f 77 20 61 72 65 20 59 6f 75" to ASCII text.
| Hex | Hex to Decimal | Decimal | ASCII | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 161 | 160 | ||||
| 4 | 8 | (4 × 16) + 8 | 72 | H | |
| 6 | 9 | (6 × 16) + 9 | 105 | i | |
| 2 | 0 | (2 × 16) + 0 | 32 | [space] | |
| 4 | 8 | (4 × 16) + 8 | 72 | H | |
| 6 | 15 | (F) | (6 × 16) + 15 | 111 | o |
| 7 | 7 | (7 × 16) + 7 | 119 | w | |
| 2 | 0 | (2 × 16) + 0 | 32 | [space] | |
| 6 | 1 | (6 × 16) + 1 | 97 | a | |
| 7 | 2 | (7 × 16) + 2 | 114 | r | |
| 6 | 5 | (6 × 16) + 5 | 101 | e | |
| 2 | 0 | (2 × 16) + 0 | 32 | [space] | |
| 5 | 9 | (5 × 16) + 9 | 89 | Y | |
| 6 | 15 | (F) | (6 × 16) + 15 | 111 | o |
| 7 | 5 | (7 × 16) + 5 | 117 | u | |
Example 3: Convert "47 69 76 65 20 6d 65 20 31 30 30 30 24" to ASCII chars.
| Hex | Hex to Decimal | Decimal | ASCII | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 161 | 160 | ||||
| 4 | 7 | (4 × 16) + 7 | 71 | G | |
| 6 | 9 | (6 × 16) + 9 | 105 | i | |
| 7 | 6 | (7 × 16) + 6 | 118 | v | |
| 6 | 5 | (6 × 16) + 5 | 101 | e | |
| 2 | 0 | (2 × 16) + 0 | 32 | [space] | |
| 6 | 13 | (D) | (6 × 16) + 13 | 109 | m |
| 6 | 5 | (6 × 16) + 5 | 101 | e | |
| 2 | 0 | (2 × 16) + 0 | 32 | [space] | |
| 3 | 1 | (3 × 16) + 1 | 49 | 1 | |
| 3 | 0 | (3 × 16) + 0 | 48 | 0 | |
| 3 | 0 | (3 × 16) + 0 | 48 | 0 | |
| 3 | 0 | (3 × 16) + 0 | 48 | 0 | |
| 2 | 4 | (2 × 16) + 4 | 36 | $ | |
Example 4: Convert "35 30 25 20 4D 61 72 6B 73" to ASCII text.
| Hex | Hex to Decimal | Decimal | ASCII | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 161 | 160 | ||||
| 3 | 5 | (3 × 16) + 5 | 53 | 5 | |
| 3 | 0 | (3 × 16) + 0 | 48 | 0 | |
| 2 | 5 | (2 × 16) + 5 | 37 | % | |
| 2 | 0 | (2 × 16) + 0 | 32 | [space] | |
| 4 | 13 | (D) | (4 × 16) + 13 | 77 | M |
| 6 | 1 | (6 × 16) + 1 | 97 | a | |
| 7 | 2 | (7 × 16) + 2 | 114 | r | |
| 6 | 11 | (B) | (6 × 16) + 11 | 107 | k |
| 7 | 3 | (7 × 16) + 3 | 115 | s | |
Frequently Ask Questions: Hex to Text Conversion
Q1: How does hex to ASCII text conversion work?
It converts each two-digit hex number to decimal, then finds the ASCII character matching that decimal code.
Q2: Can hex values represent characters outside ASCII?
Standard ASCII covers hex values up to 7F (127); values beyond this range >=80 (Decimal: 128) requires extended sets or different encodings like UTF-8 etc.
Q3: What if the hex string has odd length, can it be converted to ASCII?
Hex strings should have an even number of digits; an odd length usually means missing or corrupted data. You can also do the padding on the left side with the printable range of hex (20 ~ 7F). For example if the hex value is "3 2F" you can adjust it to "23 2F" to properly convert it into readable text otherwise it will result in an erroneous result.
Q4: How to convert the hex value "24" to ASCII char?
By using ASCII table: 2416 = (2 × 161) + (4 × 160) = (32 + 4) = 36 (decimal) = '$'
Q5: Can hex to ASCII conversion be used in cybersecurity?
Yes it can be really helpful to analyze the computer's memory or hard drive content for malware analysis, file content decoding and reverse engineering.
Related Conversions
Please find the related numeric conversions.
