Convert numbers between binary (2), octal (8), decimal (10), and hexadecimal (16) bases.
What is Number Base Converter?
Number bases represent values using different digit systems. Decimal (base 10) uses 0-9, Binary (base 2) uses 0-1, Octal (base 8) uses 0-7, Hexadecimal (base 16) uses 0-9 and A-F. Programmers frequently convert between these bases: binary for bitwise operations, hex for color codes and memory addresses, decimal for human-readable values. This tool converts any integer between all four common bases.
How to Use
- Enter a number in any supported base
- Select the input base (Binary, Octal, Decimal, or Hex)
- Click 'Convert' to see results in all bases
- Copy individual results as needed
Why Use This Tool?
Tips & Best Practices
- Binary prefix: 0b (e.g., 0b1010 = 10)
- Hex prefix: 0x (e.g., 0xFF = 255)
- Color codes are hex: #FF5733
- Memory addresses shown in hex
- Octal rarely used but still valid
- Enter input, get all 4 conversions instantly
Frequently Asked Questions
What are number bases?
Number bases are counting systems using different digit sets. Base 10 (decimal) uses ten digits (0-9). Base 2 (binary) uses two digits (0-1). Base 8 (octal) uses eight digits (0-7). Base 16 (hexadecimal) uses sixteen digits (0-9, A-F). Each base represents the same values differently.
Why use hexadecimal?
Hexadecimal (hex) is compact for large numbers - one hex digit represents 4 binary digits. Hex is used for: color codes (#FF5733), memory addresses (0x7FFF), byte values, and MAC addresses. Programmers prefer hex for representing binary data compactly.
What is binary used for?
Binary represents data at the fundamental level - all digital data is binary bits (0s and 1s). Binary is used for: bitwise operations, flags and masks, understanding storage sizes, and debugging low-level code. Every hex digit maps to exactly 4 binary digits.
Is octal still relevant?
Octal was historically used in older systems (some Unix permissions, PDP-11 computers). Modern programming rarely uses octal. In JavaScript/Python, octal literals use 0o prefix (0o755). Octal converts nicely: each octal digit = 3 binary digits.
How do I convert manually?
For small numbers: memorize powers of base. Binary: 2^n positions (1,2,4,8,16...). Hex: 16^n positions (1,16,256...). For decimal to binary: repeatedly divide by 2, track remainders. For binary to hex: group 4 binary digits, convert each group to hex digit.
What about negative numbers?
This tool converts positive integers. Negative numbers have different representations: signed magnitude, two's complement (common in computing). For signed integers, the bit representation changes. Use specialized tools for signed/float conversions.