Hex to String Converter
Convert hexadecimal values back to readable text. Paste hex codes like "48 65 6C 6C 6F" or "0x48 0x65" and get the decoded string instantly.
Hex Input
String Output
What Is Hex to String Conversion?
Hexadecimal (hex) is a base-16 number system that uses the digits 0–9 and letters A–F. Each hex byte represents a value from 0 to 255, which maps directly to a character in the ASCII character table or Unicode code point. For example, the hex value 48 is decimal 72, which is the letter "H". Hex encoding is everywhere in computing: HTTP headers, memory dumps from debuggers, network packet captures in tools like Wireshark, binary file inspection with a hex editor, and cryptographic outputs from hash functions. This tool takes a sequence of hex values — separated by spaces, commas, newlines, or 0x prefixes — and decodes them back to the original string. It's useful when reading log output from embedded systems, decoding binary protocol data, or verifying that a hex dump actually contains the expected content. The optional character mapping table shows each hex value paired with its decoded character, which is handy for debugging or teaching encoding concepts. For a deeper look at how hex encoding works at the byte level, see the MDN Hexadecimal reference.
How to Use
Paste your hex values
Type or paste hex codes into the input box. You can use spaces, commas, or newlines as separators. Values like "48 65 6C", "0x48,0x65,0x6C", and "48\n65\n6C" all work.
Read the decoded output
The converted string appears instantly in the output panel as you type. Invalid hex values are replaced with a "?" placeholder so you can spot them easily.
Copy or download the result
Use the Copy button to grab the decoded text, or Download to save it as a .txt file. Toggle "Show character table" to see a hex-to-char mapping for each value.
Example
Here's a quick example: the hex sequence "48 69" decodes to the two-character string "Hi".
Hex codes → String
48 65 6C 6C 6F 20 57 6F 72 6C 64→ String Output
Hello WorldCharacter mapping:
48 → H
65 → e
6C → l
6C → l
6F → o
20 → (space)
57 → W
6F → o
72 → r
6C → l
64 → dFAQ
What separators does the converter support?
The converter auto-detects spaces, commas, and newlines. You can also mix them — for example 48,65 6C still parses correctly. Values prefixed with 0x (like 0x48 0x65) are also handled automatically.
What happens with invalid hex values?
Any token that isn't a valid 1–2 digit hex value (0–FF) is replaced with a ? in the output. The rest of the string still decodes normally, so one bad value won't break the whole result.
Is this the same as decoding an ASCII hex dump?
Yes, for standard ASCII characters (codes 0–127). Each hex byte maps to the same character code as in the ASCII table. For byte values above 0x7F (127), the character depends on the encoding (Latin-1, UTF-8, etc.). This tool treats each byte as a Unicode code point, which works correctly for all printable ASCII characters.
Can I decode multi-byte UTF-8 sequences?
This tool decodes each hex byte independently as a Unicode code point. For true multi-byte UTF-8 sequences (like emoji or non-Latin scripts), you'd need a tool that decodes the full byte sequence as UTF-8. For standard ASCII text, this converter works perfectly.
How is hex encoding used in practice?
Hex is used extensively in debugging and low-level development. Memory addresses in C/C++ programs, byte sequences in network protocols, SHA and MD5 hash outputs, color codes in CSS (#ff5733), and file magic bytes are all expressed in hex. Tools like Wireshark display packet payloads in hex, and hex editors let you inspect any binary file at the byte level.
What is the difference between hex and Base64 encoding?
Both are ways to represent binary data as text. Hex uses 2 characters per byte, producing output that is 100% longer than the input. Base64 uses 4 characters for every 3 bytes — about 33% overhead. Hex is more readable for debugging (you can identify byte boundaries immediately), while Base64 is more compact and commonly used in data URIs and email attachments.