Best uses
- Expand hex colors, masks, memory addresses, or byte values.
- Practice base-16 to base-2 conversion.
- Check programming examples bit by bit.
Number converters
Hexadecimal to Binary Converter
Convert hexadecimal numbers to binary online by mapping each hex digit to four bits, with examples, checks, FAQs, and conversion mistakes.
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16
2
Converting steps hexadecimal to binary:
How to convert a hexadecimal number to the binary number?
To convert hexadecimal to binary, replace each hexadecimal digit with its 4-bit binary equivalent. This works because 24 = 16, so one hexadecimal digit represents four binary digits.
Note: Leading zeros can be removed from the final binary result when they are not needed.
An example of hexadecimal to binary conversion:
(1B7.1A)16 = (?)2
| Hexadecimal= | 1 | B | 7 | . | 1 | A |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arrow= | ↓ | ↓ | ↓ | ↓ | ↓ | |
| Chunk= | ______ | ______ | ______ | ______ | ______ | |
| Binary= | 0 0 0 1 | 1 0 1 1 | 0 1 1 1 | . | 0 0 0 1 | 1 0 1 0 |
Result is = (000110110111.00011010)2 or (110110111.0001101)2
When hexadecimal to binary is useful
Hexadecimal is often used as a shorter way to write binary values. You may see it in color codes, memory addresses, debugging output, checksums, and low-level programming examples. Converting it to binary makes the individual bits easier to inspect.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Do not treat letters A to F as ordinary text; they represent the values 10 to 15.
- Keep four binary digits for each hexadecimal digit while checking the work.
- Only remove leading zeros after the conversion is complete.
- For fractional hexadecimal values, convert each digit after the point into a 4-bit group as well.
Hexadecimal to binary conversion table:
| Hexadecimal | Binary |
|---|---|
| 0 | 0000 |
| 1 | 0001 |
| 2 | 0010 |
| 3 | 0011 |
| 4 | 0100 |
| 5 | 0101 |
| 6 | 0110 |
| 7 | 0111 |
| 8 | 1000 |
| 9 | 1001 |
| A | 1010 |
| B | 1011 |
| C | 1100 |
| D | 1101 |
| E | 1110 |
| F | 1111 |
Hexadecimal to binary guide
Hexadecimal to binary conversion is direct because each hex digit equals four binary bits. Replace each digit with its 4-bit value.
Quality checks
- Convert each hex digit separately.
- Keep four bits per digit, including leading zeros inside a group.
- Use A through F for decimal values 10 through 15.
Common mistakes
- Dropping leading zeros in groups such as 0001.
- Treating A to F as ordinary letters instead of values.
- Grouping into three bits, which is for octal.
Quick answers
Why does one hex digit equal four bits?
Four binary bits represent values from 0 to 15, matching one hexadecimal digit.
What is F in binary?
F is decimal 15, so it is 1111 in binary.