Encoding
Decode hex to text
Hex decoding turns pairs of hexadecimal digits back into text: 48656c6c6f reads Hello. Developers decode hex from logs, packet captures and database exports. The decoder ignores spaces, commas, colons and 0x or \x prefixes, takes upper or lower case, and reads the bytes as UTF-8, so c3a9 comes back as é.
How to use Hex Decode
- Open Hex Decode in the Toolbox101 app.
- Paste the hex into the
Hexbox, as48656c6c6f,48 65 6c 6c 6for0x48, 0x65. - Read the decoded text in the
Outputbox. - Click
Copyto put the text on your clipboard.
Worked example
Hex Decode returns the output below for this input.
Input
68656c6c6f20776f726c64Output
hello worldCheck it yourself: open Hex Decode and enter the same input.
Frequently asked questions
Can I paste hex with spaces or 0x prefixes?
Yes. Spaces, commas, colons and 0x or \x prefixes are ignored, so 48 65 6c, 0x48,0x65 and 48:65:6c all decode. Only the digits count.
Does letter case matter in hex input?
No. 68656c6c6f and 68656C6C6F decode to the same text, and a mix of both works too.
Why do I get an error instead of text?
Once spaces and prefixes are removed, the input must be an even number of digits from 0–9 and a–f. An odd count, or a stray character such as g, is reported by name. Fix it and the output appears.
Why does the decoded text show � characters?
The bytes you pasted are not valid UTF-8 text, for example a hash, a key or part of a binary file. The bytes that cannot be shown as characters appear as �. For binary data, keep the hex rather than decoding it to text.