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ASCII to Text
Turn ASCII codes back into readable text with this free ASCII to text converter. Paste decimal or hex codes separated by spaces or commas, and the message appears instantly — no sign-up, no downloads, and nothing leaves your browser.
Example: 72 101 108 108 111 in decimal, or 48 65 6c 6c 6f in hex — both read Hello.
How it works
ASCII is a simple agreement: every character gets a number. The capital letter A is 65, B is 66, and so on up to Z at 90. Lowercase letters start at 97 for a, and the digits 0 to 9 are 48 to 57. Punctuation has numbers too — the space character is 32, the exclamation mark is 33, and the period is 46. Because the mapping is fixed, a list of numbers can be turned back into text by looking up each number in the table.
To convert, type your codes separated by spaces or commas. The converter reads each code, checks that it is a whole number between 0 and 127, and swaps it for the matching character. Codes outside that range are not ASCII, so the tool flags the first bad code instead of guessing. If you type a letter by mistake while decimal mode is selected, the tool tells you exactly which entry it could not read.
Hex codes work the same way, but each code is written in base 16 instead of base 10. In hex, the letter A is 41 instead of 65, and the word Hello becomes 48 65 6c 6c 6f. Hex shows up in data dumps, network logs, and programming tools, so it is worth knowing both forms. Auto-detect looks at your input and picks the format for you: if the codes contain the letters a to f, it reads them as hex; otherwise it reads them as decimal.
One detail catches people out: the space character is code 32, but spaces also separate the codes. That means you cannot type a blank to mean a space inside the message — you must write the code 32 (or 20 in hex) wherever a space belongs. So "Hi there" in decimal is 72 105 32 116 104 101 114 101, with the 32 doing the job of the space between the words.
Worked example
Suppose a friend sends you a puzzle: the numbers 72 101 108 108 111 32 87 111 114 108 100, and says it is a greeting in decimal ASCII. Paste the codes into the box, keep the format on Decimal, and the converter works through them one by one.
Step 1: 72 becomes H, and 101 becomes e.
Step 2: 108 becomes l, and the second 108 becomes another l.
Step 3: 111 becomes o, so the first word reads Hello.
Step 4: 32 becomes a space, then 87 becomes W, 111 becomes o, 114 becomes r, 108 becomes l, and 100 becomes d.
Put it together and the tool shows exactly this: Hello World. The result line reads "Hello World", and the detail line says "11 codes · decimal · 11 characters decoded." Try the same message in hex — 48 65 6c 6c 6f 20 57 6f 72 6c 64 — and you get the very same result, which is a good way to check you understand both formats.
FAQ
What is ASCII?
ASCII is a character encoding that gives every letter, digit, and symbol a number from 0 to 127. For example, the capital letter A is 65, the lowercase letter a is 97, and the space character is 32. It was created in the 1960s so that different computers could agree on how to store text, and it is still the foundation of the text encodings used today.
How do I convert ASCII codes to text?
Type or paste the codes into the box, separated by spaces or commas — for example, 72 101 108 108 111. Choose decimal or hex, and the text appears instantly. Each code becomes one character: 72 becomes H, 101 becomes e, and so on, so 72 101 108 108 111 reads Hello.
What is the difference between decimal and hex ASCII codes?
They are the same codes written in two number systems. Decimal uses base 10, so the letter A is 65. Hex uses base 16, so the same letter A is 41. Programmers often see hex codes in data dumps and error logs, while decimal codes are more common in school exercises and simple data files. This converter handles both.
What ASCII code is the space character?
The space character is ASCII code 32 in decimal, or 20 in hex. Because spaces also separate the codes in your input, a space inside the message cannot be written as a blank — you must write the code 32 (or 20 in hex) where the space belongs. For example, 72 105 32 116 104 101 114 101 reads Hi there.
Why does my input show an error?
Every code must be a whole number inside the ASCII range of 0 to 127, and codes must be separated by spaces or commas. The error message names the first code it could not read. Common causes are a letter mixed in with decimal codes, a code above 127, or two codes joined together without a separator, such as 72101 instead of 72 101.