How to Convert Hex to Text in 3 Easy Steps

Hexadecimal numbers and text encoding play an important role in computer programming and software development. Often, developers need to convert hexadecimal strings to readable text, especially when dealing with raw binary data. Luckily, converting hex to text is straightforward with just a bit of knowledge.

Hexadecimal strings represent binary data in a readable format using the digits 0-9 and letters A-F. Text encoding standards like ASCII assign each hexadecimal pair to a corresponding character. By converting the hex pairs back to these ASCII characters, you can reveal the original text.

In this article, you'll learn how to easily convert hex to text in just 3 simple steps.

Step 1: Separate the Hex String into Pairs of Digits

Hex values are read two digits at a time. So the first step is to separate your full hex string into pairs of digits:

415655632074657874

Becomes:

41 56 55 63 20 74 65 78 74

This makes the values easier to translate in the next step.

Step 2: Convert Each Pair of Digits to its Corresponding ASCII Character

ASCII assigns a character for every hexadecimal number pair between 00 and FF. For example, 41 converts to "A", 56 to "V", and so on.

Use an ASCII table to lookup the character for each hex pair. Translate every pair to get the original text:

41 56 55 63 20 74 65 78 74
A  V  U  c       t  e  x  t

Step 3: Join the Converted Characters Together to Form the Text

The final step is to join all the converted ASCII characters together:

AVUc te xt

And there you have the original text from the hexadecimal string!

Conclusion

Converting hex to text only takes a few simple steps:

1. Separate the hex pairs
2. Translate each pair to ASCII
3. Join the characters

For an easy online solution, use our free hex to text converter which requires no coding.

Understanding these principles allows you to decode hex strings programmatically. Hexadecimal and text encoding play an integral role in many areas of programming and development. With this guide, you'll be able to effortlessly convert between these data representations.