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Tool Factory

Encoding & Number Bases

Text Decoder

Decode text into a readable result. Enter the data, choose the input and output formats, then copy the result.

Tool workspace

Your input stays in this browser.

Add the required input to continue.

Needs input

You can run the tool again after any change.

Options

Your result appears here

Decode text into a readable result. Enter the data, choose the input and output formats, then copy the result.

This tool runs open-source code from CyberChef by GCHQ (Apache License 2.0). See open-source credits.

Text Decoder converts data between formats in your browser. For a correct result, match the source byte encoding.

readable text decoded from those bytes Processing runs in the browser.

Instructions

  1. Provide text or data for this tool.
  2. Select the source encoding and character set.
  3. Compare the output with a known Text Decoder sample.
  4. Keep the original value until the receiving system accepts the result.

Example

Input: hex bytes for the word Hello

Settings: Text Decoder: select the source encoding and character set

Result: readable text decoded from those bytes

Limits

  • Text Decoder: invalid bytes can produce replacement characters
  • Text Decoder: The operation does not detect a different input format automatically.
  • Text Decoder: Processing stays in the browser.

Questions

How do I decode bytes with the correct character encoding?

Supply the original byte data and select its Encoding. The decoder maps those bytes to text using that character set. UTF-8, UTF-16, and legacy code pages can interpret the same bytes differently.

Why does decoded text contain incorrect characters?

The selected character encoding can differ from the encoding that created the file. Check the file specification or original application. Switching encodings cannot restore bytes that an earlier copy or conversion already replaced.

Is text decoding the same as Base64 decoding?

No. Text decoding interprets bytes as characters. Base64 decoding first converts Base64 symbols into bytes. If your input is Base64 text, remove that encoding before you choose the character encoding.