UTF-8 Encoder / Decoder
Convert text to UTF-8 hex byte sequences and decode UTF-8 bytes back to readable text. 100% browser-based, works offline.
📥 Input Text or UTF-8 Bytes
0 characters📤 Output Result
⚡ Quick Conversion Examples
Complete UTF-8 Encoding & Decoding Guide – Free Online Tool
UTF-8 encoder decoder tool converts text to UTF-8 byte sequences (hex/decimal/binary) and decodes UTF-8 back to readable text. Essential for web developers, API testing, database management, and internationalization projects.
What is UTF-8 Encoding?
UTF-8 (Unicode Transformation Format – 8-bit) is a variable-width character encoding that can represent every character in the Unicode character set. It was designed by Ken Thompson and Rob Pike in 1992 and has become the dominant character encoding for the World Wide Web, used by 98.2% of all websites according to W3Techs.
🌐 Universal Compatibility
Supports all 149,813 Unicode characters including emojis, mathematical symbols, and scripts from 161 writing systems.
⚡ Backward Compatible
100% compatible with ASCII – every valid ASCII string is also valid UTF-8, ensuring legacy system support.
🔢 Variable Width
Uses 1-4 bytes per character: 1 byte for ASCII, 2-3 bytes for most scripts, 4 bytes for emojis and rare characters.
How to Use UTF-8 Encoder Decoder Tool
Step 1: Text to UTF-8 Encoding
- Enter Text: Type or paste text in the input field (supports emojis, international characters)
- Select Format: Choose hex, decimal, or binary output format
- Click Encode: Press blue “Encode to UTF-8” button
- Get Bytes: View UTF-8 byte sequence in selected format
Step 2: UTF-8 to Text Decoding
- Enter Bytes: Paste UTF-8 hex bytes (48 65 6C 6C 6F) or decimal values
- Click Decode: Press purple “Decode UTF-8” button
- View Text: UTF-8 bytes convert back to readable text
- Copy Result: Use copy button for clipboard transfer
UTF-8 Byte Structure & Examples
| Character | Unicode | UTF-8 Hex | UTF-8 Decimal | Bytes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| A | U+0041 | 41 | 65 | 1 |
| € | U+20AC | E2 82 AC | 226 130 172 | 3 |
| 😀 | U+1F600 | F0 9F 98 80 | 240 159 152 128 | 4 |
| 你 | U+4F60 | E4 BD A0 | 228 189 160 | 3 |
| न | U+0928 | E0 A4 A8 | 224 164 168 | 3 |
Related Encoding Tools
Complete your developer toolkit with these essential encoding tools from encryptdecrypt.org:
ASCII Encoder/Decoder
Convert text to ASCII codes and back. Essential for basic character encoding.
Unicode Encoder/Decoder
Convert text to Unicode code points (U+XXXX format) and decode Unicode.
Base64 Encoder/Decoder
Encode binary data to ASCII text format for safe transmission.
URL Encoder/Decoder
Convert special characters for safe URL transmission.
HTML Encoder/Decoder
Convert HTML special characters to entities and back.
Binary Translator
Convert text to binary code and binary to text.
Percent Encoding
URL percent encoding and decoding tool.
XML Encoder/Decoder
Encode and decode XML special characters.
UTF-8 vs Other Encoding Formats
Comparison Table
| Encoding | Characters | Byte Range | Usage | Compatibility |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| UTF-8 | All Unicode (149,813) | 1-4 bytes | Web, APIs, databases | 98% websites |
| UTF-16 | All Unicode | 2 or 4 bytes | Windows, Java, JavaScript | Internal systems |
| ASCII | 128 characters | 1 byte | Legacy systems | English only |
| ISO-8859-1 | 256 characters | 1 byte | Western Europe | Limited |
Practical Applications of UTF-8 Encoding
🌐 Web Development
Ensure proper character rendering across browsers, handle multilingual user input, and prevent encoding issues in web forms and REST APIs.
📱 Mobile Applications
Handle emoji input, support international keyboards, and ensure consistent text display across iOS and Android platforms.
💾 Database Management
Store multilingual content correctly in MySQL (utf8mb4), PostgreSQL, MongoDB. Prevent data corruption during migrations.
External Resources & References
- RFC 3629 – UTF-8 Specification – Official UTF-8 encoding standard (IETF)
- Unicode UTF-8 FAQ – Official Unicode Consortium UTF-8 documentation
- MDN Web Docs – TextEncoder – JavaScript UTF-8 encoding API documentation
- W3C Encoding Guide – Best practices for character encoding on the web
- Joel on Software – Unicode Guide – Essential Unicode reading for developers
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
1. What’s the difference between UTF-8 and Unicode?
Unicode is a character set standard that assigns unique numbers (code points) to characters. UTF-8 is an encoding format that represents those Unicode code points as byte sequences. Think of Unicode as the “what” (characters) and UTF-8 as the “how” (byte representation).
2. How many bytes does UTF-8 use per character?
UTF-8 uses 1-4 bytes per character: 1 byte for ASCII (U+0000 to U+007F), 2 bytes for Latin, Greek, Cyrillic (U+0080 to U+07FF), 3 bytes for most Asian scripts (U+0800 to U+FFFF), and 4 bytes for emojis and rare characters (U+10000 to U+10FFFF).
3. Is UTF-8 encoding secure for passwords?
UTF-8 encoding itself doesn’t provide security – it’s for character representation. For password security, always use hashing algorithms (bcrypt, Argon2, PBKDF2). UTF-8 ensures password characters are correctly stored but doesn’t encrypt or protect the data.
4. Why does my UTF-8 text show as question marks (���)?
This indicates an encoding mismatch. Either the text wasn’t encoded as UTF-8 originally, or the system reading it isn’t interpreting it as UTF-8. Use our decoder to verify the actual byte sequence and identify the correct encoding.
5. Can UTF-8 handle right-to-left languages?
Yes, UTF-8 fully supports bidirectional text including Arabic (U+0600-U+06FF), Hebrew (U+0590-U+05FF), and other right-to-left scripts. The actual text direction is handled by the rendering engine, not the encoding itself.
Why Choose Our UTF-8 Tool?
Instant Conversion
Real-time UTF-8 encoding/decoding with no delays
Complete Privacy
100% client-side processing – no data sent to servers
Mobile Optimized
Fully responsive design works on all devices
100% Free
No charges, no subscriptions, no limitations
Ready to Master UTF-8 Encoding?
Our UTF-8 encoder decoder tool provides everything developers need for perfect character encoding. Convert text to UTF-8 bytes, decode UTF-8 back to text, and ensure flawless international text handling across all platforms.