Octal to Binary Converter

Convert octal to binary (base 8 → base 2)

Use this converter when you have octal integers (base 8) and need the binary representation (base 2).

This page is a focused Octal → Binary variant built for speed:

  • Batch mode is enabled by default (one value per line)
  • Controls are intentionally hidden to keep this variant fast and distraction-free

Need decimal/hex too, swapping, or formatting options? Open the full Number Base Converter.


How to use it

  1. Paste your octal values into the input (left).
  2. Use one number per line.
  3. Copy the binary results from the output (right).

Signed values are supported:

  • -11-1001
  • +37711111111

Input rules (octal)

Allowed digits

Octal input may contain only:

  • digits 0–7
  • an optional leading + or -

Examples:

  • 0
  • 7
  • 10
  • 755
  • -52

Optional 0o prefix

You may paste values like:

  • 0o755
  • -0o52

Separators are ignored

Spaces and underscores are ignored, so these are valid:

  • 7_55
  • 0o7 55

Output format (binary)

  • Output is a binary integer using 0 and 1
  • Negative values keep a leading -
  • No 0b prefix by default

Examples:

  • 101000
  • 111001
  • 52101010
  • 37711111111
  • 200010000000000
  • -52-101010

Quick mental check (3-bit mapping)

Octal maps cleanly to binary because each octal digit equals 3 bits:

  • 5 (octal) → 101 (binary)
  • 2 (octal) → 010 (binary)

So:

  • 52 (octal) → 101 010 (binary) → 101010

You don’t need to do this manually — the converter does it — but it’s a helpful way to sanity-check results.


Batch example (one per line)

Input (octal):

10
11
52
377
-52
0o755
8

Output (binary):

1000
1001
101010
11111111
-101010
111101101
!ERROR: Octal input may contain only digits 0–7

One invalid line won’t break the rest.


Common use cases

Permissions and bit fields

Octal is often used for permission masks because it aligns with binary bits. Converting to binary makes the underlying bit pattern obvious.

Embedded systems and digital logic

Octal is compact but still binary-friendly, which is useful when inspecting registers or bitmasks.

Learning number bases

Octal → binary is one of the clearest demonstrations of how different bases represent the same value.


Troubleshooting

“Octal input may contain only digits 0–7”

A line includes an invalid digit (like 8 or 9).

Remove invalid characters, or switch bases in the full tool if your input isn’t actually octal.

“Should the output be padded?”

This converter outputs the minimal binary representation.

If you need fixed widths (like 8/16/32-bit), pad the output on the left with zeros as needed.


Notes

  • This is number base conversion for integers, not text/byte encoding.
  • Everything runs locally in your browser — nothing is uploaded.

Frequently Asked Questions

Yes. Use a leading minus sign (−) or plus sign (+). The sign is preserved in the binary output.

Yes. This variant runs in batch mode by default: paste one octal integer per line and get one binary result per line.

Yes. Inputs like 0o755 are accepted in this variant.

Yes. Spaces and underscores are ignored, so values like 7_55 or 0o7 55 work.

Each octal digit maps exactly to 3 binary bits, so octal is a compact, binary-friendly representation.

Try one of our format-specific converters below

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