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Binary Data Viewer & Comparator
View binary files in hex format with ASCII preview. Compare two binary files side-by-side with difference highlighting.
Binary Data

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About Binary Viewer

A binary viewer displays file contents as hexadecimal values, letting you see the raw bytes that make up any file. Each byte is shown as a two-character hex code (00 to FF), with the corresponding ASCII character displayed alongside when printable.

This tool is particularly useful when working with file formats, network protocols, or any situation where you need to understand data at the byte level. Unlike text editors that interpret file contents, a hex viewer shows you exactly what's stored—no encoding assumptions, no hidden characters. You can identify file signatures, locate specific byte patterns, and understand binary structures that would otherwise be invisible.

How to use Binary Viewer

1

Upload a file using the file picker, or drag and drop it onto the page.

2

Alternatively, paste raw bytes or base64-encoded data into the text area.

3

View the hex dump with offsets on the left (showing byte position) and ASCII on the right.

4

Look for patterns: file headers typically appear in the first few bytes.

5

Copy the output if you need to share or document the byte structure.

Examples

Identifying a PNG file

PNG files always start with the same 8-byte signature. When you open a PNG in the binary viewer, you'll see:

Offset    Hex                                       ASCII
00000000  89 50 4E 47 0D 0A 1A 0A 00 00 00 0D 49 48  .PNG........IH
00000010  44 52 00 00 01 00 00 00 01 00 08 06 00 00  DR............

Spotting a PDF document

PDF files begin with %PDF followed by a version number. The hex values 25 50 44 46 spell out %PDF in ASCII:

Offset    Hex                                       ASCII
00000000  25 50 44 46 2D 31 2E 34 0A 25 C7 EC 8F A2  %PDF-1.4.%....
00000010  0A 35 20 30 20 6F 62 6A 0A 3C 3C 2F 4C 65  .5 0 obj.<</Le

Finding hidden text in a binary

Sometimes executable files or binary data contain readable strings. The ASCII column makes them easy to spot:

Offset    Hex                                       ASCII
00000100  00 00 00 48 65 6C 6C 6F 20 57 6F 72 6C 64  ...Hello World
00000110  00 00 00 45 72 72 6F 72 3A 20 46 69 6C 65  ...Error: File

Features

Hexadecimal display with byte offsets for easy navigation
ASCII column showing printable characters
Drag-and-drop file upload support
Paste binary or base64 encoded data directly
Copy formatted output to clipboard
Handles files up to 10MB in the browser

When to use this

  • Identifying unknown file types by checking their magic bytes (file signatures)
  • Debugging file corruption by comparing expected vs actual byte sequences
  • Analyzing network packet captures to understand protocol data
  • Reverse engineering proprietary file formats
  • Verifying file integrity after transfers or conversions
  • Learning how binary data and file formats work

Common questions