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Hex to Octal Conversion

Use this tool to convert hexadecimal (base-16) numbers into octal (base-8), and vice versa.

How to Use This Converter

  • Enter a hex value (e.g., 2F) to see its octal representation
  • Or input an octal number to convert it to hexadecimal

Understanding the Conversion

Hex and octal are both number systems used in computing, but they don't convert directly digit-by-digit. The easiest way to convert between them is via binary:

  1. Convert hex to binary (each hex digit = 4 bits)
  2. Group the binary into 3-bit chunks (starting from the right)
  3. Convert each 3-bit group into an octal digit

Example

Convert 2F16 to octal:

  • Hex 2F = Binary 0010 1111
  • Binary 00101111 → group as 000 101 111
  • Octal = 0578

Why Use Octal?

Octal was used more frequently in older computing systems, especially when dealing with byte-aligned systems where 3-bit groupings made sense.

It's still useful for interpreting file permissions in Unix/Linux systems (e.g., chmod 755).

Hex and octal both simplify binary numbers for humans. Use this converter when working with different low-level numeric representations.