Bitwise Calculator

Perform AND, OR, XOR, NOT, shift operations. Enter decimal, hex, or binary. Click bits to toggle them.

Last reviewed: June 2026

Reviewed by Shannon Patterson, software engineer · last updated June 2026

New to this tool? Click here for instructions

Value A

Value B (for AND/OR/XOR)

Operation:

Decimal

Hexadecimal

Binary

Input A - click bits to toggle

Input B - click bits to toggle

Result bits

Enter values above or click bits to calculate.

How to Use the Bitwise Calculator

The Bitwise Calculator is a free online tool that allows you to perform various bitwise operations. To use the tool, follow these steps:

1. Select the bit width (8-bit, 16-bit, or 32-bit) at the top of the calculator.

2. Enter your values in decimal, hexadecimal, or binary format in the input grids.

3. Choose the operation you want to perform (AND, OR, XOR, NOT, Left Shift, or Right Shift).

4. Click the bits in the input grids to toggle them and see how the result changes instantly.

5. The results will be displayed in decimal, hexadecimal, and binary formats simultaneously.

When to Use the Bitwise Calculator

The Bitwise Calculator is particularly useful for developers and programmers who need to work with low-level data manipulation. It can help you understand and debug bitwise operations in your code. Whether you're working on network programming, game development, embedded systems, or cryptography, this tool can simplify complex operations and make your code more efficient.

How It Works

The Bitwise Calculator runs in your browser with JavaScript. It parses decimal, hexadecimal, and binary input locally, applies the selected bit width as a mask, performs the operation with JavaScript bitwise operators, and renders the decimal, hexadecimal, binary, and clickable bit-grid views immediately. Your entered values are not uploaded to a backend service.

Tips, Edge Cases, and Limitations

Here are some tips and considerations when using the Bitwise Calculator:

1. JavaScript bitwise operators work on 32-bit integer values, so this tool masks results to the selected 8-bit, 16-bit, or 32-bit view.

2. Use hexadecimal or binary input when you need to inspect flags, masks, permissions, protocol bytes, or register-style values without mental base conversion.

3. For NOT operations, remember that the result depends on the selected width: NOT 0 is 255 in 8-bit mode, 65535 in 16-bit mode, and 4294967295 in 32-bit unsigned display.

4. Shift operations discard bits that move past the selected width. Check the bit grid when debugging overflow, sign-extension assumptions, or protocol field boundaries.

5. For arbitrary-precision bitwise work beyond 32 bits, use a language or library with explicit BigInt-style operations.

Sources and further reading

For JavaScript operator behavior, see MDN's reference for bitwise AND and the linked bitwise operator pages. For the language-level production, see the ECMAScript specification linked from that MDN reference.

Frequently Asked Questions

A bitwise operation is a type of operation that operates on individual bits of binary numbers. Common bitwise operations include AND, OR, XOR, NOT, left shift, and right shift.

AND returns 1 only when both bits are 1. OR returns 1 when at least one bit is 1. XOR returns 1 only when exactly one of the two bits is 1.

The NOT operation flips every bit in the number. For example, NOT 0 becomes 255 in an 8-bit system.

A left shift moves all bits left by a specified number of positions, equivalent to multiplying by 2^n. A right shift moves all bits right by a specified number of positions, equivalent to integer dividing by 2^n.

The Bitwise Calculator shows results in decimal, hex, and binary to provide flexibility and allow users to understand the data in different formats.

Quick reference

Bitwise Calculator Quick Reference
Operation	Binary A	Binary B	Result
AND	1010	1100	1000
OR	1010	1100	1110
XOR	1010	1100	0110
NOT	1010	-	0101
Shift Left	1010	1	10100
Shift Right	1010	1	101

Example walk-through

Worked example: step-by step

Step 1. Navigate to the Bitwise Calculator webpage and locate the input fields for binary numbers.

Step 2. Enter two binary numbers (e.g., 1010 and 1100) into the respective input fields.

Step 3. Select the desired bitwise operation (e.g., AND, OR, XOR) from the dropdown menu. The calculator will process the input using the selected operation.

Step 4. View the result displayed in decimal and binary formats. For the sample input, the AND operation would produce 1000 (8 in decimal).

Sample input:
Binary 1: 1010
Binary 2: 1100
Operation: AND

Expected output:
Decimal: 8
Binary: 1000