Byte Counter Online

A byte counter is a tool that calculates the total number of bytes in a given text, code snippet, or data input.

Counts actual byte size for UTF-8 encoded text.
0BTotal Bytes
0KBKilobytes
0Characters
Results update in real time.

What is a Byte Counter

A byte counter is a tool that calculates the total number of bytes in a given text, code snippet, or data input.

It is essential for developers, system administrators, and anyone working with data who need to ensure:

  • Data packets do not exceed limits
  • Files remain within storage constraints
  • Encoded data matches expected size

This tool instantly counts the total bytes and allows you to select different encodings, such as UTF-8 or ASCII.

How to Use the Byte Counter

  1. Paste your text, code, or data into the input box.
  2. The tool calculates the total byte size instantly.
  3. Optionally, select the encoding type to see how it affects the byte count.

No installation or registration is required, and results update in real time.

Why Developers and System Admins Use Byte Counters

Byte counters are commonly used for:

  • Measuring API request payloads
  • Validating file uploads against size limits
  • Checking configuration files or logs
  • Debugging data encoding issues

Common Byte Counting Scenarios

Counting Bytes in Code

  • Useful for ensuring source code snippets do not exceed platform limits
  • Check GitHub Gists, code submissions, or configuration scripts

Counting Bytes in Text / Documents

  • Measure plain text, markdown content, or copy-paste text
  • Compare file sizes before sending via network or email

Counting Bytes in Encoded Data

  • Calculate Base64, JSON, or URL-encoded text sizes
  • Essential for API requests, webhooks, or LLM prompts

Byte Counting for Storage / Logging

  • Check log files, CSVs, or system reports
  • Prevent oversized files from causing errors or wasting storage

FAQ

Does this tool count multi-byte characters?

Yes, it counts bytes based on the selected encoding, so multi-byte characters like emojis or non-ASCII letters are included.

Can I change encoding type?

Yes, you can select different encodings such as UTF-8, ASCII, or ISO-8859-1 to see how encoding affects byte count.

Does it work for binary or hex data?

Yes, you can paste the text representation of binary or hexadecimal data, and the tool will calculate the byte size accordingly.

Is there a limit to how much text I can paste?

There is no strict limit, but extremely large inputs may take a few seconds to process depending on your browser performance.

Is this tool language-specific?

No, it works with any programming language or plain text.