Convert.ToByte Method in C#

The Convert.ToByte method in C# converts a specified value to an 8-bit unsigned integer (byte). A byte can hold values from 0 to 255, making it useful for representing small integers, ASCII characters, and binary data.

This method provides a safe way to convert various data types to byte values, with built-in overflow checking that throws an OverflowException if the value is outside the valid byte range.

Syntax

Following are the common overloads of the Convert.ToByte method −

Convert.ToByte(object value)
Convert.ToByte(string value)
Convert.ToByte(char value)
Convert.ToByte(int value)
Convert.ToByte(double value)

Parameters

• value − The value to be converted to a byte. Can be of various types including string, char, int, double, bool, etc.

Return Value

Returns an 8-bit unsigned integer (byte) equivalent to the specified value, or zero if the value is null.

Converting Characters to Bytes

Characters are converted to their ASCII byte values −

using System;

public class Demo {
   public static void Main() {
      char[] charVal = { 'p', 'q', 'r', 's' };
      foreach (char c in charVal) {
         byte byteVal = Convert.ToByte(c);
         Console.WriteLine("{0} is converted to = {1}", c, byteVal);
      }
   }
}

The output of the above code is −

p is converted to = 112
q is converted to = 113
r is converted to = 114
s is converted to = 115

Converting Different Data Types

The method can convert various data types to byte values −

using System;

public class Demo {
   public static void Main() {
      // Converting string to byte
      string strVal = "255";
      byte byteFromString = Convert.ToByte(strVal);
      Console.WriteLine("String '{0}' to byte: {1}", strVal, byteFromString);
      
      // Converting boolean to byte
      bool boolVal = true;
      byte byteFromBool = Convert.ToByte(boolVal);
      Console.WriteLine("Boolean {0} to byte: {1}", boolVal, byteFromBool);
      
      // Converting double to byte
      double doubleVal = 100.75;
      byte byteFromDouble = Convert.ToByte(doubleVal);
      Console.WriteLine("Double {0} to byte: {1}", doubleVal, byteFromDouble);
   }
}

The output of the above code is −

String '255' to byte: 255
Boolean True to byte: 1
Double 100.75 to byte: 101

Handling Overflow Exceptions

Values outside the byte range (0-255) will throw an OverflowException −

using System;

public class Demo {
   public static void Main() {
      try {
         int validValue = 200;
         byte result1 = Convert.ToByte(validValue);
         Console.WriteLine("Valid conversion: {0} to {1}", validValue, result1);
         
         int invalidValue = 300; // Outside byte range
         byte result2 = Convert.ToByte(invalidValue);
      }
      catch (OverflowException ex) {
         Console.WriteLine("OverflowException: " + ex.Message);
      }
   }
}

The output of the above code is −

Valid conversion: 200 to 200
OverflowException: Value was either too large or too small for an unsigned byte.

Common Use Cases

Conclusion

The Convert.ToByte method provides a reliable way to convert various data types to byte values with automatic overflow checking. It's particularly useful when working with ASCII characters, small integers, or when you need safe type conversion with exception handling for out-of-range values.