C# BitConverter.ToString(Byte[]) Method

The BitConverter.ToString() method in C# converts an array of bytes to its hexadecimal string representation. Each byte is converted to a two-digit uppercase hexadecimal value, with hyphens separating each pair.

Syntax

Following is the syntax for the BitConverter.ToString() method −

public static string ToString(byte[] value);

Parameters

• value − An array of bytes to convert to hexadecimal string representation.

Return Value

Returns a string containing hexadecimal pairs separated by hyphens, where each pair represents the corresponding element in the byte array.

Using BitConverter.ToString() with Byte Array

Example

using System;

public class Demo {
    public static void Main() {
        byte[] arr = {0, 10, 2, 5, 32, 45};
        int count = arr.Length;
        
        Console.Write("Byte Array... ");
        for (int i = 0; i < count; i++) {
            Console.Write("<br>" + arr[i]);
        }
        
        Console.WriteLine("\nByte Array (String representation) = {0}",
            BitConverter.ToString(arr));
    }
}

The output of the above code is −

Byte Array...
0
10
2
5
32
45
Byte Array (String representation) = 00-0A-02-05-20-2D

Converting Bytes Back to Numeric Values

Example

using System;

public class Demo {
    public static void Main() {
        byte[] arr = {0, 0, 7, 10, 18, 20, 25, 26, 32};
        int count = arr.Length;
        
        Console.Write("Byte Array... ");
        for (int i = 0; i < count; i++) {
            Console.Write("<br>" + arr[i]);
        }
        
        Console.WriteLine("\nByte Array (String representation) = " + BitConverter.ToString(arr));
        
        for (int i = 0; i < arr.Length - 1; i = i + 2) {
            short res = BitConverter.ToInt16(arr, i);
            Console.WriteLine("\nValue = " + arr[i]);
            Console.WriteLine("Result = " + res);
        }
    }
}

The output of the above code is −

Byte Array...
0
0
7
10
18
20
25
26
32
Byte Array (String representation) = 00-00-07-0A-12-14-19-1A-20
Value = 0
Result = 0
Value = 7
Result = 2567
Value = 18
Result = 5138
Value = 25
Result = 6681

Working with Different Byte Values

Example

using System;

public class Demo {
    public static void Main() {
        // Different byte values including maximum
        byte[] bytes = {0, 255, 127, 64, 192};
        
        Console.WriteLine("Original bytes:");
        foreach (byte b in bytes) {
            Console.Write(b + " ");
        }
        
        Console.WriteLine("\nHexadecimal representation:");
        string hexString = BitConverter.ToString(bytes);
        Console.WriteLine(hexString);
        
        // Remove hyphens for continuous hex string
        string continuousHex = hexString.Replace("-", "");
        Console.WriteLine("Without hyphens: " + continuousHex);
    }
}

The output of the above code is −

Original bytes:
0 255 127 64 192 
Hexadecimal representation:
00-FF-7F-40-C0
Without hyphens: 00FF7F40C0

Conclusion

The BitConverter.ToString() method provides an easy way to convert byte arrays to readable hexadecimal strings. Each byte is represented as a two-digit uppercase hexadecimal value separated by hyphens, making it useful for debugging, data visualization, and converting binary data to string format.