Two's Complement Converter

Convert between signed and unsigned binary representations. Understand how computers represent negative numbers. Part of our Binary Converter toolset.

8-bit range: -128 to 127
Examples:

Understanding Two's Complement

Two's complement is the standard method for representing signed integers in binary. Our Two's Complement Converter helps you understand this fundamental concept.

How It Works

  1. If the number is positive, the binary representation is the same as unsigned
  2. If negative, invert all bits (one's complement) then add 1
  3. The leftmost bit (MSB) indicates the sign: 0 = positive, 1 = negative

Why Two's Complement?

  • Simplifies arithmetic circuits (addition works the same for signed/unsigned)
  • Only one representation of zero
  • Standard across virtually all modern computers
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