C# Convert Byte Array to String

You have an array of bytes that represent letters in ASCII in your C# program and want to convert these bytes into a string. With the ASCII.GetString method, you can pass in a byte[] array and receive a string.

Example

First, this program allocates an array of bytes: these represent characters in ASCII. Next, the ASCIIEncoding.ASCII.GetString method is used. You will need to ensure System.Text is included to compile the program.

This C# program converts a byte array to a string. It uses ASCIIEncoding.ASCII.GetString.

Program that converts byte[] to string [C#]

using System;
using System.Text;

class Program
{
    static void Main()
    {
	byte[] array =
	{
	    68,
	    111,
	    116,
	    32,
	    78,
	    101,
	    116,
	    32,
	    80,
	    101,
	    114,
	    108,
	    115
	};

	string value = ASCIIEncoding.ASCII.GetString(array);
	Console.WriteLine(value);
    }
}

Output

Dot Net Perls

Notes. The byte array does not need to contain the '\0' character to be converted to a string correctly. You can see how the space character in the example is encoded as the byte 32.

Summary

The .NET Framework provides a way for you to convert an array of bytes into a string type. With the GetString method shown here, you do not need to construct the string yourself. This site also contains information on the reverse conversion.