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Free bit shift calculator & binary shift calculator. Calculate left shift, right shift, arithmetic shift & unsigned shift operations with binary representations. Our calculator performs bitwise operations and shows step-by-step binary transformations for educational purposes and programming applications.
Last updated: February 2, 2026
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Enter the decimal number to shift
Number of positions to shift (0-31)
Operation
5 << 2 = 20
Original Binary (8-bit):
00000101
Decimal: 5
Result Binary (8-bit):
00010100
Decimal: 20
Calculation Steps:
Bit Shift Rules:
Operation
n << x = n × 2^x
Shifts bits left, filling right positions with zeros. Each shift multiplies by 2.
Operation
n >> x = n ÷ 2^x
Shifts bits right, preserving sign bit for signed integers. Divides by 2.
Operation
n >>> x (unsigned)
Shifts bits right, always filling left with zeros (treats as unsigned)
Visualization
Before → After
Shows binary representation before and after shift operation
Bit manipulation
Low-level operations
Essential for programming, embedded systems, and optimization
Bit widths
8, 16, 32 bits
Handle different integer sizes for various programming contexts
Left shift operation: 5 << 2
Original (Binary)
00000101
Decimal: 5
Result (Binary)
00010100
Decimal: 20
5 × 2² = 5 × 4 = 20
Our bit shift calculator performs binary shift operations by manipulating the individual bits in a number's binary representation. The calculator supports multiple bit widths (8-bit, 16-bit, 32-bit) and all common shift operations including left shift, arithmetic right shift, and unsigned right shift.
Left Shift (<<): Moves bits left, fills right with 0s
5 << 2: 00000101 → 00010100 (5 × 4 = 20)Arithmetic Right Shift (>>): Moves bits right, preserves sign
20 >> 2: 00010100 → 00000101 (20 ÷ 4 = 5)Unsigned Right Shift (>>>): Moves bits right, fills left with 0s
-1 >>> 1: Treats as unsigned, fills with zerosEach left shift multiplies by 2, each right shift divides by 2 (integer division). Bit shifting is one of the fastest operations a CPU can perform, making it ideal for performance-critical code when multiplying or dividing by powers of 2.
Shows how bits move during left and right shift operations
Bit shifting is based on the binary number system where each position represents a power of 2. Left shifting by n positions is mathematically equivalent to multiplying by 2^n, while right shifting by n positions is equivalent to integer division by 2^n. This makes bit shifting an efficient alternative to multiplication and division when working with powers of 2.
Need help with other binary operations? Check out our binary to decimal calculator and hex to decimal calculator.
Get Custom Calculator for Your PlatformDecimal: 5
Binary (8-bit): 00000101
Bit positions: 4(1) + 0(1) = 5
Left shift by 2 positions (multiply by 2²)
Result: 5 << 2 = 20
Before:
00000101
After:
00010100
20 >> 2
00010100 → 00000101 = 5 (divide by 4)
3 << 4
3 × 2⁴ = 3 × 16 = 48 (fast multiplication)
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