Bitwise Operators C Calculator

Calculator Inputs

Operand A

Operand B

Input Base

Bit Width

Number Mode

Highlighted Operator

Shift Amount

Custom Mask

Supported widths are 8, 16, and 32 bits. Signed mode uses two’s complement interpretation. Right shift in signed mode is shown as arithmetic shift.

Formula Used

Operation	Expression	Description
AND	`A & B`	Returns 1 only where both bits are 1.
OR	`A \| B`	Returns 1 where either input bit is 1.
XOR	`A ^ B`	Returns 1 only where the bits are different.
NOT	`~A`	Flips every bit in A within the chosen width.
Left Shift	`A << n`	Moves bits left by n positions. Vacated right bits become 0.
Right Shift	`A >> n`	Moves bits right by n positions. Signed mode shows arithmetic shifting.
Masking	`A & Mask`	Keeps only the bit positions enabled by the mask.
Set or Merge Mask	`A \| Mask`	Turns on the bit positions provided by the mask.
Width Constraint	`mask = (1 << bits) - 1`	Limits every result to the selected fixed-width representation.
Signed Interpretation	`signed = unsigned - 2^bits`	Applied only when the highest bit is set in signed mode.

How to Use This Calculator

Enter Operand A and Operand B using decimal, binary, octal, or hexadecimal notation.
Choose the input base so the calculator reads your values correctly.
Select 8-bit, 16-bit, or 32-bit width for fixed-width C style evaluation.
Pick signed or unsigned mode to control decimal interpretation and right-shift behavior.
Enter a shift amount for left and right shift calculations.
Enter a custom mask if you want to test masking or bit enabling operations.
Choose the highlighted operator to display the main result above the form.
Press Calculate Bitwise Results to see the summary, full table, and Plotly chart.
Use the export buttons to download your result table as CSV or PDF.

Example Data Table

Input Base	Bit Width	Mode	Operand A	Operand B	Mask	Shift	A & B	A \| B	A ^ B	~A	A << 1	A >> 1
Decimal	8-bit	Unsigned	12	5	3	1	4	13	9	243	24	6
Binary	8-bit	Unsigned	1100	0101	0011	1	00000100	00001101	00001001	11110011	00011000	00000110
Hexadecimal	16-bit	Signed	0x00F0	0x000F	0x00FF	2	0	255	255	-241	960	60

Frequently Asked Questions

1. What does this calculator evaluate?

It evaluates common C bitwise operations using fixed-width integers. You can inspect AND, OR, XOR, NOT, shifts, and mask-based operations in decimal, binary, octal, and hexadecimal views.

2. Why does bit width matter?

Bit width controls overflow, truncation, and sign interpretation. The same value can produce different NOT, shift, and masking results when evaluated as 8-bit, 16-bit, or 32-bit data.

3. What is signed mode doing?

Signed mode interprets the highest bit as the sign bit using two’s complement. It changes the displayed decimal value and makes right shift behave like arithmetic shift in this calculator.

4. Why is ~A sometimes a large positive number?

In unsigned mode, NOT flips every bit and keeps the result inside the chosen width. For example, ~12 becomes 243 in 8-bit mode because only eight bits are retained.

5. Can I enter binary or hexadecimal values?

Yes. Choose the correct input base first, then enter values normally. Prefixes like 0b, 0o, and 0x are also accepted for binary, octal, and hexadecimal inputs.

6. What is a custom mask useful for?

A custom mask helps isolate, clear, or enable selected bit positions. Use A & Mask to keep chosen bits, or A | Mask to force selected bits on.

7. Why can large shifts look unusual?

Shifts larger than the active width are not stable for fixed-width demonstrations. This page limits the shift amount to width minus one so the results stay readable and consistent.

8. What do the CSV and PDF downloads include?

They export the current input summary and calculated result table. This makes it easier to share test cases, keep debugging notes, or attach examples to documentation.