ASCII code for backspace
8
Backspace — a control character, not printable
| Decimal | 8 |
| Hexadecimal | 0x08 |
| Octal | 0010 |
| Binary | 00001000 |
| HTML entity |  |
| String escape | \b |
What it is
Moved the print head back one position. On paper terminals this was how you overstruck characters to make bold or accented letters. Modern terminals mostly send DEL (127) for the Backspace key instead.
The full entry
ASCII 8 in full — the code point page, with what sits either side of it and how the character is encoded elsewhere.
Frequently asked questions
What is the ASCII code for backspace?
The ASCII code for backspace is 8 in decimal, 0x08 in hexadecimal and 0010 in octal.
What is backspace in binary?
00001000 — eight bits, though ASCII only defines seven, so the top bit is always zero.
How do I write backspace in a string?
Most languages accept the escape \b. Writing the raw character instead works in some contexts and breaks in others, which is what the escape exists to avoid.
Other characters
- ASCII code for tab — 9
- ASCII code for newline — 10
- ASCII code for vertical tab — 11
- ASCII code for form feed — 12
- ASCII code for carriage return — 13
- ASCII code for shift out — 14
- ASCII code for shift in — 15
- ASCII code for data link escape — 16
- ASCII code for device control 1 (xon) — 17
- ASCII code for device control 2 — 18
- ASCII code for device control 3 (xoff) — 19
- ASCII code for device control 4 — 20
Every character by name · The ASCII table · Text to binary converter