What does a left bit shift (<<) do?

A left shift moves all bits toward the most significant bit. Each position shifted left multiplies the value by 2. Bits shifted off the left end are discarded, and zeros fill the right side.

What does a right bit shift (>>) do?

A right shift moves bits toward the least significant bit, effectively dividing by 2 per position. For unsigned values zeros fill the left; for signed values the sign bit is preserved (arithmetic shift).

Why does left-shifting by 1 double the value?

Shifting all bits one position left is equivalent to multiplying by 2, because each bit position represents twice the value of the position to its right (powers of 2).

What bit width does this calculator use?

This tool works with 32-bit signed integers, matching the behavior of most programming languages such as C, Java, and JavaScript's bitwise operators.

What happens when I shift by more than 31 bits?

For 32-bit integers, shifting by 32 or more is undefined in C but in JavaScript the shift count is masked to 5 bits (modulo 32). This calculator follows JavaScript's behavior.

Can I shift negative numbers?

Yes. Left shifts on negative numbers follow the same bit rules. Right shifts on negative numbers preserve the sign bit (arithmetic right shift), keeping the result negative.

Bit Shift Calculator

Enter an integer and a shift amount to see left/right bit shift results in binary, hex, and decimal.

Bit Shift Inputs

Integer Value

Signed 32-bit integer (−2,147,483,648 to 2,147,483,647)

Shift Direction

<< Left Shift >> Right Shift

Shift Amount (positions)

1 – 31 positions (32-bit integer)

Results

42 << 1 = 84

DEC 84

HEX 0x54

BIN 00000000000000000000000001010100

Bit Diagram (32-bit)

Original bit Filled zero Shifted out

Input Representation

Decimal: 42

Hexadecimal: 0x2A

Binary: 00000000000000000000000000101010

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Summary

The Bit Shift Calculator lets you perform left (<< ) and right (>>) bit shift operations on any integer. Enter the value and shift count, and the tool instantly shows the result in decimal, binary, and hexadecimal. It also displays a visual bit-by-bit diagram so you can see exactly how the bits move.

How it works

Enter an integer value (positive or negative) in the input field.
Choose the shift direction: left (<<) or right (>>).
Enter the number of bit positions to shift.
The tool computes the result and shows decimal, binary, and hex outputs.
A visual diagram highlights which bits shifted in or out.

Use cases

Learn how bitwise shift operators work in programming.
Quickly verify shift results while debugging low-level code.
Calculate fast multiply/divide by powers of 2.
Understand bit packing and unpacking patterns.
Validate microcontroller register manipulations.
Test shift behavior across different bit widths (8, 16, 32).
Explore signed vs. unsigned right shift differences.
Teach binary arithmetic to students or new developers.

Frequently Asked Questions

Last updated: 2026-05-29 · Reviewed by Nham Vu