C++ Bitwise Operators

C++ Bitwise Operators

Bitwise operators in C++ are used to perform operations on individual bits of integer values. They are useful in low-level programming, such as systems programming, embedded systems, and performance-critical applications.

List of Bitwise Operators

Operator	Description	Example
&	Bitwise AND – sets each bit to 1 if both bits are 1	5 & 3 // 0101 & 0011 = 0001 (1)
|	Bitwise OR – sets each bit to 1 if one of the bits is 1	5 | 3 // 0101 | 0011 = 0111 (7)
^	Bitwise XOR – sets each bit to 1 if only one bit is 1	5 ^ 3 // 0101 ^ 0011 = 0110 (6)
~	Bitwise NOT – inverts all the bits	~5 // 0101 -> 1010 (depends on system representation)
<<	Left Shift – shifts bits to the left, fills 0 on the right	5 << 1 // 0101 << 1 = 1010 (10)
>>	Right Shift – shifts bits to the right, fills 0 or sign bit on the left	5 >> 1 // 0101 >> 1 = 0010 (2)

Example Program

#include <iostream>
using namespace std;

int main() {

    int a = 5;  // 0101 in binary
    int b = 3;  // 0011 in binary

    cout << "a & b = " << (a & b) << endl;
    cout << "a | b = " << (a | b) << endl;
    cout << "a ^ b = " << (a ^ b) << endl;
    cout << "~a = " << (~a) << endl;
    cout << "a << 1 = " << (a << 1) << endl;
    cout << "a >> 1 = " << (a >> 1) << endl;

    return 0;
}

Output

a & b = 1
a | b = 7
a ^ b = 6
~a = -6
a << 1 = 10
a >> 1 = 2

Important Notes

• Bitwise operators work only with integer types (int, char, long, etc.).
• The ~ operator produces the two’s complement of the number.
• Bitwise shifts (<<, >>) are often used for fast multiplication or division by powers of 2.
• Bitwise operators are widely used in low-level programming, embedded systems, and performance-critical applications.

Next Topic

After learning all C++ operators, you can continue with C++ Control Structures (if-else, loops) for building logic in programs.