Skip to content
AllToolsDesk

Popular

  • JSON Formatter & ValidatorFormat, minify and validate JSON with error locations.
  • CSS FormatterBeautify CSS, SCSS and Less with Prettier.
  • CSS MinifierCompress CSS and see the bytes saved.
  • JavaScript FormatterBeautify JavaScript and TypeScript.
  • JavaScript MinifierMinify JavaScript with Terser.
  • HTML FormatterIndent HTML, including inline CSS and JS.
  • JPG to PDFTurn images into a PDF, one per page.
  • Merge PDFCombine several PDFs into one file.
38 free toolsSee all tools
AllToolsDesk
Search tools
Browse all tools

Hash Generator (MD5, SHA-256)

Generate MD5, SHA-1, SHA-256, SHA-384 and SHA-512 hashes of text or any file, and check a download against its published checksum. Runs in your browser.

Runs in your browser. Nothing is uploaded.

Loading tool…

About the Hash Generator (MD5, SHA-256)

A hash function turns any amount of data into a short, fixed-length fingerprint. Change a single character or byte and the hash changes completely, so hashes are used to check that a downloaded file is intact, to detect duplicates, to build cache keys and to sign data.

This tool computes the common algorithms at once for text or for a file. Paste the checksum a software vendor publishes and it tells you which algorithm matches, or warns you if nothing does, which can mean a corrupted or tampered download. SHA-256 and SHA-512 are the modern choices; MD5 and SHA-1 are still widely used for checksums but are no longer safe where an attacker could craft a collision. Files are read on your device and never uploaded, so this works for private documents too.

How to use the Hash Generator (MD5, SHA-256)

  1. 1

    Choose Text and type or paste, or choose File and pick any file (up to 200 MB).

  2. 2

    Every hash appears at once. Turn on Uppercase if the system you are comparing with uses capital letters.

  3. 3

    To verify a download, paste the expected checksum into “Compare with a checksum”. The status bar says whether it matches and which algorithm it is.

Examples

1The text “hello world”
Before
hello world
After
MD5: 5eb63bbbe01eeed093cb22bb8f5acdc3
SHA-1: 2aae6c35c94fcfb415dbe95f408b9ce91ee846ed
SHA-256: b94d27b9934d3e08a52e52d7da7dabfac484efe37a5380ee9088f7ace2efcde9

Good to know

  • Text is hashed as UTF-8 exactly as typed, including spaces and line breaks. A trailing newline gives a different hash, as it does with command-line tools.
  • MD5 and SHA-1 are broken for security purposes. Do not use them for passwords or signatures; use SHA-256 or stronger.
  • Plain hashes are not suitable for storing passwords. Use a slow password hash such as bcrypt or Argon2 for that.

Frequently asked questions

Can a hash be reversed?

No. Hashing is one-way. Short or common inputs can still be guessed by trying many candidates, which is why passwords need special slow hashes.

How do I check a downloaded file?

Choose File, pick the download and paste the checksum from the publisher’s website. A match means the file is byte-for-byte what they published.

Why does my hash differ from another tool’s?

Usually because of invisible differences: a trailing newline, Windows line endings, or a different text encoding. This tool uses UTF-8.

Are my files uploaded?

No. Files are opened and processed in your browser, in a background thread. Nothing is uploaded, so the tool also works for confidential documents.

Related tools

More tools that pair well with this one.

Browse all tools