Hash Generator
Free hash generator: see MD5, SHA-1, SHA-256, SHA-384 and SHA-512 of any text or file at once, add an HMAC key and verify a checksum in your browser.
How to use Hash Generator
- 1Type or paste text, or choose any file to hash its bytes.
- 2Pick the output format, and turn on HMAC if you need a keyed hash.
- 3Copy a single digest, paste an expected checksum to compare, or download all digests.
What makes it better
- MD5, SHA-1, SHA-256, SHA-384 and SHA-512 in one table, plus SHA-224, SHA-3 and CRC-32 on request
- Hashes any file in chunks with progress and a cancel button
- HMAC with your own secret key for every hash (CRC-32 has no keyed form)
- Hex, Base64 or URL-safe Base64 output, with an uppercase option
- Compare with a published checksum and see a clear match or mismatch
About Hash Generator
Hash Generator calculates five common hashes of your text or file at the same time, so you do not have to visit a separate page for each algorithm. Text is hashed as UTF-8 bytes and updates as you type, while files are read in chunks on your device with a progress bar. Open “More algorithms” to add SHA-224, SHA3-224, SHA3-256, SHA3-384, SHA3-512 and the CRC-32 checksum to the same table, switch the output to Base64, or turn on HMAC with a secret key.
Common uses
- Check that a downloaded installer or ISO matches the SHA-256 checksum on the vendor page.
- Compute the HMAC-SHA-256 of a payload to debug a webhook signature.
- Generate an MD5 or SHA-1 fingerprint to match an old system that still expects one.
- Confirm that two copies of a file are byte-for-byte identical.
Example
Input
hello
Result
2cf24dba5fb0a30e26e83b2ac5b9e29e1b161e5c1fa7425e73043362938b9824
Good to know
- MD5 and SHA-1 are broken for security purposes because different inputs with the same hash can be created. They are still fine for spotting accidental corruption, but use SHA-256 or stronger for anything that must resist tampering.
- Hashing is not encryption and cannot be undone, yet hashes of short or common text can be found in lookup tables. Do not store passwords as plain SHA or MD5 hashes; use a password hashing function such as bcrypt, scrypt or Argon2.
- Text is hashed as UTF-8, and line endings matter: the same lines saved with LF and with CRLF produce different hashes. Files are hashed as raw bytes, so very large files work but take time on a slow device.
Hash Generator FAQ
How do I get the MD5 or SHA-256 checksum of a file?
Choose “Hash a file”, pick the file, and wait for the progress bar to finish. All five digests appear together. Paste the checksum published by the vendor into “Compare with” to see a match or mismatch.
Why does my hash differ from the one in another tool?
The usual causes are a trailing newline, LF versus CRLF line endings, or a different text encoding. This tool hashes the exact UTF-8 bytes you type, so even one extra space changes every digest.
What is HMAC and when should I use it?
HMAC mixes a secret key into the hash so that only someone with the key can produce or verify it. It is used to sign API requests and webhooks. Switch on HMAC, enter the key as text, and every row becomes an HMAC with that algorithm.
Can a hash be reversed to get the original text?
Not mathematically, but short or common inputs such as simple passwords can be found by looking the hash up in precomputed tables or by guessing. That is why unsalted MD5 or SHA hashes are not suitable for storing passwords.
How does the Compare with box know which algorithm to check?
By length. 8 hex characters are checked against CRC-32, 32 against MD5, 40 against SHA-1, and 56, 64, 96 or 128 against both the SHA-2 and the SHA-3 digest of that size, naming the one that matched. Capital letters and spaces or line breaks in the pasted value are ignored.