Free MD5 & SHA-256 Hash Generator — Hash Text and Files Online

Generate MD5 and SHA-256 hashes from any text — or hash a file right on your device to verify its integrity. Everything runs locally in your browser: your files never leave your browser, nothing is uploaded, nothing is stored.

How it works

Everyday uses

Verify downloads. Software sites publish a checksum (often SHA-256) next to the download button. Hash the file you downloaded and compare — if the hashes match, your copy is byte-for-byte identical to the publisher’s, with no corruption or tampering.

Check file copies and backups. Hash a file before and after moving it, or hash two copies of an archive — matching hashes prove the transfer was lossless.

Deduplicate files. Two files with the same SHA-256 hash have identical contents (for all practical purposes). Hash your downloads folder to find exact duplicates and reclaim disk space.

Gravatar and identifiers. MD5 hashes of lowercased email addresses are how services like Gravatar identify users without storing the email itself. Developers use the MD5 tab to generate those quickly.

A word of caution: MD5 is broken for security purposes — researchers can craft two different files with the same MD5 hash (a collision). It’s fine for checksums and casual integrity checks, but never use it to protect passwords or prove authenticity. Use SHA-256 (or SHA-512) wherever security matters.

Your files never leave your browser — hashing happens entirely on your device, which is exactly why it’s safe to verify sensitive documents here.

Want to know what a hash actually is? Read our guide: What Is an MD5 Hash? How to Generate and Verify File Hashes.