File Hash Checker — Verify Digests in Your Browser
Hash pasted text or a local file in your browser. Steps: pick Text or File, tick MD5/SHA algorithms, click Hash, copy lowercase hex. Example: text `hello` → SHA-256 `2cf24dba5fb0a30e26e83b2ac5b9e29e1b161e5c1fa7425e73043362938b0184`. Files are read locally; MD5 loads crypto-js from CDN only when selected.
How it works
Pick Text to hash a paste (UTF-8 bytes) or File to hash a local file (raw bytes). Select one or more algorithms, then Hash. SHA family digests use Web Crypto; MD5 loads a small library on first use. Results appear as lowercase hex, one row per algorithm.
Rules you should expect
Algorithm choice, byte semantics, and output format — what to expect before you compare a digest elsewhere.
- MD5 → 32 hex chars (128 bits). SHA-1 → 40 hex. SHA-256 → 64 hex. SHA-384 → 96 hex. SHA-512 → 128 hex. All lowercase, no prefix.
- Text mode: `TextEncoder` UTF-8. File mode: entire file byte stream. A UTF-8 BOM or CRLF in a file changes the digest vs plain paste.
- Empty text or zero-byte file yields the standard empty-input digest for each algorithm (still valid hex).
- Privacy: no upload. MD5 is the only path that fetches crypto-js from CDN; SHA-* uses built-in Web Crypto only.
Example
Text input `hello` with SHA-256 selected → `2cf24dba5fb0a30e26e83b2ac5b9e29e1b161e5c1fa7425e73043362938b0184`. MD5 of the same string → `5d41402abc4b2a76b9719d911017c592`. Text uses UTF-8 bytes; files use raw bytes.
Good fits
- Release engineering: compare an installer SHA-256 with the value published on a download page.
- Config drift: fingerprint a JSON or `.env` snippet before and after a deploy.
- Legacy QA: verify an old MD5 manifest still matches a rebuilt artifact.
Frequently asked questions
When should I use MD5 vs SHA-256?
MD5 is fast and still used for legacy checksums (older Linux `md5sum` lists, some CDN ETags). For security (signatures, passwords, tamper evidence) prefer SHA-256 or SHA-512. SHA-1 is deprecated for certificates but may appear in old artifacts.
How are large files handled?
Large files are read in chunks with a progress bar. Files over ~100 MB show a warning but we still try. Very large files may be slow or run out of memory — split or use a desktop hasher for multi-GB archives.
Does pasted text hash the same as a file?
Text is hashed as UTF-8 encoded bytes. A file is hashed as its raw byte stream. The same letters in a `.txt` file can differ from pasted text if encoding or line endings differ.
Is my file or text uploaded?
No upload. Text and files stay on your device. SHA-* uses the browser Web Crypto API. MD5 alone triggers a lazy load of crypto-js from jsDelivr — your content is not sent to the CDN.
What hex format do you output?
We output lowercase hex without a `0x` prefix, one line per algorithm. This matches common `md5sum` / `sha256sum` tools on Linux and macOS.
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Questions or feedback
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