Hash Generator
hash• Turn text into MD5, SHA-1, SHA-256 and SHA-512 hashes at once. • Uppercase toggle and copy; everything runs in your browser, nothing is uploaded.
Enter text to see MD5, SHA-1, SHA-256 and SHA-512 hashes.
Computes MD5, SHA-1, SHA-256 and SHA-512 at once. Everything runs in your browser — your input is never sent to a server. MD5 and SHA-1 have known collisions, so prefer SHA-256 or stronger for security uses (passwords, signatures).
What a hash is and when to use one
A hash turns data of any length into a value of fixed length. The same input always gives the same result, and changing a single character produces a completely different value. You cannot recover the original from the result.
That makes it useful for checking a file was not corrupted in transit (a checksum), or comparing whether two pieces of data match without looking at either. Git commit IDs and the SHA-256 values printed on download pages are both hashes.
MD5 and SHA-1 have known collisions — different inputs that produce the same value — so they are no longer used for security. Prefer SHA-256 for integrity checks. For storing passwords a plain hash is not enough; use a purpose-built algorithm such as bcrypt.
Frequently asked questions
Can a SHA-256 hash be decrypted?
No. A hash is a one way calculation that keeps only a fingerprint of the input, so there is nothing left to reverse. Sites that offer to decrypt one are looking the value up in a table of precomputed common strings, and anything unusual is never found. The only real approach is guessing candidates and hashing each one to see if it matches.
Which algorithms does this tool support?
Type once and it computes MD5, SHA-1, SHA-256 and SHA-512 together. In hexadecimal they are 32, 40, 64 and 128 characters long. The uppercase option only changes how a digest is displayed; the underlying value stays exactly the same.
Can I hash a file here?
This tool takes text input only. To verify a downloaded file, use certutil -hashfile on Windows or shasum -a 256 on macOS and Linux. If the result matches the value published by the project, the file arrived intact.
Why do identical looking strings give different hashes?
Something invisible differs. A trailing newline, one extra space, a change of case, or a special character picked up while copying is enough to change the result completely. When you compare two values, trim the surrounding whitespace first. This tool hashes exactly what you paste, nothing is trimmed for you.
Why should MD5 be avoided?
Deliberately producing two different inputs with the same MD5 value now takes seconds, so it cannot protect anything against forgery, signatures and certificates included. It still appears as a plain checksum where the only concern is accidental corruption.
Is SHA-256 good enough for storing passwords?
Not on its own. SHA-256 is designed to be fast, so a leaked table lets an attacker test billions of guesses per second. Passwords need a deliberately slow algorithm such as bcrypt or argon2, plus a different salt for every account.