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Hash Generator: MD5, SHA-1, SHA-256 and SHA-512

This free hash generator creates MD2, MD4, MD5, SHA-1, SHA-256, SHA-384 and SHA-512 hashes of your text at the same time. It all runs in your browser, so the text you type is never sent anywhere.

By Debmedia Technologies LLP · Kolkata, India · Updated

What Is a Hash Generator?

A hash generator turns any text into a short, fixed-length fingerprint called a hash. The same text always gives the same hash, but even a tiny change, such as one extra letter, gives a completely different result. And you cannot work backwards from a hash to the original text. These properties make hashes useful for checking that data has not changed.

This hash generator creates seven hashes at once: MD2, MD4, MD5, SHA-1, SHA-256, SHA-384 and SHA-512. It runs in your browser, so the text you type is never sent anywhere.

How to Use This Hash Generator

  1. Type or paste your text into the box. An empty box gives the hashes of empty text.
  2. Choose whether the hash letters should be in lower or upper case.
  3. Press Generate hashes.
  4. Copy the hash you need from the table.

The Algorithms Compared

AlgorithmLengthStatus
MD2128 bits (32 hex)Obsolete. For study only.
MD4128 bits (32 hex)Obsolete and broken.
MD5128 bits (32 hex)Broken for security. Fine for simple checksums.
SHA-1160 bits (40 hex)Broken for security. Avoid in new work.
SHA-256256 bits (64 hex)Strong. The usual choice.
SHA-384384 bits (96 hex)Strong.
SHA-512512 bits (128 hex)Strong.

The secure family is standardized by the US government, as described on the NIST page on hash functions. Text is hashed as UTF-8 bytes, which matches almost every other tool and programming language.

What Hashes Are Used For

  • File and download checks. Compare a published hash with your own to prove a file is intact.
  • Detecting changes. A different hash means the data is different.
  • Deduplication. Identical items share a hash, which makes them easy to spot.
  • Passwords, with care. Systems store a salted, slow hash of a password and never the password itself.

Hashing Is Not Encryption

A hash cannot be reversed, but common words and short texts can be guessed from tables of known hashes. For that reason a plain MD5 or SHA-256 of a password is not safe. Real systems add a random salt and use a deliberately slow method such as bcrypt or Argon2. Use this tool for checksums, learning and testing, not for storing passwords.

Hash values are written in hex, and you can see the same bytes with the text to hex converter. To encode data for the web, try the Base64 encoder and decoder. To clean your text before hashing, use the whitespace remover, because a trailing space changes the hash completely.

Frequently Asked Questions

A hash is a fixed-length fingerprint of data. The same text always gives the same hash, and even a tiny change gives a completely different one. You cannot get the text back from a hash.
No. Encryption can be reversed with a key, and hashing is one-way. Hashes are used to check that data has not changed, and to store passwords in a safe form.
Use SHA-256 or SHA-512 for anything that matters. MD5 and SHA-1 are broken for security use and fine only for simple checksums. MD2 and MD4 are obsolete.
Do not rely on plain hashes for passwords. Real systems use slow, salted methods such as bcrypt or Argon2, which this tool does not provide.

Disclaimer: results are calculated in your browser from the numbers you enter. Check important results before you rely on them for money, health, safety or legal decisions.