Generate a SHA-256 Hash
…Check that a downloaded installer, ISO or archive is exactly what the publisher released: pick the file, paste the SHA-256 checksum from their site and see whether it matches. The file never leaves your device.
- Free
- Runs in your browser
- Verify downloads
- No sign-up
How It Works
Verify a file in three steps.
Pick the file
Or switch to Text to hash typed text.
Get its SHA-256
64 hexadecimal characters, computed in your browser.
Paste the checksum
Copy it from the download page; you get Match or No match.
Why publishers give SHA-256 checksums
A SHA-256 hash is a 256-bit fingerprint of a file. Changing even one byte gives a completely different hash, and no one has found a way to make two different files with the same SHA-256. That is why Linux distributions, software vendors and package managers publish SHA-256 checksums: if your download's hash matches theirs, the file is the one they released, not a corrupted or tampered copy.
A matching checksum proves the file is intact, not that the publisher is trustworthy. Get the checksum from the publisher's own HTTPS site, not from the same mirror as the file.
Current standard
SHA-256 is used for software checksums, TLS certificates, Git's newer object format and Bitcoin.
Large files
Files up to 1 GB are hashed in your browser with Web Crypto.
Easy comparison
Paste the line from a SHA256SUMS file; the file name after the hash is ignored.
No upload
Your file is read locally, which matters for private documents.
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Why Use This SHA-256 Tool
Download verification made simple.
Match at a glance
No more comparing 64 characters by eye.
Files up to 1 GB
ISOs, installers and archives.
Private
Nothing is uploaded or stored.
Text too
Hash strings for APIs, tests and configs.
Frequently Asked Questions
Questions people ask about the SHA-256 Hash Generator.
Choose File and pick the download. Copy the SHA-256 checksum from the publisher's website and paste it into the comparison box. Match means the file is identical to the one they published.
sha256sum file on Linux, shasum -a 256 file on macOS and certutil -hashfile file SHA256 on Windows. The result should equal the hash shown here.
Download the file again, preferably from the official site. A mismatch means the file is corrupted, incomplete or not the one the checksum was made for.
SHA-2 is the family; SHA-256 is its most widely used member. SHA-384 and SHA-512 are in the same family and are available in the Hash Generator.
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