What is SHA-256 File Hasher?

This tool computes the SHA-256 hash of any file on your own device, so nothing is uploaded and file size is never a problem. Drop in a file and get the 64-character hex digest to publish alongside a download, verify integrity, or deduplicate files. SHA-1, SHA-384, and SHA-512 are included too.

Drop several files at once and each gets its own row, progress bar and cancel button. The digest can be shown in lower or upper case, and the checksum file it writes follows the coreutils layout of digest, two spaces, filename, so sha256sum -c on Linux or macOS verifies it without any editing.

How to use

1. Drag a file into the drop zone — documents, installers, archives, any type works.
2. Pick SHA-256 (or SHA-1, SHA-384, SHA-512) and wait for the progress bar on large files.
3. Copy the hex digest with one click, or download a .sha256 checksum file ready to publish.

When to use

• Publishing a release and needing a digest to put on the download page.
• Spotting duplicate files by hash when the names and dates all differ.
• Recording the hash of evidence or contract files before archiving them.

Result

Before publishing a 250 MB app installer, drop it in, copy the SHA-256 digest like "a3f2...9d1c", and paste it on the release page so users can verify their downloads.

FAQ

Why would my digest differ from the one listed on the download page?

Either the download is incomplete, or you are comparing different algorithms: a SHA-1 and a SHA-256 of the same file share nothing. Case does not matter, so a3f2 and A3F2 are the same value. Check the length first, then redownload.

What exactly goes into the checksum file that gets downloaded?

One line per file: the digest, two spaces, then the filename. A single file saves as name.sha256; several save as SHA256SUMS.txt. Both formats are what sha256sum -c expects, and Windows users can check them with certutil.

Can I hash a batch of files in one pass instead of one at a time?

Drop as many files as you like into the zone and they queue up, each with its own progress bar. A long job can be cancelled mid-file without losing the rows already finished, and the checksum file covers the whole batch.

If the SHA-256 matches, does that mean the file is safe to open?

It means the bytes are identical to what the publisher hashed, nothing more. If the publisher was compromised, or you took the hash from the same page an attacker altered, the match proves only that the tampering was consistent.

Related Tools