Check a file's SHA-256 checksum
A checksum shows whether a download matches the file the publisher listed, as long as you got the checksum from the publisher's own site. Drop a file, paste the published value, and see if they match. The file isn't uploaded.
Deskshed, our desktop app for Windows. It has real save dialogs, works offline, and adds whole-folder jobs for photos and PDFs. Pay once: $5 for the first 1,000 buyers, then $9.
See DeskshedHash generator at a glance
- Cost
- Free, with no watermark
- Account
- None needed
- Your file
- Processed on your device and never uploaded. How to check
- You get
- SHA-256, SHA-512, SHA-384 and SHA-1 checksums
- Limits
- The whole file is read into memory, so very large files may fail
How to use it
Drop in the file
The checksums appear when it has been read.
Find the published checksum
Software sites usually list it next to the download.
Paste it to compare
The page tells you straight away whether it matches.
Hash generator: common questions
What does a matching checksum prove?
That your file is identical, bit for bit, to the one the checksum was made from. It only proves it's genuine if the checksum itself came from a source you trust, such as the publisher's site over HTTPS.
Why isn't MD5 here?
Browsers don't provide MD5, and it's broken for security purposes because different files can be made to share a hash. SHA-1 is included for matching old listings, but it's weak too. Use SHA-256.
Is there a file size limit?
We don't set one, but the file is read into memory all at once, so files of several gigabytes may fail depending on your computer.