SHA-256 hash generator

Type or paste text, or drop a file, and get its SHA-256 hash (64 hexadecimal characters) instantly, next to the other common hashes. Everything is computed in your browser.

  • Free
  • No sign-up
  • Runs in your browser
sha256-generator

100% private — text and files are hashed in your browser and never uploaded.

Next step

Keep going with your result in another tool. Nothing is uploaded.

How it works

Enter your text or file

Type or paste text, or drop a file of up to 500 MB. Nothing is uploaded.

Read the SHA-256 hash

The hash updates as you type. Choose lowercase or uppercase hexadecimal, or Base64.

Copy or compare

Copy the hash with one click, or paste a known hash in the compare box to check that they match.

How to generate a SHA-256 hash

To generate a SHA-256 hash, type or paste your text in the box above, or drop a file on it. The 64-character SHA-256 checksum appears at once, together with the other common hashes, and you can copy any of them. Everything is computed in your browser, so the text and files you hash are never uploaded. For example, the SHA-256 of the word hello is 2cf24dba5fb0a30e26e83b2ac5b9e29e1b161e5c1fa7425e73043362938b9824.

What is SHA-256?

SHA-256 is the most widely used member of the SHA-2 family, published by NIST in 2001 as part of FIPS 180-2. It turns any input into a 256-bit fingerprint written as 64 hexadecimal characters. No practical attack on it is known, which is why it is the default choice for integrity checks today.

SHA-256 examples

SHA256 of some sample texts
TextSHA-256 hash
(empty)e3b0c44298fc1c149afbf4c8996fb92427ae41e4649b934ca495991b7852b855
hello2cf24dba5fb0a30e26e83b2ac5b9e29e1b161e5c1fa7425e73043362938b9824
Hello185f8db32271fe25f561a6fc938b2e264306ec304eda518007d1764826381969
hello worldb94d27b9934d3e08a52e52d7da7dabfac484efe37a5380ee9088f7ace2efcde9
UtilsDockc6c632a4a7a867f3d6f3c0d8de350b5d4dd06598b83dd0230c46a53e917a3885

What SHA-256 is used for

  • Verifying downloads: most software, Linux images and package managers publish a SHA-256 checksum.
  • TLS certificates and code signing, which sign the SHA-256 of a certificate or a program.
  • Bitcoin, which applies SHA-256 twice to identify blocks and transactions.
  • Docker image digests (sha256:…) and browser Subresource Integrity attributes for scripts and styles.
  • HMAC-SHA256 for webhook signatures and API request signing.

Limits and security notes

SHA-256 is fast by design, which makes it the wrong tool for storing passwords: an attacker can try billions of guesses per second. For passwords use a slow, salted algorithm such as Argon2id, bcrypt or scrypt. SHA-256 also has no key of its own, so to authenticate a message use HMAC-SHA256 instead of hashing the secret and the message together.

Private by design

The hash is computed by your own browser with the Web Crypto API (and a built-in routine for MD5, which Web Crypto does not offer). Nothing you type and no file you drop is sent to a server, so it is safe to hash private text and internal files.

More developer and text tools

Frequently asked questions

Is SHA-256 secure?
Yes. No practical collision or preimage attack is known, and it is approved for use in government and financial systems. It is the standard choice for file integrity and digital signatures.
How long is a SHA-256 hash?
64 hexadecimal characters, which is 256 bits. The empty string gives e3b0c44298fc1c149afbf4c8996fb92427ae41e4649b934ca495991b7852b855.
Can I use SHA-256 to hash passwords?
Not on its own. It is too fast, so leaked hashes can be attacked by brute force. Use Argon2id, bcrypt or scrypt, which add a salt and are deliberately slow.
Are the hashes case sensitive?
The hexadecimal digits a-f and A-F mean the same thing, so a hash in uppercase is equal to the same hash in lowercase. Use the uppercase option only when the system you copy it into expects that format.
Is this converter free?
Yes. There is no sign-up and no limit, and it runs in your browser, so nothing you type is sent to a server.
Does it work on a phone?
Yes. It works in any modern mobile browser, and the result updates as you type.

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