File SHA-256 hash verification order

  1. Change input method to file in hash calculator.
  2. Select the files you want to compare. This tool has a file limit of 50 MiB.
  3. Select the algorithm specified by the distributor. SHA-256 and SHA-512 are different results, so check the names first.
  4. Paste only the hashes from the official distribution page into the Compare field. File names or description sentences are excluded.
  5. Press Compute Hash and check for a match. Archive the results by copying the hash if necessary.

If you just renamed the file, the bytes inside the file may remain the same. Conversely, if you open the document and save it again, the internal metadata may change even if the content looks similar. The entire ZIP file and the individual unzipped files are different inputs.

Text hash example: abc and line break

If you select SHA-256 without changing the default text abc, you will get the results below. The input field doesn't automatically remove leading and trailing spaces, so don't add line breaks when copying the example.

abc
ba7816bf8f01cfea414140de5dae2223b00361a396177a9cb410ff61f20015ad

Even if you see the same characters, the input is different if the encoding or line break bytes are different. File mode reads the raw bytes, and text mode converts the browser input string to UTF-8. If your goal is to have an accurate checksum of the original file, select the file mode instead of copying the contents. Editing the text again clears old results, so the calculations are run again after editing.

Meaning and limitations of hashes matching

This tool provides SHA-256·SHA-384·SHA-512 and displays the results as 64, 96, and 128 hexadecimal digits respectively. It organizes leading and trailing spaces and upper and lower case letters in comparison input, but does not organize the contents of the file itself. If the compared values ​​have different lengths, you will receive a format error before determining whether they match.

The hash is not a ciphertext that decrypts the original text and does not execute the file or check for malicious code. If the source is that an attacker can replace both the file and the published hash, then just matching the two values ​​is not trustworthy. Obtain the file from an official distribution source, and check the signature verification procedure provided by the publisher, if there is one.

Implementation notes: MDN SubtleCrypto.digest. It is not a streaming tool for large files as it reads the entire input with the browser's Web Crypto API for calculations.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does the download fail if the hashes are different?

Not necessarily so. You may also be comparing different versions, compression formats, and algorithms. Don't just look at the file name, check the version and distribution conditions and download it again.

Can I use it to save my password?

This tool is for general hash comparison of files and text. Password storage requires a dedicated password hashing design, so do not store these results as is in your authentication system.