How to generate an MD5 hash
- Type or paste text; the MD5 hash updates as you type. For a file, switch to File and drop it on the box.
- Copy the 32-character hexadecimal hash, or switch the output to Base64 or uppercase if your system expects it.
- To verify a download, paste the published MD5 checksum into Compare.
What MD5 is still good for
MD5 produces a 128-bit fingerprint, written as 32 hex characters. It is fast and supported everywhere, so it is still widely used for non-security jobs: checking that a file copied or downloaded correctly, detecting duplicate files, cache keys and ETags, and S3 and other storage checksums.
MD5 is not safe for security. Researchers have been able to create different files with the same MD5 hash since 2004, so it must not be used for digital signatures, certificates or password storage. For integrity checks where tampering is a concern, use SHA-256, which this page also calculates.
The MD5 implementation runs in JavaScript on this page, because the browser's Web Crypto API does not include MD5. Your text and files are hashed locally and never uploaded. Remember that text is hashed as UTF-8, and a trailing newline changes the result.
FAQ
What is the MD5 hash of an empty string?
d41d8cd98f00b204e9800998ecf8427e. If you see this value, the input was empty.
How do I get an MD5 checksum on my computer?
macOS: md5 file. Linux: md5sum file. Windows PowerShell: Get-FileHash file -Algorithm MD5.
Can MD5 be decrypted?
No. MD5 is a one-way hash. Websites that claim to decrypt it look up precomputed hashes of common words and passwords.