About the MD5 Hash Generator
This tool calculates the MD5 hash of text or of a file. A hash is a fixed-length fingerprint of data: the same input always gives the same 128-bit value, written as 32 hexadecimal characters, and even a one-letter change gives a completely different result. Type or paste text and the MD5 hash updates as you type, or choose a file and its hash is worked out on your device. You can copy the result, show it in capital letters, or paste a checksum you were given to see at once whether it matches. Nothing is uploaded.
Updated October 2026
How to use the MD5 Hash Generator
- 1Choose Text or File.
- 2Type or paste the text, or pick the file.
- 3Read the MD5 hash that appears below.
- 4Tick Capital letters if you need uppercase hexadecimal.
- 5Paste a published checksum into the compare box to see Match or Different, or press Copy hash.
What an MD5 hash is for
Download pages often publish an MD5 checksum so you can check that your copy is intact. Developers use it to name cached files, to detect duplicates and to build short fingerprints of data. Older databases and APIs also expect MD5 values.
The hash is not encryption. You cannot turn it back into the original data. Its job is to be a short, repeatable fingerprint, so you can compare two things without comparing every byte.
Reading the MD5 result
An MD5 value is 32 characters long and uses the digits 0 to 9 and the letters a to f. Capital letters mean the same thing as small ones, so a published checksum in capitals still matches when you compare. The compare box ignores capitals and spaces.
Hashing text is sensitive to every character. Text with a trailing line break hashes differently from the same text without one, and different text encodings give different results. This tool encodes text as UTF-8, the usual choice.
- MD5 of an empty input: d41d8cd98f00b204e980…
- MD5 of the word hello: 5d41402abc4b2a76b971…
Security and the MD5 hash
MD5 is broken for security purposes: collisions can be made on purpose, so do not use it for passwords or signatures. It is still widely used to spot accidental changes and to match files in older systems.
If you need a hash for a password, use a purpose-built method such as bcrypt, scrypt or Argon2, which are deliberately slow and use a random salt. The Hash Generator on this site shows several algorithms side by side if you want to compare them.
Files, phone and computer
On a computer you can choose a file of any size your browser can read into memory, which is fine for installers and documents; very large files such as multi-gigabyte images may be better checked with a command-line tool. On a phone, use the File option to pick a photo or a PDF, and the hash is ready in a moment. The result can be copied and pasted into a message or a form. For anything that must be hard to fake, use the SHA-256 Hash Generator, and keep the SHA-1 Hash Generator for older systems that still ask for it.
Features
- MD5 of text or files
- 32-character hexadecimal result
- Updates as you type
- Compare with a published checksum
- Copy with one tap
- Private: nothing is uploaded
Frequently asked questions
How do I generate an MD5 hash?
Type or paste your text, or choose a file, and the MD5 hash appears at once. For the text hello the MD5 hash is 5d41402abc4b2a76b9719d911017c592.
What is the MD5 hash of an empty string?
d41d8cd98f00b204e9800998ecf8427e. It is the fingerprint of no data at all, and it is a handy value to recognise when a file turns out to be empty.
Is MD5 secure?
MD5 is broken for security purposes: collisions can be made on purpose, so do not use it for passwords or signatures. It is still widely used to spot accidental changes and to match files in older systems.
How do I check a download with MD5?
Choose File, pick the downloaded file and wait for the hash. Paste the checksum from the download page into the compare box. If it says Match, your copy is identical to the original. If it says Different, download the file again.
Does the same text always give the same MD5 hash?
Yes. A hash function is deterministic. The text must be exactly the same, including spaces, capital letters and line breaks; one extra space changes the whole value.
Are my text and files uploaded to a server?
No. The MD5 is calculated inside your browser, so files and text never leave your device.