SHA-256 Hash Generator

SHA-256 (Secure Hash Algorithm 256-bit) is a cryptographic hash function producing a fixed 256-bit output shown as a 64-character hex string. It is part of the SHA-2 family and widely used for data integrity, digital signatures, and password hashing.

Yes, completely free. No signup or account required.

All hashing runs in your browser using the Web Crypto API. Your input is never sent to a server.

No. SHA-256 is a one-way function — it is computationally infeasible to derive the original input from the hash. This preimage resistance is a core security property.

SHA-256 is used for file integrity checks, TLS/SSL certificates, code signing, blockchain (Bitcoin uses double-SHA-256 for block hashing), and as the foundation for password hashing schemes like PBKDF2.

SHA-1 produces a 160-bit hash and has known collision attacks — it is deprecated for security use. SHA-256 produces a 256-bit hash and remains cryptographically secure with no known practical attacks.

A SHA-256 hash is always 256 bits (32 bytes), represented as exactly 64 hexadecimal characters regardless of input size.

Hash your file or data with this tool, then compare the 64-character hex output against the published checksum. An exact match confirms the data is intact.

SHA-512 produces a 512-bit (128-character hex) hash and offers a larger security margin. SHA-256 is sufficient for most use cases. Both are part of the SHA-2 family and considered secure.

SHA-256 alone is not recommended for passwords because it is too fast. Use a slow password hashing function like bcrypt, scrypt, or Argon2 which are specifically designed to resist brute-force attacks.