File Checksum Verifier

Drag and drop a file to calculate its SHA-256, SHA-512, SHA-1, or MD5 checksum. Verify file integrity instantly — no upload, 100% client-side.

Drag & drop a file here

or browse to select

Drop a file above to calculate its checksum.

How to Verify a File Checksum

  1. Select the algorithm — choose SHA-256 (recommended), SHA-512, SHA-1, or MD5 using the chips above.
  2. Drop your file — drag and drop the file onto the upload area, or click "browse to select".
  3. Wait for the hash — the checksum appears instantly for small files. A progress bar shows for large files.
  4. Verify (optional) — paste the expected hash from the download page into the verification box and click Verify.
  5. Check the result — a green "Match" confirms the file is intact. Red "Mismatch" means the file may be corrupted or tampered with.

Why File Checksums Matter

Every time you download software, a disk image, or a large archive, there is a small chance the file was corrupted during transmission. Network errors, disk failures, or incomplete downloads can silently alter file contents. A checksum is a cryptographic fingerprint of the file — even changing a single bit produces a completely different hash. By comparing the computed hash with the official hash published by the software developer, you can be certain the file you received is exactly what was intended.

Security-conscious users also verify checksums to detect tampering. If an attacker intercepts your download and substitutes a malicious file, the checksum will not match — giving you a clear warning. This is especially important for operating system images (Ubuntu, Debian, Tails), security tools, and any software you plan to run with administrator privileges.

Algorithm Guide

  • SHA-256 — The current gold standard. Produces a 64-character hex digest. Used by most modern software distributions (Linux ISOs, Docker images, npm packages).
  • SHA-512 — Produces a 128-character hex digest. Stronger than SHA-256 but slower. Used by some high-security distributions.
  • SHA-1 — Produces a 40-character hex digest. No longer recommended for security-critical uses due to known collision vulnerabilities, but still commonly published alongside SHA-256.
  • MD5 — Produces a 32-character hex digest. Cryptographically broken for security purposes (collisions are easy to construct) but still widely used for quick integrity checks on trusted networks. This tool implements MD5 entirely in JavaScript since the Web Crypto API does not support it.

Command-Line Equivalents

If you prefer the command line, the equivalent commands are:

  • Linux/macOS: sha256sum filename, sha512sum filename, sha1sum filename, md5sum filename
  • macOS only: shasum -a 256 filename
  • Windows (PowerShell): Get-FileHash filename -Algorithm SHA256
  • Windows (CertUtil): certutil -hashfile filename SHA256

For related cryptographic tools, see the Hash Generator (hash text strings), the HMAC Generator (authenticated hashing), and the Data URL Creator (encode files as data URIs).

Frequently Asked Questions

A file checksum (or hash) is a fixed-length string generated by a cryptographic algorithm that processes the entire contents of a file. Even a single changed byte produces a completely different checksum. You can use checksums to verify that a downloaded file is identical to the original and has not been corrupted or tampered with.
No. This tool uses the browser's File API and Web Crypto API to read and hash your file entirely in your browser. Your file content never leaves your device — making it completely safe to use with sensitive documents, proprietary software, or private data.
MD5 produces a 128-bit (32 hex char) digest and was once the standard checksum algorithm. However, MD5 has known collision vulnerabilities. SHA-256 produces a 256-bit (64 hex char) digest and is cryptographically secure. Use SHA-256 for security-sensitive verification; MD5 is still useful for quick integrity checks where collisions are not a concern.
Find the expected checksum on the download page (usually listed as 'SHA256:' or 'MD5:'). Drop your downloaded file into this tool, select the matching algorithm, then paste the expected hash into the 'Expected Hash' box and click Verify. A green 'Match' means the file is intact; red 'Mismatch' means it has been corrupted or altered.
Yes. The tool reads files in chunks, so it can handle arbitrarily large files without running out of memory. Large files show a progress bar. Modern hardware can hash several hundred MB per second. There is no file size limit imposed by the tool itself.