Hashing
MD5 hash generator
MD5 hash generator computes the 32-character MD5 checksum of any text you paste, in your browser. Developers use it to verify downloads against published checksums, compare two strings without revealing either, and fingerprint config values or request bodies. Output is always lowercase hex, 32 characters, matching md5sum and OpenSSL byte for byte.
How to use MD5
- Open MD5 in the Toolbox101 app.
- Paste or type the text to hash into the
Inputbox. - Keep
Iterationsat1for a single hash. A higher number hashes the previous digest (its raw bytes, not the hex text) again that many times. - The 32-character checksum appears in the
Outputbox the moment you type or paste. - Click
Copyto place the checksum on your clipboard.
Worked example
MD5 returns the output below for this input.
Input
The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dogOutput
9e107d9d372bb6826bd81d3542a419d6Check it yourself: open MD5 and enter the same input.
Frequently asked questions
Is MD5 safe for storing passwords?
No. MD5 is collision-broken and fast enough to brute-force, so it is not suitable for password storage. Use a deliberately slow key-derivation function such as Argon2, scrypt or bcrypt, and keep MD5 for checksums and fingerprints.
Why is an MD5 hash always 32 characters?
An MD5 digest is 128 bits, or 16 bytes, and each byte is written as two hex characters, so the output is always 32 characters of lowercase hex. That holds for any input, including the empty string, whose MD5 digest is d41d8cd98f00b204e9800998ecf8427e.
How do I verify an MD5 checksum from a website?
Paste the text whose checksum you want and compare the output with the published value character by character, case-insensitively. This tool hashes pasted text, not file bytes, so for a downloaded file run md5sum file or openssl dgst -md5 file locally and compare both hex strings.
What is the difference between MD5 and SHA-256?
SHA-256 produces a 256-bit digest, 64 hex characters, with no known practical collisions, while MD5 is 128-bit and collision-broken. For checksum verification either works, but choose SHA-256 for anything with security implications. The SHA-256 tool hashes the same input, so you can compare.