How to use the MD5 Hash Generator
- 1. Add inputType text, or choose a file.
- 2. Pick optionsMD5, SHA-1 and SHA-256, the output format, an optional HMAC key and a checksum to compare.
- 3. Generate hashCopy the MD5 and see whether it matches.
When MD5 is fine, and when it isn't
MD5 produces a 128-bit hash, written as 32 hex characters. It's still everywhere: download pages, file deduplication, cache keys and old databases. For spotting accidental changes, such as a corrupted download, it works. But since 2004 researchers can create two different files with the same MD5 on purpose, so it must not be used where an attacker might try to fool you: signatures, certificates, or passwords. For those, use SHA-256 (integrity) or Argon2 and bcrypt (passwords). Everything is calculated in your browser; nothing you enter is uploaded.
Browsers don't include MD5 in their crypto engine, so this tool uses its own implementation of the RFC 1321 algorithm, checked against Python's hashlib on 49 inputs and a 3 MB file.
Worked example
The MD5 of Uncodemy is c5e9921a63225023465609faaaf1a932. Ticking SHA-256 as well shows 43a7bc00… for the same text, so you can check whichever checksum a website publishes. The MD5 of an empty input is always d41d8cd98f00b204e9800998ecf8427e, a handy sanity check.
Good to know
- Same input, same hash, on every computer: case, spaces and line endings all count.
- MD5 can't be "decrypted". Sites that claim to do so look the hash up in tables of common words, which is exactly why unsalted MD5 passwords are unsafe.
- Files up to 1 GB can be hashed; very large files depend on your device's memory.
Frequently asked questions
Can two files have the same MD5?
Yes, and it can be done deliberately, which is why MD5 isn't trusted for security. Accidental matches are vanishingly unlikely.
Is HMAC-MD5 broken too?
HMAC-MD5 is less affected by MD5's collision weakness, but new systems should use HMAC-SHA256.
Is the MD5 generator free?
Yes. You can open the MD5 generator and use every option without signing up. When you generate a hash for the first time, we ask once for your name and WhatsApp number; after that it, and every other Uncodemy tool, opens straight away.