Free SHA-256 Hash Generator
Quick Tips
- • This tool runs entirely in your browser - your data stays private.
- • Press Ctrl+V (Cmd+V on Mac) to quickly paste text.
- • Use the Copy button to save your result to clipboard.
- • Bookmark this page for quick access!
Generate secure SHA-256 hash values from text or files.
Your Recent Tools
Examples
Hello, World!
dffd6021bb2bd5b0af676290809ec3a53191dd81c7f70a4b28688a362182986f
password
5e884898da28047d9191e7e3e06db6dd3ed8a65b70fcfd4c5f9ba93a7a7c54a6
Bitcoin
b4056df6691f8dc72e56302ddad345d65fead3ead9299609a826e2344eb63aa4
e3b0c44298fc1c149afbf4c8996fb92427ae41e4649b934ca495991b7852b855
Why Use This Tool?
What problems does this solve?
You need secure, reliable data fingerprinting for integrity verification, digital signatures, or blockchain applications. SHA-256 is the industry standard providing strong security guarantees.
Common use cases:
- Verifying file integrity with secure checksums
- Computing hashes for blockchain and cryptocurrency applications
- Creating document fingerprints for digital signatures
- Generating secure content-addressable identifiers
- Implementing HMAC-SHA256 authentication (with keys)
Who benefits from this tool?
Security professionals implementing cryptographic systems. Blockchain developers working with Bitcoin or similar systems. Anyone needing secure, industry-standard hashing.
Privacy first: All hashing happens locally in your browser using the Web Crypto API. Your data never leaves your device.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, SHA-256 is considered secure against all known attacks. No practical collision or preimage attacks exist. It is the standard recommendation for cryptographic hashing today.
Bitcoin uses SHA-256 for mining proof-of-work, block hashing, and transaction IDs. The algorithm was chosen for its security, speed, and availability of hardware implementations.
No, use bcrypt, scrypt, or Argon2 for passwords. These algorithms are deliberately slow to prevent brute force attacks. Plain SHA-256 is too fast and lacks built-in salting.
SHA-256 (SHA-2 family) and SHA-3 are different algorithm designs. SHA-3 uses the Keccak algorithm and was designed as a backup in case SHA-2 is compromised. Both are secure; SHA-256 is more widely used.
Brute-forcing 256-bit SHA-256 is computationally infeasible. Even with all computers on Earth working together, it would take longer than the age of the universe to try all possible inputs.
Quantum computers could theoretically halve SHA-256 security (to 128 bits) using Grover's algorithm. This is still considered secure. Post-quantum hash functions exist for maximum future-proofing.
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