How to generate a SHA hash
- 1Type or paste your text into the Input panel. The character count updates as you go.
- 2Read the four results below it. SHA-1, SHA-256, SHA-384 and SHA-512 are all computed at once, as lowercase hex.
- 3Click the copy icon next to the algorithm you need.
- 4If a hash doesn't match what you expected, check for a trailing newline or space in the input, then click Recompute.
What is SHA-256, and why isn't it encryption?
A cryptographic hash function turns input of any length into a fixed-size fingerprint. SHA-256 always produces 256 bits, shown as 64 hex characters, whether you feed it one letter or a whole book. The same input always gives the same hash, and changing a single character changes about half the output bits. Good hash functions are also one-way: there's no practical way to work backward from the digest to the input, or to find two inputs with the same digest.
That one-way property is why hashing is not encryption. Encryption is reversible by design: with the key, you get the original data back. A hash has no key and nothing to decrypt. Its job is to verify data, not hide it. If a site claims to decrypt SHA-256, it is looking up hashes of common inputs it has already computed. That is also why short or predictable inputs, like passwords, can be recovered from a plain hash.
The SHA family comes in different sizes. SHA-1 (160 bits) is broken for collision resistance: researchers produced two different PDFs with the same SHA-1 hash in 2017, so don't use it for signatures or anything security-related. It's still acceptable for non-adversarial checks, like spotting accidental corruption. SHA-256 is today's default. SHA-384 and SHA-512 offer bigger margins and can be faster on 64-bit CPUs.
For storing passwords, don't use any of these directly. They're designed to be fast, which helps attackers guess billions of candidates per second. Use a slow, salted algorithm such as Argon2, bcrypt or scrypt. Going from text to SHA256 here means hashing the UTF-8 bytes of exactly what you typed, so results match sha256sum or Node's crypto.createHash('sha256') for the same bytes.
When developers reach for it
Checking expected hash values
Confirm that a string hashes to the value in a test, a config file or an API's documentation before you go hunting for a bug in your code.
Cache keys and content IDs
Hash a request body or a piece of content to get a stable, fixed-length key for caching or deduplication.
Debugging request signatures
Compare the SHA-256 of a payload against what your client computes when a signed request or webhook check keeps failing.
Comparing text quickly
Hash two long blocks of text and compare the digests to see instantly whether they're byte-for-byte identical.
Frequently asked questions
Can a SHA-256 hash be decrypted?
+
No. Hashing is one-way and there's no key to decrypt with. Sites that claim to reverse SHA-256 just look up precomputed hashes of common strings, which is why short or predictable inputs aren't safe to protect with a plain hash.
Is SHA-1 still safe to use?
+
Not for security. SHA-1 collisions have been demonstrated in practice, so it shouldn't be used for signatures, certificates or integrity checks against an attacker. Use SHA-256 or stronger. It's fine to use this page as a SHA1 hash generator when you only need to match a value an older system already produces.
Why doesn't my hash match the one from the command line?
+
Usually it's a trailing newline: echo adds one unless you use echo -n. Hashes are computed over exact bytes, so any extra whitespace, a different line ending or a different text encoding produces a completely different result.
Does this tool support MD5?
+
No. It only offers algorithms built into the browser's Web Crypto API, which doesn't include MD5. MD5 is also badly broken and shouldn't be used for new work.
Is it safe to calculate SHA256 online?
+
Here, yes. Hashes are computed locally with crypto.subtle.digest and your text is never sent to a server, so it's safe to hash tokens, keys or internal data.
Is this only a SHA256 hash generator?
+
No. SHA-1, SHA-256, SHA-384 and SHA-512 are all computed from the same input at once, so it also works as a SHA512 hash generator without switching modes. Each digest has its own copy button.
Related tools
Base64 Decoder & Encoder
Encode text or files to Base64 format or decode Base64 strings.
Secret Key Generator
Generate cryptographically-secure keys and tokens for AES-128/192/256, HMAC, JWT, OAuth client secrets, session cookies, CSRF, and Django SECRET_KEY. Standard presets plus fully custom byte sizes — hex, Base64, Base64URL, Base58, or alphanumeric output. Bulk generation up to 100 at once.
Password Generator
Create strong, secure passwords with customizable length and character sets.
Chmod Calculator
Work out Unix file permissions: tick read/write/execute for owner, group and others, or type an octal mode like 755 or a string like rwxr-xr-x. Get the chmod command in numeric and symbolic form, including setuid, setgid and sticky bits.