Free MD5 Checksum or Hashing Utilities

MD5sum File Integrity Checking Tools

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Free MD5 Checksum or Hashing Software

The free MD5 software listed on this page will display a 128-bit hash of a file using the MD5 algorithm. It is primarily used to verify the integrity of files. For example, some download sites list the MD5 checksum of a file so that after you download the file, you can run one of the tools listed below on the file and find the checksum of the file you received. If the checksum does not match that published on the website, you can be sure that your download had been corrupted somewhere in transit.

Note that MD5 is an insecure hash function - you should not use it as a security measure. Use it only as a rough gauge to check things like unintentional file corruption either from downloading, or a failing disk media or something like that. The reason it should not be used as a security measure is that it is possible for two different files to have the same MD5 checksum. But since it is unlikely that a file that is accidentally corrupted share the same MD5 checksum as the original, it is a useful tool for a casual check of file integrity.

For the curious, MD5 is short for Message-Digest Algorithm 5.

Incidentally, if you are prepared to use a command line program, you probably do not have to download or install anything to generate an MD5 hash, even on Windows systems. Unix-type systems like Linux typically already have md5 utilities installed. If you use Windows, read How to Get the Hash (MD5, SHA1, SHA256, SHA512) of a File on Windows Without Installing Anything to find out how to use the built-in program certutil to do the job.

Free MD5sum Message Digest Hash Tools

WinMD5Free - Windows MD5 Utility Freeware (Windows): This is a Windows program to compute the MD5 hash value for a file. It supports drag and drop to its window, and also has an interface whereby you can paste the MD5 hash from somewhere else (eg your web browser) and have it compare with the MD5 it generates from a file.
MD5summer (Windows): MD5Summer is a Windows MD5 sum generator. Source code is available.
MD5Deep and Hashdeep (Windows, Linux, FreeBSD, OpenBSD, NetBSD, Mac OS X, OpenSolaris, HP/UX): MD5Deep/Hashdeep is a cross-platform set of command-line programs that computes the MD5, SHA-1, SHA-256, Tiger or Whirlpool message digests (hash values) of one or more files. It can recursively check all the files in a directory (and its descendants), check files against a list of known hashes, etc. Although the source code can be compiled for Windows, Linux, FreeBSD, OpenBSD, NetBSD, Mac OS X, OpenSolaris and HP/UX, only the Windows executables are available. The program is a work of the US government, and is thus not copy protected.
MD5sums for Windows (Windows): MD5sums is a command line program for Windows that runs in the Windows console. It generates MD5 message digests for one or more files. You can add it to the Windows SendTo menu so that it works from Explorer if you wish.
DigestIT (Windows): DigestIT allows you to right click a file name and have the program calculate its MD5 or SHA-1 hash. You can also have it verify a file against an existing message digest string (hash value) automatically.
FSUM - Fast File Integrity Checker (Windows): FSUM is a command line file integrity checker that allows you to check the integrity of a file using one of 13 hash algorithms. Supported message digest checksums include MD2, MD4, MD5, SHA-1, SHA-2( 256, 384, 512), RIPEMD-160, PANAMA, TIGER, ADLER32, CRC32 and the custom hash algorithm used in eDonkey and eMule applications. It can act recursively in a directory. It supports the .MD5 and .SFV file formats for obtaining checksums. This is a Windows program.
Microsoft File Checksum Integrity Verifier Utility (Windows): FCIV is a command prompt utility that computes and verifies the cryptographic hash values of files using the MD5 or SHA-1 algorithms. Note that Windows also comes with a built-in command line utility called certutil which can generate MD2, MD4, MD5, SHA1, SHA256, SHA384 and SHA512 hashes. See How to Get the Hash (MD5, SHA1, SHA256, SHA512) of a File on Windows Without Installing Anything for more information.
GnuWin32 Compilation of the GNU Core Utilities (Windows): GnuWin32 is a source of GNU utilities compiled for Windows. The Core Utilities contain numerous command line tools, including the GNU version of md5sum. If you use a different operating system, see the GNU Core Utilities entry elsewhere on this page instead.
GNU Core Utilities (Source only): The GNU core utilities also contain an md5sum checksum (command line) utility. You will have to download the source code and compile them yourself. Note that if you're running a system like Linux, you probably already have it installed. Like all GNU software, it is probably portable to POSIX-based systems like Linux and the BSDs. If you run Windows, see the GnuWin32 entry elsewhere on this page instead.
MD5 Command Line Message Digest Utility (Windows, Unix): This is a command line MD5 checksum tool for Windows and Unix systems. A pre-compiled binary is available for Windows.
HashTab (Windows): HashTab adds another tab to a file's property sheet (invoked when you right-click a file in Explorer and select "Properties") that displays the MD5, SHA1, CRC-32, SHA-512, Tiger, Whirlpool, RIPEMD-128 hashes of the file. The hashes are not created until you click the "File Hash" tab. You can also customize which hashes it actually calculates, to save time. The program works under both the 32 bit and 64 bit versions of Windows. The program is only free for personal use, and you have to furnish an email address to them to get the download link.
ExactFile (Windows): ExactFile is primarily designed for you to quickly verify the integrity of your files that you keep as a backup. For example, if you save your files on a CD, and a year or so down the road want to check to make sure that the deterioration of the CD has not corrupted your files, this is the tool for you. The program supports multiple checksum routines, including MD5, SHA1, CRC32, and RIPEMD. It is, however, no longer being updated.
WinMD5Sum (Windows): [Update: this program is no longer available.] WinMD5Sum is a small Windows utility that you can use from the Windows Explorer SendTo menu to check the integrity of a file using the MD5 checksum. Simply right click the file you wish to check, click the "Send To" menu, and select the WinMD5Sum program. The program will automatically launch and display the MD5 checksum. It has an added convenience facility where you can simply cut and paste the MD5 sum published elsewhere into one of its fields, and it will compare it with the MD5 checksum it generated. You do not need to manually check (character by character) to see if the MD5 matches with the actual published version.

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Free MD5 Checksum or Hashing Utilities (Free MD5sum Software)