MD5 Hash Generator

How to use the md5 hash generator

1. Type or paste your text.
2. The hash updates as you type.
3. Copy the hash and compare it with the one you were given.

About this tool

MD5 produces a 128-bit hash and is still everywhere: file checksums, legacy database columns, cache keys, and older systems that cannot be changed. This generates one, and is direct about what that hash is worth.

MD5 is cryptographically broken, and not marginally. Collisions — two different inputs with the same hash — can be produced on ordinary hardware in seconds. That has been true since 2004 and has only got faster. It means an MD5 hash can tell you a download was corrupted in transit, because random corruption will not produce a matching hash by accident. It cannot tell you a file was not deliberately tampered with, because someone tampering with it can make the hashes match.

So: fine for detecting accidents, useless against an adversary. Use SHA-256 for anything where someone might be trying to fool you, and a purpose-built password hash — bcrypt, scrypt or Argon2 — for passwords. MD5 was never suitable for passwords even when it was considered secure, because it is fast, and fast is precisely wrong for password hashing.

The implementation here follows RFC 1321 and is checked against the specification's own published test vectors.

Common uses

• Checking a download against a published MD5 checksum.
• Matching a value in a legacy system that stores MD5.
• Generating a cache key where collisions do not matter.

Frequently asked questions

Is MD5 secure?

No. Collisions can be generated in seconds on ordinary hardware. It detects accidental corruption but offers no protection against someone deliberately crafting a match.

Can I use MD5 for passwords?

No, and it was never suitable — it is fast, and fast is exactly wrong for password hashing. Use bcrypt, scrypt or Argon2.

Why is MD5 still used?

For checksums, cache keys and legacy compatibility, where speed matters and an adversary is not part of the threat model.