SHA-512 Hash Generator
Generate the SHA-512 hash of any text or file of any size, verify a checksum, and compare two inputs side by side.
100% client-side · Nothing you type or choose is uploaded or saved
This is the avalanche effect: even a one-character change flips about half of the 512 bits (around 256) at random. The comparison is always shown in hex, whichever output format is chosen above.
SHA-512 is a fast hash, not a password hash. Do not store passwords with it alone; use Argon2id, bcrypt or scrypt.
How SHA-512 Works
SHA-512 pads the input and processes it in 1024-bit blocks. Each block is expanded into 80 64-bit words and mixed into eight 64-bit state values over 80 rounds of rotations, shifts, additions and bitwise logic. The final state is the 512-bit hash. Because every output bit depends on every input bit through many rounds, changing even one input bit changes about half of the output bits, which is what the Compare tab shows.
This page contains its own streaming implementation, so files of any size are hashed chunk by chunk. It has been checked against the official test values and against OpenSSL on thousands of inputs, and it checks itself against the official values every time the page loads.
Live and Exact
Updates as you type and hashes your text exactly, with nothing trimmed
Files of Any Size
Read in small chunks with real progress, speed and timing
Checksum Verification
Paste a published hash, in hex or Base64, and see a clear match or mismatch
Avalanche Compare
See exactly which digits and how many bits differ between two inputs
Self-Checking
Tests itself against official values on load and refuses to show a wrong hash
Private by Design
No libraries, no uploads, no storage. Everything stays in your browser
Explore more free tools in our security tools collection, including our strong random password generator.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. What is SHA-512?
SHA-512 is a cryptographic hash function from the SHA-2 family, designed by the US National Security Agency and published by NIST in 2001. It turns any input, from one letter to a multi-gigabyte file, into a fixed 512-bit (64-byte) fingerprint, usually written as 128 hexadecimal characters. The same input always gives the same hash, and a tiny change to the input changes the whole hash. It is one-way: the original cannot be recovered from the hash.
2. How does SHA-512 compare with SHA-256, SHA-384, SHA-1 and MD5?
MD5 and SHA-1 are broken for security use, because practical collision attacks exist. SHA-256 and SHA-512 are both secure SHA-2 functions; SHA-512 has a longer output and is often faster on 64-bit processors for large inputs, while SHA-256 is more common and gives shorter hashes. One subtle point: plain SHA-512 (like SHA-256) is vulnerable to length-extension attacks, so never build a message authentication code as SHA-512(secret + message). Use HMAC-SHA-512 instead, or a truncated variant such as SHA-384 or SHA-512/256, which are not affected.
3. Is SHA-512 safe for storing passwords?
Not on its own. SHA-512 is designed to be fast, which helps attackers: a graphics card can test billions of guesses per second against a plain or merely salted SHA-512 password hash. Use a purpose-built password hash instead, such as Argon2id, bcrypt or scrypt, or PBKDF2 where a FIPS-approved method is required. SHA-512 is a fine building block inside those schemes (for example PBKDF2-HMAC-SHA-512), but not a password hash by itself.
4. Can two different inputs have the same SHA-512 hash?
Mathematically yes, because there are more possible inputs than 512-bit outputs, but nobody has ever found such a collision and doing so is far beyond any current or foreseeable computing power: a generic birthday attack would take about 2256 operations. That is why a matching SHA-512 can be treated as proof that two inputs are identical, as the Compare tab does.
5. What is SHA-512 used for?
Verifying downloads and backups (many Linux distributions publish SHA-512 checksums), HMAC-SHA-512 for signing API requests and JWTs (HS512), the Ed25519 signature scheme, key derivation such as PBKDF2-HMAC-SHA-512, and the salted, many-round $6$ password hashes on Linux. Contrary to what is sometimes claimed, Git and Bitcoin do not use SHA-512; they use SHA-1 or SHA-256.
6. Why does my hash differ from another tool or the command line?
The hash covers the exact bytes, so invisible differences change it. The usual causes are a trailing newline (the shell command echo adds one; use printf or echo -n), Windows line endings (CRLF) versus Unix ones (LF), stray spaces, and a different text encoding. This tool hashes the text as UTF-8 and does not trim spaces or line breaks. For example, printf 'abc' | sha512sum should match what you get here for abc.
7. How do I verify a downloaded file?
Choose the file in the Files tab and the SHA-512 appears when reading finishes. Paste the checksum published by the file's source into the verify box: the page says whether it matches, ignoring letter case, spaces and colons, and accepts hex or Base64. Files are read in small chunks, so even multi-gigabyte files work without loading them into memory, and nothing is uploaded. A match only proves the file is intact if the published checksum itself came from a trusted source.
8. Is my text or file sent or stored anywhere?
No. The hashing code is part of this page and runs in your browser, with no external libraries. The page's content security policy blocks outgoing network requests, which you can confirm in your browser's developer tools. Nothing is saved: there is no history and no local storage. The only thing the site remembers is your language choice for the menu. On load the page also checks its own SHA-512 code against official test values and refuses to run if they do not match.