FileHasher for Windows 0.3.1 is out. It is the biggest update since the app landed on winget: sidecar verification is now built in, the results list finally behaves like a power tool, sidecars got smarter, and the same in-app help system that came to the Mac earlier this month is now on Windows too.
Verify what you hashed
FileHasher has always written sidecar checksum files next to the files it hashes. 0.3.1 closes the loop: a new Verify Sidecars button re-hashes your files and compares the results against those sidecars, turning a folder full of checksums into an actual integrity audit. Every file gets a verdict in the results list: OK, MISMATCH, MISSING FILE (a sidecar whose file is gone), or NO SIDECAR (a file the scan covers that has no sidecar yet). That last one matters: you see gaps in your coverage, not just corruption.
The algorithm is detected per sidecar from the hash itself, so a folder holding a mix of MD5, SHA-1, SHA-256, and SHA-512 sidecars verifies correctly in a single pass, regardless of what the algorithm selector happens to be set to. The hash alone decides pass or fail; a sidecar whose recorded date or size differs gets an informational note instead of a failure, because a legitimately copied file changes its timestamps without changing its content.
A right-click that earns its keep
Every row in the results list now has a context menu: open File Explorer with the file pre-selected, open PowerShell or Command Prompt in its folder, copy the hash, or copy the full path. Double-clicking a row jumps straight to the file in Explorer. Small things, but they remove the constant detour of retyping paths somewhere else after hashing.
Sidecars, smarter
A third sidecar format joins the familiar two: HASH *filename *modified *size, for when a sidecar should attest to more than the bytes. The modified timestamp is written in ISO-8601 UTC, matching the CSV export. And the suggested sidecar extension now follows the selected algorithm (.md5, .sha1, .sha256, .sha512), along with the format label; a custom extension you typed yourself is never overwritten.
The help window comes to Windows
Like the macOS app got in 1.0.1, the Windows app now has real built-in help: press F1 or use the Help menu for a topic window covering everything the app does, plus links to the support site and privacy policy. The Email Support link pre-fills its subject with the exact version you are running, read from the app itself, so support mail arrives self-identified.
Where to get it
The quickest path is winget:
winget install FSPProductions.FileHasher(or winget upgrade FSPProductions.FileHasher if you already have it). Prefer a manual download? The v0.3.1 release on GitHub has the signed MSI installer plus a signed portable exe and zip, and every asset ships with its own .sha256 sidecar, so you can verify the download with FileHasher itself. The app is free and MIT-licensed, with the full changelog and source in the same place. More background on the FileHasher page.
If something misbehaves, the help window’s Support topic reaches me, version number already attached.