Need a hand with FileHasher? This page covers both versions: FileHasher for Windows and FileHasher for macOS.
Contact
Email support@fabianasantiago.com and I’ll get back to you as soon as I can. It helps a lot if you include:
- Which version you’re using, Windows or macOS, and the app’s version number. On Windows: Help ▸ About FileHasher…. On macOS: FileHasher ▸ About FileHasher.
- Your Windows or macOS version.
- What you were doing when the problem occurred, and what you expected to happen instead.
- The log for that run, if the problem happened during a hash or a verification. Every run is logged, and the log path is shown at the bottom of the window; click it to open the folder.
On Windows, the Email Support link in the Help menu opens a message with the version already filled into the subject line.
Questions about both versions
Which hash algorithm should I use?
SHA-256, the default, is the right choice for almost everything. MD5 and SHA-1 are there for checking against older published checksums, and SHA-512 for when a longer digest is required.
Do sidecar files made on one platform work on the other?
Yes. The two versions are kept deliberately compatible: sidecar hash files and CSV exports written by one verify and compare cleanly on the other. The sha256sum line format is also what standard command-line tools read, so a sidecar written by FileHasher can be checked with sha256sum -c on Linux or shasum -c on macOS.
A file came back as a mismatch. What does that mean?
It means the file’s contents are not what they were when the sidecar was written. That is usually an edit, a re-download, or a copy that did not complete, and only occasionally something more serious. A verification also flags files whose sidecar exists but whose file is gone, and files that have no sidecar at all, so you can see what a set of records does not cover.
Where are the logs?
Every run is logged, one log per day. Click the log path at the bottom of the window to open the containing folder.
FileHasher for Windows
How do I install or update it?
Whichever route you pick, it is the same signed build. Choose the one that suits how you already install software.
Microsoft Store. The simplest option, and it keeps itself up to date: FileHasher on the Microsoft Store.
winget, which ships with Windows 10 and 11:
winget install FSPProductions.FileHasher
winget upgrade FSPProductions.FileHasherChocolatey:
choco install filehasher
choco upgrade filehasherScoop. FileHasher is in my own bucket. Scoop installs the portable build into your own user profile, so nothing goes into Program Files, nothing appears in Add/Remove Programs, and no administrator rights are needed:
scoop bucket add fsantiago https://github.com/fsantiago07044/scoop-bucket
scoop install filehasherDirect download. The signed installer and the portable build are on the releases page. Every release is code-signed by FSP Productions, LLC and published with a SHA-256 checksum file beside it, so you can verify the download before you run it. FileHasher can do that for you: hash the installer you downloaded and compare it against the published checksum.
Why did my folder scan only find .exe and .msi files?
That is the default filter on Windows, because the most common job is checking installers. Tick Scan all file types to include everything instead. Note that folder scans on Windows are always recursive: subfolders are included either way.
Some files could not be read. Do I need to run as Administrator?
Only for protected locations, such as parts of C:\Windows. Ordinary files, downloads, and your own documents do not need it. If a scan reports read errors in a protected folder, use the Run as Administrator… button to relaunch, then run it again.
What does “Hash files inside MSI installers” do?
It opens each .msi read-only and hashes the files packaged inside it individually, in addition to the installer itself, so you can see what an installer actually contains. The MSI is treated purely as data: its contents are extracted to a temporary folder that is deleted as soon as hashing finishes, and the installer is never run. The feature is marked experimental because the range of installer layouts in the wild is wide; if you meet one it handles badly, that is a useful bug report.
Is there a faster way to work with a result?
Right-click any row in the results list to open its folder in File Explorer, open PowerShell or Command Prompt at that location, or copy the hash or the full path. Double-click, or press Enter, to jump straight to the file in File Explorer. Press F1 at any time for the in-app help, which covers every feature.
FileHasher for macOS
Why does FileHasher ask for permission to a folder?
FileHasher runs in the macOS App Sandbox: it can only touch files and folders you explicitly choose. When you hash a single file and ask for a sidecar hash file to be written next to it, the app needs your one-time permission for that file’s folder; that’s the extra folder prompt you see. Folder targets never need it.
How do I scan subfolders, or limit a scan to certain file types?
A folder scan hashes every file at the folder’s top level by default. Check Include subfolders to scan recursively. To restrict the scan, check Limit to file types and enter a comma-separated list of extensions, for example pkg, dmg, zip; the Suggestions menu offers common ones. The same limit applies to the sidecar verification audit.
This is one of the few places the two versions differ on purpose. On Windows, folder scans are always recursive and the filter works the other way round, defaulting to installers only.
Privacy
FileHasher collects no data at all, on either platform. It does its work entirely on your own computer, and neither the app nor its logs are sent anywhere. See the privacy policy for this site.