HxD Hex Editor for Windows

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HxD Hex Editor is a free hexadecimal, disk, and memory editor for computer code. The HxD editor can be used as a file manager that lets you compare, edit, export, import, shred, and split files. The freeware is capable of opening and converting large files. HxD is a powerful program, filled with features, for Microsoft Windows PC desktops.

Is HxD Hex Editor safe?

The HxD download is safe to install onto your PC. The programming utility has the capacity to corrupt files that are edited incorrectly. While the software is inherently secure, you may want to back up your content before you begin using HxD. The tool does not contain adware nor malware to track your personal information.

Is Hex Editor free?

HxD Hex Editor has an installable and portable free download that is available for commercial and personal use. HxD is not cross platform and only available on Windows operating systems. The installer and portable version can be used on Windows 10, Windows 8, Windows 7, Windows Vista, and Windows XP 32-bit and 64-bit systems.

If you want to use the disk-editor, then you will need to have the required privileges as an administrator, etc. You can access the platform in a variety of languages: English, German, etc.

How do hex editors work?

Programmers can use hex editors to change the binary and hex content in programming languages. HxD Hex Editor is an application that can read and write disks, files, and memory. The data inspector can be used to check malware, repair structures, etc. The user interface is tabbed to let you work on projects individually.

There is a menu and command bar above the workspace. The three main dropdown menus within the icon bar let you customise the editing experience. There are different byte patterns to choose from: 8, 10, 16, etc. You can open the data in various character sets: Macintosh, EBCDIC, DOS, and ANSI. The hex, dec, and oct are several data formats available in the dropdown.

HxD delivers search and replace functions for float, hex, integer, and text data types: Unicode, etc. HxD can search all, backward, and forward. There is a checksum generator that lets you perform SHA-512, SHA-1, MD5, custom CRC, checksum, etc. You can compare files by going to the ‘Analysis’ tab and then ‘File-compare’ to click on ‘Compare’.

You can export the hex files, output, and source code into different formats within the ‘File’ section by hovering above ‘Export’ to expand the context menu. The source code can be exported in C, C#, Java, Pascal, and Visual Basic .NET. Formatted outputs can be exported to editor view, HTML, Richtext, and TeX. Hex files can be saved as various types of Intel Hex and Motorola Records.

The amount of time that the export needs will depend on document's size. The file tools let you do safe file exporting, sharing, splitting, etc. You can securely remove archives with the file shredder feature. HxD works as a RAM-editor to let you manage the RAM main memory sections of the PC.

Several text editor alternatives

Atom, Brackets, Notepad ++, Sublime Text, and Visual Studio Code are comparable text editors. The applications are for developers that program websites, video games, etc. They all feature a tabbed user interface that lets you build code within multiple projects at the same time. You can create and edit plain text within the apps. 

While Notepad ++ has a dated user interface, Atom, Brackets, Sublime Text, and VSC let you make code in an appealing UI. There are plenty of programming languages within all of the apps: C+, CSS, Python, etc. You can download and install Atom, Brackets, Notepad ++, and VSC for free. Sublime Text offers a trial for period of time.

WinHex is an editor that is specifically made for hex code. While WinHex and HxD are similar, HxD delivers a more functional user experience.

Feature-filled hex editor

HxD Hex Editor lets you RAW disk drives, file, and RAM memory in a simple user interface. While the design is outdated, the UI is easy to use. HxD formats source code, hex files, and formatted output. You can perform file deletion with the shredder. You can view data statistics within the ‘Analysis’ area to see a graphical representation of the byte and character distribution.

The developers deliver software updates on a frequent basis to improve the user experience. You can find new updates within the software, or by going to the change log on their official website.