Is there a file size limit?

Files are read up to 64 KB for display — larger files are truncated to that amount, since a full hex dump of a large file would be impractical to scroll through and render in a browser.

What do the dots in the ASCII column mean?

A dot represents a byte that isn't a printable ASCII character (control characters, high-byte values) — only bytes in the standard printable range are shown as their actual character.

Can this identify what type of file I have?

Indirectly — many file formats have a recognizable byte signature at the very start (a "magic number"), which you can look up once you see the hex values, even if the file's extension is missing or wrong.

Is my file uploaded to a server?

No — the file is read entirely in your browser using the File API. Nothing is uploaded anywhere.

Free Online Hex Viewer

Features

Runs entirely in your browser
Privacy-first — your data is never uploaded
Real-time, instant results
100% free, no sign-up required
Works on desktop, tablet, and mobile
No installation needed

Who uses this tool?

Software engineersWeb developersAPI testersDevOps engineersStudents

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About Hex Viewer

Every file is ultimately just bytes — but figuring out what kind of file something actually is (when the extension is missing or wrong), or checking that a file's header matches what it's supposed to be, requires looking at those raw bytes directly, not just opening the file normally.

This tool reads any uploaded file and displays it as a classic hex dump: each row shows 16 bytes as hexadecimal values on the left and their printable ASCII representation on the right, with the byte offset labeled at the start of each row — the same format used by developer hex editor tools.

Many file formats identify themselves through a distinctive "magic number" in their first few bytes (PNG files always start with a specific 8-byte signature, for example), so a hex dump is a reliable way to identify a file's real type when its extension can't be trusted.

How it works

Upload any file. Choose any file from your device, regardless of type.
Read the hex dump. Each row shows 16 bytes as hex on the left, ASCII on the right.
Check the byte offset. The address at the start of each row shows exactly where those bytes sit in the file.

Examples

PNG file signature

Input

Any valid .png file

Output

First bytes read: 89 50 4e 47 0d 0a 1a 0a — the standard PNG file signature.