Tool usage guide

Learn when to use this tool, what it supports, and how real users apply it.

Key facts

Category: Development
Input types: file, select, number, checkbox
Output type: html
Sample coverage: 4
API ready: Yes

Overview

The Hex Editor (File Viewer) is a read-only binary file inspector that generates a classic hex dump showing offsets, hex bytes, and ASCII representations. It allows developers and security analysts to inspect raw file contents, customize bytes per line, highlight null bytes, and limit display sizes without installing local command-line utilities.

When to use

When you need to inspect the raw binary structure of a file without executing it or installing local command-line tools.
When debugging file corruption, header mismatches, or unexpected null bytes in application outputs.
When verifying the exact byte sequence, magic numbers, or embedded ASCII strings inside compiled binaries or proprietary formats.

How it works

1Upload any binary or text file using the file input field.
2Configure display preferences such as bytes per line, uppercase formatting, and whether to highlight null bytes.
3View the generated interactive HTML table displaying the offset, hexadecimal representation, and corresponding ASCII characters.

Use cases

Checking file headers (magic bytes) to identify unknown or corrupted file types.
Inspecting compiled binaries for embedded plain-text strings or configuration values.
Analyzing network packet captures or raw data payloads saved as binary files.

Examples

1. Verifying PNG File Header Integrity

Web Developer

Background

A developer is troubleshooting an image upload script that rejects certain PNG files as invalid.

Problem

The developer needs to check if the uploaded file has the correct PNG magic bytes (89 50 4E 47 0D 0A 1A 0A) at the very beginning.

How to use

Upload the problematic PNG file, set 'Bytes Per Line' to 16, and check the first row of the hex output.

Bytes Per Line: 16, Max Bytes: 256, Show ASCII: True

Outcome

The developer immediately sees that the file starts with different bytes, indicating it was actually a renamed JPEG file.

2. Locating Null Padding in Binary Firmware

Embedded Systems Engineer

Background

An engineer is analyzing a compiled firmware binary to ensure it is correctly padded with null bytes at the end of a sector.

Problem

Visually scanning thousands of hex characters for '00' sequences is tedious and error-prone.

How to use

Upload the firmware .bin file, check the 'Highlight Null Bytes (00)' option, and scroll to the end of the dump.

FAQ

Can I edit and save the file back to disk?

No, this is a read-only hex viewer designed for inspecting file contents, not modifying them.

What is the maximum file size I can upload?

You can upload files up to 10 MB, but the display output is limited to a maximum of 512 KB (524,288 bytes) to maintain browser performance.

Does this tool send my file data to a server?

No, the file is processed locally in your browser to ensure your data remains private and secure.

What does the 'Highlight Null Bytes' option do?

It visually highlights '00' bytes in the hex grid, making it easier to spot padding, empty space, or null terminators.

Can I change the layout width of the hex dump?

Yes, you can adjust the 'Bytes Per Line' setting to display 8, 16, 24, or 32 bytes per row.

Bytes Per Line: 32, Highlight Null Bytes: True, Max Bytes: 65536

Hex Editor (File Viewer)

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Learn when to use this tool, what it supports, and how real users apply it.

Key facts

Overview

When to use

How it works

Use cases

Examples

1. Verifying PNG File Header Integrity

2. Locating Null Padding in Binary Firmware

FAQ

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