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Hashes

BetterZip 6 can compute a cryptographic hash for the archive itself or for any file inside it, and tell you at a glance whether a hash you copied from somewhere else matches. Useful when you’re downloading software that comes with a published checksum, when you want to confirm an archive arrived intact, or when you’re comparing two files.

Showing the hash row

Choose View > Show Hashes. A small row appears in the preview sidebar with three controls:

  • An algorithm popup on the left: CRC32, MD5, SHA-1, SHA-256, or SHA-512.
  • Two small icons on the right: a compare indicator and a copy button.
  • The computed hash value, in hex, filling the row.

What gets hashed

The hash row shows up in two cases:

  • The archive itself: when no items are selected and the preview pane is showing archive info, BetterZip hashes the archive file on disk.
  • A single file inside: when one file (not a folder) is selected and previewed. BetterZip hashes the cached copy that the preview already extracted, so there’s no extra extraction step.

For everything else – multi-selections, folders, files that haven’t been previewed – the hash row stays hidden because there’s no single file to hash.

Comparing against the clipboard

The left icon next to the hash value watches your clipboard:

  • A spinning arrow: nothing hash-like on the clipboard yet, or the hash is still being computed.
  • A green checkmark: the clipboard contents match the displayed hash (case-insensitive).
  • A red × – the clipboard contains a hash-shaped string (8, 32, 40, 64, or 128 hex characters – the lengths for CRC32, MD5, SHA-1, SHA-256, SHA-512) but it doesn’t match.

So the verify workflow is: copy a published hash (e.g. from a download page), switch the algorithm popup if needed, and look at the icon.

The right icon copies the displayed hash to the clipboard: handy when you’re going the other direction and need to paste the hash into an email or release note.

Notes

  • SHA-256 is a good default. MD5 and SHA-1 are still here for compatibility with older download pages and tooling, but they’re not collision-resistant any more: don’t trust them when integrity matters.
  • CRC32 is fast but only 32 bits wide. Treat it as a typo check, not a security check.
  • Switching the algorithm popup recomputes immediately. Hashing happens off the main thread, so the UI stays responsive even on large archives.