Hash Value of a Mobile Phone
What "the hash value of a phone" means in practice, and how to get the hash value of the files on it.
The short answer
A phone does not have one hash value. A hash value belongs to a file (or to a forensic image of the phone's storage). What is normally asked for is the hash value of the specific files taken from the phone: a video, photos, a call recording, a chat export, screenshots.
Select those files in the tool below, directly on the phone or after copying them to a computer, keep SHA-256, and press [CALCULATE HASH]. Nothing is uploaded.
The IMEI is not a hash value. It identifies the handset and belongs in the description of the device, next to its make, model and serial number.
[1] SELECT FILE(S) TO HASH
Select one or multiple files to hash from your system, or drag and drop files below. Pick two files to check whether they are identical.
[2] CHOOSE YOUR HASH FUNCTION
[3] LAUNCH THE HASHING PROCESS
Need to keep this file private? Encrypt it in your browser with CryptFile.Online, the sister tool — nothing is uploaded there either.
Which files to hash
- ›Videos and photos: the original files from the camera, not copies forwarded or shared. See video and image.
- ›Call recordings: the audio files the phone or recording app saved (often in a Recordings or Call folder).
- ›WhatsApp chats: use the chat's Export chat option, which produces a text file, or a zip with media. Hash the exported file as produced.
- ›Screenshots: the image files as saved by the phone, before cropping.
- ›Documents: PDFs and files from the Downloads folder. See documents.
Option 1: hash on the phone itself
Open this page in the phone's browser and select the files. Hashing reads them without changing them.
On Android, pick files through the Files app (or the gallery), several at once if needed.
On an iPhone, pick files through Files. Picking from the Photos library can make iOS hand the browser a converted or compressed copy (HEIC turned into JPG, a video re-encoded), whose hash value is not the original's. To use Files, first save the items there with Share → Save to Files.
Then press [GENERATE REPORT]: the PDF report is saved to the phone.
Option 2: copy to a computer, then hash
Connect the phone with a USB cable. On Android, choose "File transfer" when prompted; on an iPhone, use the Photos import on Windows or Image Capture on a Mac, with the setting that keeps original files rather than converting them. Copy the files to the computer, then hash the copies here; copying does not change the hash value.
It is good practice to hash on both sides: on the phone, then on the computer. Identical hash values prove the copy is complete and exact.
Option 3: full forensic extraction
When the phone itself is evidence, investigators use mobile forensic tools that extract its contents (or a full image of its storage) and record hash values for the extraction. That requires specialised software and hardware and is done by a forensic lab. This site cannot hash a phone as a whole.
FAQ
Does hashing the files change anything on the phone?
No. Calculating a hash only reads the file. It does not modify, move or rename it.
Is the IMEI number the hash value of the phone?
No. The IMEI identifies the device on mobile networks. Write it in the device description; the hash values are calculated from the files.
Why is the hash value different on my computer and on the phone?
The computer received a different file: usually converted (HEIC to JPG) or compressed during the transfer. Use a transfer method that keeps original files and hash again.
Are my files uploaded when I hash them on the phone?
No. The phone's browser reads and hashes them locally. Nothing is sent to a server.