HxD

HxD Hex Editor is a piece of software that enables users to edit hexadecimal code and disks easily, by providing them with a powerful set of features.

The GUI is made from a familiar window where you can open files in multiple tabs using either the file browser or drag-and-drop support.

It is possible to export data to Pascal, C, C#, Java, Visual Basic .NET, editor view, HTML, RTF, TeX, 16-bit, 20-bit and 32-bit Intel hex, as well as to Motorola S19, S28 and S37 records.

All hex modifications are highlighted in red by default. You can undo actions, use the cut, copy and paste functions, as well as insert bytes in hexadecimal, decimal or octal mode and choose the filling pattern (hex values or random bytes).

You can select a block by specifying the offset range and positional numeral system, use a search and replace function with filters (data type, Unicode string, case sensitive, prompt on replace, search direction), and jump to a particular offset and set the relative point (begin, current offset, backwards).

The hexadecimal content can be adjusted to fit the window width, and it is possible to establish the number of bytes per row. You can select the charset, offset base, visible columns, and byte group size, get statistics, compare files, generate and compare checksums (CRC16, CRC32, SHA1, SHA512, MD5 and many others).

You can open the main memory of a running process, open a disk or disk image, concatenate, split or shred files, integrate HxD into the Explorer context menu, enable automatic backups, customize colors and fonts, and others.

The application has minimal impact on system performance, running on low CPU and RAM. It has a good response time and performs smoothly. We have not come across any difficulties in our tests since the utility did not hang or crash. To conclude, HxD is an excellent tool for editing hex code and it works on newer operating systems, even if it has not been updated for a long while.

There is also a portable edition available if you want to bypass the installer and run HxD from a USB flash disk.