WinHex is in its core a universal hexadecimal editor, particularly helpful in the realm of computer forensics, data recovery, low-level data processing, and IT security.
An advanced tool for everyday and emergency use: inspect and edit all kinds of files, recover deleted files or lost data from hard drives with corrupt file systems or from digital camera cards.
Features depend on the license type (license type comparison), among them:
- Disk editor for hard disks, floppy disks, CD-ROM & DVD, ZIP, Smart Media, Compact Flash, ...
- Native support for FAT12/16/32, exFAT, NTFS, Ext2/3/4, Next3®, CDFS, UDF
- Built-in interpretation of RAID systems and dynamic disks
- Various data recovery techniques
- RAM editor, providing access to physical RAM and other processes' virtual memory
- Data interpreter, knowing 20 data types
- Editing data structures using templates (e.g. to repair partition table/boot sector)
- Concatenating and splitting files, unifying and dividing odd and even bytes/words
- Analyzing and comparing files
- Particularly flexible search and replace functions
- Disk cloning (under DOS with X-Ways Replica)
- Drive images & backups (optionally compressed or split into 650 MB archives)
- Simple scripting
- 256-bit AES encryption, checksums, CRC32, hashes (MD5, SHA-1, ...)
- Erase (wipe) confidential files securely, hard drive cleansing to protect your privacy
- Import all clipboard formats, incl. ASCII hex values
- Convert between binary, hex ASCII, Intel Hex, and Motorola S
- Character sets: ANSI ASCII, IBM ASCII, EBCDIC, (Unicode)
- Instant window switching. Printing. Random-number generator.
- Supports files of any size. Very fast. Easy to use. Extensive program help.
Publisher’s description
What is WinHex?
WinHex by X-Ways Software Technology AG is proprietary Windows software in the developer utilities category.
Installation and requirements
The publisher provides Portable installers for Any CPU Windows. It runs without installation (portable).
Pros / Cons
Pros
- Portable: runs without installation
Cons
- Proprietary licence: check the terms and price
- No update for more than a year
- The official download link did not answer at the last check
In short: WinHex is a developer utilitie tool for Any CPU PCs. Updates have slowed down.
Is WinHex safe to download?
- The file is served by x-ways.net, the publisher’s own domain
- The download link uses HTTPS
- A SHA256 hash is published, so you can verify the file:
761AFAB5F385DFF7CFB5B89449E6E341B8ADF2DD7C6CAE74019DA8F6F301CBB3· Open the VirusTotal report for this hash - The link did not answer when we last checked it (October 22, 2026)
- ExeAtlas does not host, wrap or modify installers
Related guide: How to check a file’s SHA256 hash on Windows
Recent versions
All 1 versions ›| Version | Date | Size | Files |
|---|---|---|---|
| 21.6Latest | October 19, 2025 | — | Any CPU ZIP |
Install from the command line
Silent install ›winget install --id X-Ways.WinHex -eProgram files (.exe): winhex.exe
Related guide: How to use winget: install and update apps
Information
- Publisher
- X-Ways Software Technology AG
- Category
- Developer utilities
- Licence
- Proprietary
- Price
- See the publisher’s site
- Requires
- Windows 11 / 10
- Architecture
- Any CPU
- Installer
- Portable
- Version
- 21.6
- Released
- October 19, 2025
- Added to the catalogue
- October 21, 2025
- Versions listed
- 1
- Website
- x-ways.net
- winget ID
- X-Ways.WinHex
Ratings and reviews
No reviews yet. Be the first to rate it.
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Frequently asked questions
Is WinHex free?
WinHex is proprietary (closed-source) software (licence: Proprietary). Whether it costs money depends on the edition: check the publisher’s site for prices and free tiers.
Is WinHex safe to download?
The download comes from x-ways.net, which belongs to the publisher; ExeAtlas does not host or change the file. Compare its SHA256 hash with the one shown here, or open the VirusTotal report for that hash.
How do I install WinHex with winget?
Open PowerShell or Windows Terminal and run the winget command shown on this page. winget downloads the official installer and checks its SHA256 hash before running it.
Does WinHex run on ARM (Windows on Arm)?
The installer is architecture-neutral.
Can I use WinHex without administrator rights?
Yes, it is portable: unpack and run it.
What are alternatives to WinHex?
WinMerge, jq, x64dbg, Biome and delta. The alternatives page compares them.
