How to Check MD5 Checksum or Hash in macOS Terminal

There are often times when you will download a file and see there is a string associated with the file called MD5.

Checking the MD5 Checksum of a file ensures the file you are downloading is not corrupted and you are getting exactly what you are expecting.

To check the MD5 using Terminal on a Mac is extremely simple.

• Open Terminal
• Type MD5 and hit the space button
• Drag the file you have downloaded into the Terminal Window. This will put the path to the file in the Terminal window so you don't need to type in the location
• Hit Enter
• You should now see the MD5 Checksum so you can compare it to the string you have been given to ensure they match

To check hash on a file such as a SHA-256

• Open Terminal
• Type SHA -a 256 and hit the space button
• Drag the file you have downloaded into the Terminal Window. This will put the path to the file in the Terminal window so you don't need to type in the location
• Hit Enter
• You should now see the MD5 Checksum so you can compare it to the string you have been given to ensure they match