Windows 10: Which HEX Editor do you rcommend and why?

[Bicurico]

Hi,

I use Windows 10 (64 bits) and currently do my HEX edditing with Notepad++ using the HEX EDITOR plugin.

This has been ok so far, but I am starting to have more and more HEX edditing cases and Notepad++ is not so great for this:
- Has issues handling big files
- Does not do HEX compare of two files
- Crashes/Freezes when selecting bigger chunks of data
- ...

Ideally the HEX Editor should be:
- free
- allow to handle big files (at least up to 20 MByte)
- should feature good Search/Replace functionality (in HEX and String)
- should show data in 8, 16, 32 or 64 bytes per line (selectable)
- allow COPY&PASTE of bytes (even large chunks)
- file compare when two files are open
- allow multiple windows (Notepad++ sucks IMHO here, as you need to first save the file, before you can drag it to a separate window and then all settings are put to default, i.e. the current line)
- if you are working on a specific line (file position) and resize the window or similar, that line has to be kept as current selected line
- ...

Please do not discuss how great Linux is and what great HEX Editors are available for this operating system. I happen to work in Windows, because this is the operating system that runs the applications I earn my money with.

Thanks,
Vitor

[emece67]

.

[enz]

I use HxD a lot https://mh-nexus.de/de/hxd/#features.

The website is only in german it seems.
But the program itself is available in many tranlations: https://mh-nexus.de/de/downloads.php?product=HxD20.
It's working stable and seems to have all features you are looking for.

[newbrain]

If you are into VS Code, there's the Microsoft extension for Hex Editor, it's fine for my needs, but they are very limited.
- Yes
- Should be able to, V1.10 changelog states "Fixed a bug preventing files over 18MB from being opened"
- Yes
- Yes
- Yes
- Normal VS Code compare, so probably no native Hex compare.
- Normal VS Code windows/tabs handling.

The website is only in german it seems.

A bit inconspicuous, but there's a language switch menu top right of the page!

[Peabody]

+1 on HxD.   Recently discovered it will now import/export IntelHex.

[Bicurico]

Just installed HxD. Looks very promising!

Thanks for the hint and that was exactly the purpose of me asking.

"The website is only in german it seems.": Fortunately I am fluent in German, but I think it is not too hard to find the installer. Plus, you can install HxD in any of many supported languages.

Regards,
Vitor

[enz]

The website is only in german it seems.

A bit inconspicuous, but there's a language switch menu top right of the page!

Haha, well spotted. I looked for something like this. But didn't see it ;-)

[JPortici]

I use HxD as well.

Unfortunately notepad++ is shit.
I mean.. it's a great text editor and has a couple of very useful features but the two i need the most are just not working as i want them to. Code folding can be broken rather easily, the compare plugin is utter crap. I haven't found yet a better compare tool than Netbeans's diff.

[PlainName]

A good non-free choice might be 01 editor:

https://www.sweetscape.com/010editor/

Apart from the boring old hex edit, this knows about formats so will display what the hex data means as well as the actual values (they call this feature 'binary templates' if you wanna go looking).

Also does some cool statistics on whatever it is you're editing, and turns out to be a reasonable normal editor to boot.

[rsjsouza]

I use HxD as well.

Unfortunately notepad++ is shit.
I mean.. it's a great text editor and has a couple of very useful features but the two i need the most are just not working as i want them to. Code folding can be broken rather easily, the compare plugin is utter crap. I haven't found yet a better compare tool than Netbeans's diff.

I like Notepad++, but I haven't used it for anything else that plain text editing and advanced search/replace.

For file comparison, I usually use Beyond Compare at work and it is exceptional. I have installed a version at home and I am still in their trial period (30 days of use, not calendar days). The great thing is that I can also integrate it with a simple keyboard shortcut on the dual panels of my file explorer of choice: Freecommander. It is payware, though, but I don't mind paying for quality software.

I will give HxD a try. I use Xvi32 for the occasional binary file viewing and editing.

[TerraHertz]

Another nice simple freeware open-source hex editor:
  Hexplorer
  https://sourceforge.net/projects/hexplorer/

[CJay]

I've used quite a few different ones. but in recent years for Windows I'd definitely recommend HXD, very useful tool.

I'm still using the hexeditor in XTree Gold and/or my DOS based device programmer on occasion but that's way out of scope for this thread 

Notepad++ is excellent but it's not a hexeditor, I've found some of the plugins can be of 'variable' quality if we're to be kind.

[Halcyon]

+1 HxD

It does what it says on the tin.

[rsjsouza]

I'm still using the hexeditor in XTree Gold and/or my DOS based device programmer on occasion but that's way out of scope for this thread 

The hex editor of XtreeGold was really great at the time. My dad and I had opposite opinions with regards to these file managers, and I was a big fan of PCTools and its PCShell. However, I ended up in the Xtree team after Central Point Software was acquired by Symantec and was crapified by them.

Sorry for the old people talk. Carry on with the hex viewer stuff... 

[richnormand]

HxD for years.
Just drag the file on it and it loads quickly.
Does everything I need without fuss.
Nice that you can change word length and all the functions mentioned.

In the old days Xtree and XtreeGold were my tools of choice. I still have the original floppies and diskettes.

[TerraHertz]

I'm still using the hexeditor in XTree Gold and/or my DOS based device programmer on occasion but that's way out of scope for this thread 

XTree Gold had a hex editor? Huh, I used XTree all the time back in the day, and don't recall that. I still use XTreeWin a fair bit, and looking now can't find a Hex editor in that. Maybe because I have it set to use my preferred plain text editor  EditPad 3.4 (also very old.)

[CJay]

I'm still using the hexeditor in XTree Gold and/or my DOS based device programmer on occasion but that's way out of scope for this thread 

XTree Gold had a hex editor? Huh, I used XTree all the time back in the day, and don't recall that. I still use XTreeWin a fair bit, and looking now can't find a Hex editor in that. Maybe because I have it set to use my preferred plain text editor  EditPad 3.4 (also very old.)

Absolutely it did.

You could configure Hex View to allow editing via xtg_cfg.exe

Got the nostalgia and spun up a copy in DOSBOX: