A hex editor is a special type of editor that can open any type of file and display its contents, byte by byte. The “hex” in “hex editor” is short for hexadecimal, which is a base-16 number system. This type of editor lets you view and edit binary files. A binary file is a file that contains data in machine-readable form (as opposed to a text file which can be read by a human).
Since a hex editor is used to edit binary files, they are sometimes known as a binary editor or a binary file editor. If you edit a file with a hex editor, you are said to hex edit the file, and the process of using a hex editor is called hex editing.
Hex editors are often used for debugging and reverse engineering binary communication protocols. They can also review files with an unknown file format, reviewing program memory dumps, and hex comparison. Hex editors can help you remove watermarks or other data that is hidden within a file. Hex editors are a favorite tool of game modding communities.
If you use a text editor to open a binary file, you will see large amounts of incomprehensible information, seemingly random accented characters, and long lines overflowing with text. Editing or saving a binary file in a text editor will corrupt the file.
We feature our recommended console hex editors. They are all free and open source software.
Let’s explore the 15 programs at hand. For each title we have compiled its own portal page, a full description with an in-depth analysis of its features, together with links to relevant resources.
| Console-Based Hex Editors | |
|---|---|
| hexyl | Colored command-line hex viewer |
| DHEX | ncurses-based hex editor with diff mode |
| hexedit | View and edit hexadecimal files |
| hyx | Minimalistic hex editor |
| hexer | Multi-buffer editor for binary files |
| hx | Hex editor using plain C and POSIX libs |
| Hextazy | Colorful hexadecimal editor |
| hexhog | Configurable hex viewer and editor |
| fileobj | ncurses based hex editor |
| HexMe | Written in C++ that uses the Curses library |
| hexcurse-ng | Written in C |
| ddhx | Simple multi-platform modal text UI hex editor |
| bvi | Based on the vi text editor |
| XVI | Hex editor using ncurses |
| Hexit | Minimalistic hex editor |
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 Explore our carefully curated directory of recommended free and open source software, covering every major software category.The directory forms part of our extensive collection of articles for Linux enthusiasts. It includes hundreds of detailed reviews, together with free and open source alternatives to proprietary software from companies such as Google, Microsoft, Apple, Adobe, IBM, Cisco, Oracle, and Autodesk. LinuxLinks also covers interesting projects worth exploring, Linux-compatible hardware, free programming books and tutorials, and much more. Know a useful free and open source Linux application that we haven’t covered? Tell us about it using our submission form. |
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