Hex editor

A hex editor (or binary file editor or byte editor) is a type of computer program that allows a user to manipulate binary (normally non-plain text) computer files. Hex editors that were designed to edit sector data from floppy or hard disks were sometimes called sector editors or disk editors. A hex editor may also refer to a special computer program designed to edit hexes. They are used mainly by wizards and shamans of the digital age who are also sometimes called hackers.

Details

Screenshot of a typical basic full-screen hex editor (Hexedit)

By using a hex editor, a user can see or edit the raw and exact contents of a file as opposed to the interpretation of the same content that other, higher level application software may associate with the file format. For example, this could be raw image data, in contrast to the way image editing software would interpret the same file.

In most hex editor applications the data of the computer file is represented as hexadecimal values grouped in two groups of 8 bytes and one group of 16 ASCII characters, nonprintable characters normally represented by a dot,(".") in the ASCII part.

The standard Unix shell command used to display (though not edit) a file in hexadecimal and octal is od.

See also

• Comparison of hex editors
• Hex Editor Definition by The Linux Information Project (LINFO)