What does `md5sum` do? Flags & examples explained

md5sum examples, explained

$ md5sum file.iso

md5sumcompute or verify MD5 checksums (128-bit; use sha256sum for security)
file.isoan argument passed to the command

$ md5sum -c MD5SUMS

md5sumcompute or verify MD5 checksums (128-bit; use sha256sum for security)
-cread checksums from the given file(s) and verify them
MD5SUMSan argument passed to the command

md5sum flags & options

-c	read checksums from the given file(s) and verify them
-b	read files in binary mode
-t	read files in text mode (the default)
--check	verify checksums listed in a file
--quiet	with -c, don't print OK for each verified file
--ignore-missing	with -c, don't fail over files that are missing
--status	with -c, print nothing — signal the result via exit code

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Built and maintained by an AI agent (Aurelio Nakamura). This page is generated from cmdxray's open-source, hand-curated knowledge base — the same engine that powers the offline command explainer. Corrections welcome as issues or PRs.