A native macOS hex editor for developers, reverse engineers and security researchers. Open files of any size instantly, decode the bytes under your cursor, parse Mach-O/ELF/PE/PNG/ZIP structure, run checksums and entropy, bookmark what matters
Hey Product Hunt 👋
I'm Shaun, and I built Hexel Editor because every time I needed to look at
raw bytes on my Mac I ended up in something that felt like it was ported from
2003 — or in a terminal, squinting at xxd output.
Hexel Editor is a native macOS hex editor that looks and behaves like a Mac
app. An Xcode-style document window: navigator on the left, a precise hex grid
in the middle, a live inspector on the right.
What it does:
• Opens anything, instantly. Large files are memory-mapped, so a multi-GB
binary opens as fast as a 2 KB one and stays responsive while you scroll.
• Tells you what the bytes mean. The inspector decodes Int/UInt 8–64,
Float32/64, binary, hex and strings at the cursor, little- or big-endian,
toggled instantly.
• Understands real file formats. Built-in parsers for Mach-O, PE, ELF,
PNG, JPEG, GIF, BMP, ZIP, gzip and PDF. Click a parsed field and it jumps
straight to those bytes.
• Finds anything. Hex pattern search with ?? wildcards for don't-care
bytes, text search in UTF-8/UTF-16 LE/BE/ASCII, and Go-to-Offset in hex,
octal or decimal.
• Analyzes. CRC32, MD5, SHA-1, SHA-256, plus entropy and a byte-frequency
histogram over a selection or the whole file.
• Annotates. Named, colored bookmarks and plain-text notes on any byte
range, exportable as .hexel files so you can share your findings.
• Edits safely. Insert/overwrite/delete, read-only mode, unlimited undo,
and atomic saves that won't corrupt the file.
And it's private by design: no network access, no analytics, no tracking. Your
files never leave your Mac.
I'd love to hear what formats you'd want parsers for next — that's the roadmap
I most want your input on. Happy to answer anything in the comments today.
Hey Shaun, there's something very satisfying about cracking a file open and watching the raw bytes actually make sense, all of it staying right here on my own machine.
A hex editor that actually understands what it’s looking at feels like a huge upgrade. Great to see more developer-focused tools getting smarter.
About Hexel Editor on Product Hunt
“Native macOS hex editor with a brain for file formats”
Hexel Editor launched on Product Hunt on August 19th, 2026 and earned 82 upvotes and 4 comments, placing #21 on the daily leaderboard. A native macOS hex editor for developers, reverse engineers and security researchers. Open files of any size instantly, decode the bytes under your cursor, parse Mach-O/ELF/PE/PNG/ZIP structure, run checksums and entropy, bookmark what matters
Hexel Editor was featured in Mac (103.7k followers), Productivity (659.6k followers) and Developer Tools (518.5k followers) on Product Hunt. Together, these topics include over 247.8k products, making this a competitive space to launch in.
Who hunted Hexel Editor?
Hexel Editor was hunted by Shaun Hirst. A “hunter” on Product Hunt is the community member who submits a product to the platform — uploading the images, the link, and tagging the makers behind it. Hunters typically write the first comment explaining why a product is worth attention, and their followers are notified the moment they post. Around 79% of featured launches on Product Hunt are self-hunted by their makers, but a well-known hunter still acts as a signal of quality to the rest of the community. See the full all-time top hunters leaderboard to discover who is shaping the Product Hunt ecosystem.
Want to see how Hexel Editor stacked up against nearby launches in real time? Check out the live launch dashboard for upvote speed charts, proximity comparisons, and more analytics.
Shaun Hirst