Portable WinHex Pro 21.7
WinHex Portable is a professional-grade hexadecimal editor, disk analysis tool, and data recovery powerhouse designed for IT administrators, digital forensics investigators, computer security experts, data recovery specialists, and advanced users requiring low-level access to storage devices, files, memory, and system structures.
This Windows-exclusive software provides unparalleled control over binary data, enabling direct editing of raw disk sectors, RAM dumps, file contents, partition tables, and boot records, while offering sophisticated search, recovery, hashing, encryption, and automation capabilities that bridge the gap between consumer utilities and enterprise forensic suites.
With support for virtually every file system (FAT12/16/32, NTFS, exFAT, ext2/3/4, APFS, HFS+, UFS, ReiserFS), storage medium (HDDs, SSDs, USB drives, CDs/DVDs/Blu-rays, memory cards, RAID arrays), and data interpretation (20+ types including Unicode, timestamps, registry hives), WinHex Portable transforms opaque binary chaos into structured, actionable insights, making it indispensable for diagnosing corrupted systems, retrieving lost data, conducting forensic examinations, or performing surgical data manipulations.
Hexadecimal Editing Interface
Core View Architecture
WinHex Portable launches into a multi-pane interface dominated by the central hex/ASCII view, displaying raw bytes in dual columns—hexadecimal on left (00-FF per byte), ASCII/EBCDIC/Unicode interpretations on right—with synchronized cursors for seamless navigation. Block scrolling reveals context without losing position, while split views compare files/drives side-by-side, highlighting differences in color (inserted/deleted/changed bytes). Cursor types toggle between overwrite/insert modes, with configurable tab widths (2-16 bytes) and endianness swapping for big-endian analysis.
Data Interpretation Engine
20+ data types render bytes meaningfully: signed/unsigned integers (8/16/32/64-bit), IEEE floats/doubles, timestamps (FILETIME, DOS, Unix, NTFS), GUIDs/UUIDs, registry keys, IP addresses, HTML/XML fragments. Templates define structures—edit MBR partition tables via dropdowns filling CHS/LBA fields, repair NTFS $Boot via sector layouts. Dynamic column sizing adapts to type widths, with color-coding for categories (code green, strings blue, timestamps yellow).
Navigation and Selection Mastery
Address bar jumps to sectors/clusters/offsets absolutely or relatively (Ctrl+G), bookmarks persist across sessions, search history recalls patterns. Selection tools grab ranges via clicks/drags, radix math (+100h, *2), or structures (select entire FAT chain). RAM editor accesses live/virtual memory (ReadProcessMemory API), process snapshots freeze states for safe dissection.
Disk and File System Access
Direct Device I/O
WinHex Portable bypasses OS caching for raw sector access via low-level drivers (PhysicalDrive0-31), supporting physical/logical drives, partitions, volumes, RAM disks. Volume Snapshot Refinement indexes file systems non-destructively—FAT/NTFS/ext4 metadata parsed into directory trees with file lists, carving signatures for fragments, dynamic filters (deleted files, size >1MB, name masks). RAID imaging combines spans transparently, APFS snapshots mount read-only.
File System Surgery
Partition editor modifies MBR/GPT tables live (resize, delete, set active), boot sector repair templates fix jump codes/BPB. NTFS surgery recovers $MFT orphans, rebuilds USN journals, undeletes via $Bitmap/$I30. ext4/ext3 handles journal replay, lost+found reconstruction. HFS+/APFS decrypts Time Machine backups (user password).
Imaging and Cloning
DD-style imaging creates forensic bit-copies (verified hashes), compressed/split archives (650MB CD-sized), write-blocker verification (read-only access). Intelligent sector copying skips empty ranges, verifies via CRC32/MD5. Drive cloning mirrors to identical/larger targets, partition-to-partition.
Data Recovery Toolkit
File Carving and Fragment Recovery
Signature-based carving hunts JPEG/PDF/DOCX headers/footers across unallocated space, recursive for nested ZIPs/RARs. Fragmented file reassembly joins clusters via FAT/NTFS chains or timeline sorting. Gallery view previews 50+ types (jpg/png/gif/tif/bmp/dwg/psd/rtf/xml/html/eml/dbx/xls/doc/mdb/wpd/eps/pdf/qdf/pwl/zip/rar/wav/avi/rm/mpg/mov/asf/mid), filtering by deletion status/type.
Deleted File Revival
NTFS $Recycle Bin/$LogFile parsing restores originals with paths. Volume Shadow Copies mount VSS for pre-delete snapshots. Slack space mining extracts partial files from cluster ends.
Repair Functions
Bad sector remapping (via ATA commands), cluster bitmap reconstruction, master file table salvage. Automated routines script recovery sequences.
Search and Replace Arsenal
Pattern Matching Powerhouse
GREP regex engine searches hex/ASCII/text across files/drives simultaneously—logical (file contents), physical (disk sectors). Dynamic filters combine masks (filename *.exe, deleted only, size 1KB-10MB). Replace previews changes, undoes via backups. Case-insensitive, Unicode-aware, radix searches (FF 00 pattern).
Specialized Hunters
Hash database matching (NSRL, custom MD5/SHA1/SHA256 sets) flags known-good/bad files. Entropy analysis spots encrypted/compressed regions. Timeline views sort by MACB timestamps.
Hashing, Checksums, and Verification
Integrity Suite
Batch computes CRC16/32, MD5, SHA-1/256/512, Tiger, Whirlpool on files/drives/selection. Hash sets filter irrelevancies (irrelevant.png excluded). Verification mode diffs against references, spotting tampering.
Forensic Hashing
X-Ways style internal database matches against categorized sets (known apps, malware), hiding matches for clean reports.
Encryption and Wiping Security
128-Bit AES Encryption
File-level encryption/decryption (CBC mode, keyfiles/passwords), drive encryption previews. Secure erase overwrites with DoD 5220.22-M, Gutmann 35-pass, custom patterns—verifiable zero-fills.
Pseudo-Random Generation
Fill selections with PRNG data for testing/simulations.
Scripting and Automation
X-Scripts Engine
Professional/specialist licenses unlock scripting: automate edits (search/replace loops), recovery routines, hash computations. API (COM/.NET) integrates with Python/PowerShell. Command-line execution (winhex.exe /script recover.js /device \\.\PhysicalDrive1).
Routine Recorder
Macro-like sequences replay edits across batches.
Specialist Forensic Features
Volume Snapshots
Refined indexes supersede directory listings—file lists with carving, filters (deletion status, type), multi-volume search. Evidence containers package files for chain-of-custody.
RAM Analysis
Dump LSASS for passwords, volatility-style process enumeration.
Registry Forensics
HIVE parsing unpacks keys/values, timeline reconstruction.
Advanced Editing Capabilities
Structure Templates
Customizable overlays edit complex data: Ethernet frames, HTTP packets, database headers. Compare files bytewise, concatenate/split binaries.
Programming Interface
DLL hooks extend functionality (custom data types).
Performance and Scalability
Efficiency Optimized
Handles 2TB+ drives, 1000+ edit windows (NT/2000+), 65k undo steps. 128MB RAM typical, scales to 16GB+ workloads. Multi-instance support (99 max).
Compatibility Broad
Windows 9x-NT-XP-10/11, 32/64-bit. DOS cloning via X-Ways Replica.
User Interface Excellence
Customizable Layouts
Dockable hex views, directory browsers, case data windows. Dark theme, font scaling, keyboard nav (G=goto, F3=search).
Preview Gallery
Thumbnails/media players for 50+ types, hex previews.
Reporting and Export
Audit-Ready Outputs
HTML/PDF reports detail hashes, timelines, recovered files. Export selections hex/text/CSV.
Use Cases Across Disciplines
Data Recovery Pros: Undelete photos from formatted cards, repair corrupted RAID.
Forensics Teams: Timeline artifacts, carve child exploitation media, hash match evidence.
IT Admins: Diagnose BSODs via memory dumps, wipe decommissioned drives.
Security Analysts: Extract malware configs from packed EXEs.
Researchers: Reverse radio firmware, analyze proprietary protocols.
Licensing and Editions
Tiered Access
Basic hex editing free-ish, Pro adds recovery/encryption, Specialist unlocks forensics/scripts.
Perpetual Model
One-time purchase, updates included.
Learning and Support
Integrated Help
Templates/examples, video tutorials.
WinHex Portable equips professionals with surgical precision over digital substrates, from byte tweaks to full forensic timelines.