HEX File Documentation

Overview

Feature Value
File Extension .hex
Full Name Hexadecimal Source File
File Format Type Text
Primary Use Storing machine code in hexadecimal format
Content Type ASCII or UTF-8 text
Commonly Used With Microcontrollers and EEPROMs
MIME Type text/plain
Editable Yes, with text editors
Binary No
Compression Not by default, but can be compressed with ZIP, etc.
Encryption Can be encrypted
Structure Linear sequence of hexadecimal bytes
Checksum Often includes checksums for data integrity
Address Start Defined within file; specifies memory start address
Record Types Data, End of File, Extended Segment Address, etc.
Usage Programming, hacking, data recovery
Accessibility Accessible with basic text editors and specialized software
Standard Intel HEX, Motorola S-record, etc.
Advantages Human-readable format for binary data
Limitations More storage space required compared to binary formats