Hxd Plugins May 2026

It looks like you’re asking about "hxd plugins" and specifically the "feature" aspect.

To clarify: HxD (by Mael Horz) is a popular freeware hex editor for Windows. It does not have a traditional plugin API or a documented SDK for third-party plugins. However, it does have a few built-in "plugin-like" features:

Managing Plugins

HxD does not include a built-in plugin manager. To disable a plugin, either:

• Move its DLL out of the Plugins folder, or
• Rename the file extension (e.g., ChecksumPlugin.dll.disabled)

HxD loads all DLLs in that folder that export the required plugin function(s).

5. How to Create Your Own "Plugins"

If the built-in features aren't enough, the best way to "plugin" to HxD is to write a script that interacts with the file.

Recommended Workflow:

1. Python + HxD: Write a Python script to parse your file.
2. Clipboard Integration: Copy data from

HxD is a popular free hexadecimal editor for Windows that allows users to view and edit binary data. If you're looking for plugins to extend its functionality, here are some options:

• HxD Plugin Manager: This plugin allows you to manage and install other plugins, making it easier to organize and update your plugins.
• Data Inspector: This plugin provides a more detailed view of the data, including interpretation of various data types such as integers, floats, and strings.
• Entropy Plugin: This plugin calculates the entropy of a selected region of data, which can be useful for analyzing data randomness.
• Hash Plugin: This plugin calculates various hash values (e.g., MD5, SHA-1, SHA-256) for a selected region of data.
• Structure Plugin: This plugin allows you to define and display structured data formats, such as binary file formats.

These plugins can enhance the functionality of HxD and make it more useful for tasks like binary data analysis, reverse engineering, and data recovery.

If you're interested in learning more about HxD plugins or how to develop your own, I can try to find some good blog posts or resources on the topic.

Types of Plugins You’ll Encounter

The HXD user community has produced several archetypal plugins over the years:

Anatomy of the Plugin API

HXD exposes a clean, C-style API defined in hxd_plugin.h. Key components include: hxd plugins

• Plugin Info Structure: Name, author, version, description.
• Initialization & Cleanup: PluginInit() and PluginExit() for setup/teardown.
• Menu Integration: Add items to HXD’s main menu or context menu.
• Data Callbacks: Read/modify selected bytes, access file content, work with process memory.
• UI Components: Show message boxes, progress dialogs, or custom windows.

A minimal plugin might simply add a menu entry that pops up a "Hello World" message. A complex one could parse a PE executable header, extract sections, and flag anomalies.

Part 6: How to "Write" Your First HXD Script (Step-by-Step)

Let's build a practical "plugin" for HXD that reverses the byte order of selected data (useful for changing little-endian to big-endian).

Goal: Create a Python script that acts as a plugin.

Step 1: Install Python (if not already). Step 2: Save this script as hxd_reverse_bytes.py:

import sys
import clipboard  # pip install clipboard
4. How HxD Plugins Work (Under the Hood)
HxD’s plugin system is C/C++ friendly. A plugin must export a function with a specific signature: It looks like you’re asking about "hxd plugins"
__declspec(dllexport) int __cdecl HxDMenuClick(
    HWND hParentWnd,
    unsigned char* pData,
    unsigned __int64 qwDataSize,
    unsigned __int64 qwCurrentOffset
);


hParentWnd: Handle to HxD’s main window (for dialogs)
pData: Pointer to the currently selected byte range
qwDataSize: Length of selected data in bytes
qwCurrentOffset: File or memory offset where selection starts

When the user clicks the menu item added by the plugin, HxD calls this function.
1. Checksum & Hash Calculators
Compute CRC32, MD5, SHA-1, or custom checksums on selected blocks. Useful for verifying ROM patches or firmware integrity.
A Working Example: The "Structure Viewer" Plugin
A developer on GitHub created HxDTools – a standalone window that sits next to HxD.

Feature: Auto-detects the file type (PNG, ZIP, ELF) when HxD saves.
Action: Parses the structure and displays offsets in a grid.
User action: Clicking an offset in the tool selects it in HxD via window message passing (using FindWindow and WM_COPYDATA).

While not a true plugin, this provides the experience of one.