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RC4 Encrypt

Encrypt or decrypt text with the RC4 stream cipher.

Note: RC4 is a symmetric stream cipher. On encrypt, plaintext is converted to hex and the output is hex ciphertext; on decrypt, paste the hex ciphertext. RC4 is deprecated for new use — prefer ChaCha20 or AES.

What Is a RC4 Encrypt?

The RC4 Encrypt tool encrypts and decrypts text with the RC4 (ARC4) stream cipher. RC4 is a widely deployed cipher historically used in WEP, TLS, and PDF encryption, and it is still supported by many legacy systems.

How to Use This RC4 Encrypt

  1. 1
    Enter KeyProvide a key as hex or plain text.
  2. 2
    Enter TextType plaintext to encrypt, or paste hex ciphertext to decrypt.
  3. 3
    Choose DirectionClick Encrypt or Decrypt.

Frequently Asked Questions

No. RC4 has significant biases that allow recovering the plaintext from enough ciphertext, and it is banned in TLS 1.3 and RFC 7465. Use ChaCha20 or AES instead.
Legacy protocols and old file formats still reference it. This tool helps with decryption of historical data and education.