A UUID, or Universally Unique Identifier, is a 128-bit number used to identify information in computer systems with a high degree of uniqueness. Think of it as a digital fingerprint for data: an alphanumeric string, formatted in a pattern of 8-4-4-4-12 hexadecimal characters (for example: ). The main purpose of a UUID is to provide a unique label for objects, records, or resources—across distributed systems, databases, and even entire networks. This uniqueness is achieved through various generation methods, including randomness, timestamps, or cryptographic hashing, depending on the specific UUID version in use. By design, UUIDs drastically minimize the chances of generating duplicates—even when millions are created across different machines at the same time. This makes them popular for use by organizations like Microsoft, Google, and in open standards for everything from database keys to session identifiers.

The probability of generating the same UUID twice is extremely low, making UUIDs practically unique.

Yes, you can generate multiple UUIDs by clicking the 'Generate UUID' button repeatedly.

Yes, our UUID generator is completely free to use. No registration or downloads are required.

Yes, UUIDs generated by this tool can be used in both personal and commercial projects without restrictions.

If you've come across both 'UUID' and 'GUID', you're probably wondering if there's any real difference. The answer: they're essentially the same thing—a 128-bit value designed to be unique. In practice, you can use UUIDs and GUIDs interchangeably. The key difference is the term: 'UUID' is the standard name; 'GUID' is the Microsoft-specific name. Both refer to a 128-bit identifier designed to be unique across space and time.