How to check SHA-256 downloaded file
Compare the file with the sum published by the publisher. You need the right algorithm, the correct version of the file and the full result.
In this guide
The publisher makes the installer available and the string described as SHA-256. This string is a shorthand of file content. You can calculate it at your home and compare the results. Even a small change of data should give a completely different shortcut.
Compatibility indicates that the downloaded file corresponds to the indicated sum. It is not a certificate that the program is safe. If someone has swapped the file and the sum on the taken-over page at the same time, such a comparison will not detect fraud.
First find the right amount
Go to the publisher's official website and find the amount for exactly this version, system and architecture. Windows x64 and ARM64 installers have different data, so they should have different shortcuts.
Check the name of the algorithm. SHA-256 and SHA-512 are different functions; their results are not compared with each other. SHA-256 recorded hexadecimally has 64 characters. The letter size A–F in such a record does not change the value.
If the publisher makes a digital signature available, please also use his verification instructions. The signature can confirm origin using a trusted key, which hash itself does not provide.
Calculate the shortcut in Windows
Open PowerShell and indicate your file. The following example assumes that you are in the folder with the installer downloaded. Replace the actual filename:
Get-FileHash -LiteralPath '.\instalator.exe' -Algorithm SHA256
Command reads a file and prints the result in column HashIt does not start the installer. If the path contains spaces, leave it in quotes or apostrophes.
You can also use control sum tools, select the file and the same algorithm. In the “Expected Total Control” field, paste the full publisher score to compare values automatically. The tool loads the entire file into memory and accepts files up to 100 MiB. Use the system command above for larger files.
Compare Total Value
It is not enough to start or finish. Compare the full strings, preferably by copying them into a tool that checks equality. Remove only surrounding spaces or a new line character, not fragments of the result itself.
An example of a mistake: the publisher gave the hash ZIP archive, and you count the shortcut to the EXE packed. Both files can be correct, but their results will be different. The exact same data must be compared.
What if the results are different?
Do not run the file. Check the version, architecture, algorithm and whether the download is finished. Download the file again from the official source and do the comparison again.
If the discrepancy remains, contact the publisher. Do not search for a random sum on the Internet just to find a match. This “test” does not confirm anything.