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ZestSSH Docs v2.2.0

Verify Your Download

Every ZestSSH desktop download has a SHA-256 checksum published next to it on the download page. Comparing that published value against the file you actually downloaded proves the installer is byte-for-byte the one we built: not corrupted mid-download, and not swapped by anything between us and you. Verifying is optional but recommended, especially while the Windows installer is not yet code-signed.

The check is one command. The value it prints must match the checksum shown on the download page for your platform, letter for letter (case does not matter).

Windows

Section titled “Windows”

Open PowerShell (or Command Prompt) and run:

Terminal window
cd $env:USERPROFILE\Downloads
certutil -hashfile "ZestSSH-1.9.0-Setup.exe" SHA256

or, PowerShell’s native version:

Terminal window
Get-FileHash "$env:USERPROFILE\Downloads\ZestSSH-1.9.0-Setup.exe" -Algorithm SHA256

Either prints a 64-character value. Compare it with the SHA-256 shown on the download page.

macOS

Section titled “macOS”

Open Terminal and run:

Terminal window
cd ~/Downloads
shasum -a 256 ZestSSH-1.9.0.dmg

Linux

Section titled “Linux”
Terminal window
cd ~/Downloads
sha256sum ZestSSH-1.9.0-linux-x64.tar.gz

”No such file or directory” and similar errors

Section titled “”No such file or directory” and similar errors”

If the command fails with no such file or directory, The system cannot find the file specified, or CertUtil: -hashfile command FAILED, the command is fine; it just cannot find the file at the path you typed. That means the checksum was not checked at all. Fix it with one of these:

  1. Run the command from the folder the installer is in. Downloads usually land in your Downloads folder, which is why every example above starts with cd into it. If you saved the file somewhere else, cd there instead.
  2. Match the filename exactly. The version number in your filename must match what you downloaded; a 1.9.0 example will not match a ZestSSH-1.8.0 file. A re-downloaded file may also be named ZestSSH-1.9.0-Setup (1).exe. The reliable way to get the name right is to type the first few letters (ZestSSH) and press Tab; the shell completes the real filename for you.
  3. Quote names with spaces or parentheses. certutil -hashfile "ZestSSH-1.9.0-Setup (1).exe" SHA256 works; the same command without quotes fails.
  4. Hash the file, not the web address. The command takes a local file path, never an https:// link. Download first, then hash the downloaded file.

If the checksum does not match

Section titled “If the checksum does not match”

A mismatch nearly always means an incomplete or interrupted download. Delete the file, download it again from zestssh.com/download, and verify again. If a freshly downloaded file still does not match the published value, do not install it, and tell us on Discord with the value you got.

Checksums for older releases are listed in the All versions & checksums section of the download page. Android and iOS installs come from the app stores, which verify package integrity themselves, so there is nothing to check by hand there.