MNT Labs

The file digest

Every export shows a SHA-256 digest next to its download. It is the hash of the exact bytes of the file you downloaded, computed when the file was assembled. Anyone holding the file can recompute it and compare.

macOS or Linux

shasum -a 256 change-record-export.xlsx

Windows (PowerShell)

Get-FileHash change-record-export.xlsx -Algorithm SHA256

Windows (Command Prompt)

certutil -hashfile change-record-export.xlsx SHA256

If the printed value equals the one the app shows, the file is the one the app produced and has not been altered since. If it differs, the file was changed after download (or is a different export).

The digest is also stored with the export job inside the app, so the comparison can be made later without the original browser session. For an XLSX, the “Export settings” sheet inside the file states what produced it; the digest covers that sheet too.