Verification of the Monero binary files should be done prior to extracting, installing, or using the Monero software. This is the only way to ensure that you are using the official Monero binary. If you receive a fake binary (eg. phishing, MITM, etc.), following this guide will protect you from being tricked into using it.
To protect the integrity of the binaries the Monero team provides a cryptographically signed list of all the [SHA256](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SHA-2) hashes. If your downloaded binary has been tampered with it will be produce a [different hash](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File_verification) than the one in the file.
Calculate the hash of the Monero binary with the command: `certUtil -hashfile monero-gui-win-x64-v0.16.0.2.zip SHA256` (if you downloaded a command-line only version, replace `monero-gui-win-x64-v0.16.0.2.zip` accordingly).
If your hash **DOES NOT** match **DO NOT CONTINUE.** Instead delete the Monero binary from the `Downloads` directory and go back to [section 4.1](#41-download-binary).