---
title: Downloads and Validation
description: Download and Validation of CachyOS ISO.
---

import { Steps, Tabs, TabItem } from '@astrojs/starlight/components';

## Official ISO Sources

CachyOS ISO can be obtained from the following sources:

*   [Website](<https://cachyos.org/download>)
*   [SourceForge](<https://sourceforge.net/projects/cachyos-arch/files/>)
*   [CachyOS Mirror](<https://mirror.cachyos.org/ISO/>)

## Verifying ISO Integrity with SHA256

:::caution
Always take the extra step of verifying the ISO's integrity to avoid any undesired issues during installation or while creating a bootable medium.
:::

**Current ISO Version:** `260628`

**SHA256 Hash:** `136c84942eacdc6deed205fe7018c69fe7b70757f2f9b4010936ee05e060f336`

<Tabs>

<TabItem label='Windows'>

<Steps>

1. Download the [file](https://mirror.cachyos.org/ISO/desktop/260628/cachyos-desktop-linux-260628.iso.sha256) containing the SHA256 hash **(Open it with a text editor, e.g., Notepad)**.
2. Open CMD or PowerShell as Administrator and [navigate](<https://www.wikihow.com/Change-Directories-in-Command-Prompt>) to the path where the ISO and SHA256 files are stored.
3. Execute the following command:
   ```powershell
   # Example:
   certUtil -hashfile cachyos-desktop-linux-260628.iso SHA256
   ```
4. Compare the certUtil hash output to the one from the downloaded file in **Step 1**. If they match, you may proceed with the CachyOS installation.

</Steps>

</TabItem>

<TabItem label='Linux'>

<Steps>

1. Download the [file](https://mirror.cachyos.org/ISO/desktop/260628/cachyos-desktop-linux-260628.iso.sha256) containing the SHA256 hash.
2. Open a terminal, navigate to the directory containing both the `.sha256` and `.iso` file.
3. Execute the following commands:
   ```sh
   # Example:
   cd ~/Downloads
   sha256sum -c cachyos-desktop-linux-260628.iso.sha256
   # cachyos-desktop-linux-260628.iso: OK
   ```
4. If the output from **Step 3** is OK, you may proceed with the CachyOS installation.

</Steps>

</TabItem>

<TabItem label='macOS'>

<Steps>

1. Download the [file](https://mirror.cachyos.org/ISO/desktop/260628/cachyos-desktop-linux-260628.iso.sha256) containing the SHA256 hash.
2. Open a terminal, navigate to the directory containing the `.sha256` file, and execute the following commands:
   ```sh
   # Example:
   cd Downloads/
   cat cachyos-desktop-linux-260628.iso.sha256
   # 136c84942eacdc6deed205fe7018c69fe7b70757f2f9b4010936ee05e060f336
   ```
3. Compare the output from **Step 2** to the ISO file's hash:
   ```sh
   # Example:
   shasum -a 256 cachyos-desktop-linux-260628.iso
   ```
4. If the hashes from **Step 2** and **Step 3** match, you may proceed with the CachyOS installation.

</Steps>

</TabItem>

</Tabs>

## Verify ISO Image Authenticity (Linux)

To verify the authenticity of the ISO file:

<Steps>

1. Import the GPG key as a reference to compare against:

   ```shell
   gpg --keyserver hkps://keys.openpgp.org --recv-key F3B607488DB35A47
   ```

2. Download the ISO file and its [.sig](https://cdn77.cachyos.org/ISO/desktop/260628/cachyos-desktop-linux-260628.iso.sig) signature file and run the following command (replace `full_iso_name.iso` with the actual ISO filename):
   ```shell
   gpg --verify full_iso_name.iso.sig full_iso_name.iso
   ```

   If you get a **Good signature** output, the ISO file is genuine:
   ```
   gpg: Signature made dom 08 mar 2026 10:39:18 -03
   gpg:                using RSA key 882DCFE48E2051D48E2562ABF3B607488DB35A47
   gpg: Good signature from "CachyOS <admin@cachyos.org>" [unknown]
   gpg: WARNING: This key is not certified with a trusted signature!
   gpg:          There is no indication that the signature belongs to the owner.
   Primary key fingerprint: 882D CFE4 8E20 51D4 8E25  62AB F3B6 0748 8DB3 5A47
   ```

</Steps>

:::danger
If the output does not return a **Good signature** string or the key ID does not match, don't use the ISO image. A bad signature suggests that the ISO has been tampered with or has been corrupted.

Make sure that the downloaded image comes from a [legitimate CachyOS source](/cachyos_basic/download#official-iso-sources).
:::
