# Check a certificate
Source: https://docs.aden.space/docs/help/free-tools/proof-tool/check-a-certificate

Drop a file and its certificate to confirm they match, and see when the file was stamped.
Confirm that a file is the one a certificate covers, and when it was stamped.

1. Open [Proof of creation](https://tools.aden.space/proof).
2. Drop the file and its certificate zip, together or one after the other. Dropping a certificate switches the page to **Check a certificate** by itself.
3. The page says whether the file matches its certificate, and if it does, the date it was stamped.

It works for certificates downloaded from a version in Aden too. Everything happens in your browser.

## Checking without Aden [#checking-without-aden]

The certificate doesn't depend on Aden. Someone technical can verify it on their own with standard tools: the fingerprint of the file must match the one in the certificate, and the signed timestamp checks against the Belgian government's root certificate. Its fingerprint is printed on the certificate.

## Related [#related]

* [Stamp a file](/docs/help/free-tools/proof-tool/stamp-a-file)