Zcash shielded vs transparent: what is the difference?
Transparent Zcash addresses (t1, t3) work like Bitcoin: anyone can see balances, amounts and who paid whom. Shielded addresses (zs1 for Sapling, and the shielded part of a u1 unified address, now backed by the Ironwood pool) encrypt the sender, receiver, amount and memo. You only get Zcash's privacy when your coins are shielded.
Zcash runs two kinds of money side by side on one blockchain. Transparent ZEC is public, like Bitcoin. Shielded ZEC lives in encrypted pools where the network can verify transactions without seeing their details. The same coin can move between the two, and the address you use decides which you get.
The address types at a glance
| Prefix | Type | Private? | Status in October 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|
t1... | Transparent (P2PKH) | No | Active; used by exchanges and transparent-only wallets |
t3... | Transparent (P2SH, multisig) | No | Active |
tex1... | TEX (ZIP 320) | No | Active; a t1 address that must be paid from transparent funds |
zs1... | Sapling shielded | Yes | Supported, shown as "Sapling" or "legacy shielded" |
u1... | Unified address (ZIP 316) | Yes, if paid to its shielded receiver | Default in modern wallets; the shielded receiver now routes to Ironwood |
zc... | Sprout shielded | Yes | Legacy; NU7 is reported to make remaining Sprout funds unspendable |
You can check any address with our Zcash address validator, which runs in your browser.
What each side reveals
| Information | Transparent | Shielded |
|---|---|---|
| Sender address | Public | Hidden |
| Receiver address | Public | Hidden |
| Amount | Public | Hidden |
| Memo | Not available | Encrypted, readable only by the recipient (and viewing-key holders) |
| That a transaction happened, and its fee | Public | Public |
| Balance of an address | Public | Hidden |
Shielded does not mean invisible. The blockchain shows that a shielded transaction occurred, roughly how many inputs and outputs it had and the fee paid. Your IP address can also be seen by the light-wallet server you sync with. See is Zcash traceable?
The four kinds of transaction
- Transparent to transparent (t to t). Fully public, like Bitcoin.
- Transparent to shielded ("shielding"). The sending address and amount are public; where the coins went inside the pool is not. This is how you make exchange ZEC private. Guide: how to shield ZEC.
- Shielded to shielded (z to z). The fully private case. Only the fact of a transaction and its fee are visible.
- Shielded to transparent ("deshielding"). The amount and the receiving transparent address are public. Needed to pay many exchanges.
Privacy is strongest when you stay shielded. Each time you shield or deshield, a public amount appears on chain, and matching amounts moving in and out close together in time can be linked.
Shielded pools in 2026
Shielded ZEC sits in "pools", each built on different cryptography:
- Ironwood, live since NU6.3 on 28 July 2026, is the current pool. New shielded funds go here. See Ironwood explained.
- Sapling, live since October 2018, is still supported.
- Orchard, live from May 2022, is now withdraw-only after the 2026 vulnerability. About 88.2% of its balance had moved out by 10 September 2026 (KuCoin, Sep 2026).
- Sprout, the original 2016 pool, is legacy.
Moving between shielded pools reveals the amount crossing, which is why the Orchard-to-Ironwood turnstile is public. Wallets such as Zodl spread migration over several smaller transactions to limit this. Guide: migrating from Orchard to Ironwood.
Which wallets support shielded ZEC
Many wallets that "support Zcash" only handle transparent addresses. That is fine for storage, but you get no privacy.
| Support | Examples (October 2026) |
|---|---|
| Shielded and Ironwood-ready | Zodl, Zingo!, Zkool, Edge, Unstoppable, Cake Wallet, Keystone, Ledger (desktop), Zallet (beta) |
| Shielded but not Ironwood-ready | MetaMask Snap (Sapling), Brave Wallet (Ironwood in progress), YWallet (retired) |
| Transparent only | Trezor, Exodus, Trust Wallet, SafePal, Coinomi, Gem, Guarda |
Full details: Zcash wallets compared and transparent-only wallets.
Exchanges and shielded ZEC
Exchanges handle shielded ZEC differently. Coinbase accepts deposits from shielded addresses but only withdraws to transparent addresses. Gemini has supported withdrawals to unified addresses since August 2025; how it routes them after Ironwood is not confirmed. Some exchanges, following Binance's deposit rules, publish TEX (tex1) deposit addresses that must be paid from transparent funds; a shielded wallet then needs two transactions, and Zingo! handles this for you.
A good habit: withdraw from the exchange to your own wallet, then shield straight away. Zodl offers one-tap shielding and Cake Wallet shields incoming transparent funds automatically.
Practical tips
- Give people your
u1unified address, not a baret1, unless they can only send to transparent. - Shield exchange withdrawals promptly and avoid deshielding the same amount soon after.
- Do not reuse transparent addresses; Zkool rotates them for you.
- Remember that legal duties, such as reporting taxes, apply whether or not your ZEC is shielded. See Zcash taxes.
Frequently asked questions
Is a u1 address shielded?
A unified address contains a shielded receiver and may also contain a transparent one. Wallets that understand unified addresses pay the shielded receiver. A wallet that only supports transparent ZEC cannot pay a u1 address unless it includes a transparent receiver, and that payment is public.
Can I send from a transparent address to a shielded one?
Yes. This is called shielding. The sending address and amount are visible on chain, but what happens to the coins inside the shielded pool is not.
Why does my exchange only give me a t1 address?
Many exchanges support only transparent ZEC for compliance and simplicity. Withdraw to your own shielded wallet and shield the funds there.
Is Sapling still safe to use?
Yes. Sapling was not affected by the 2026 Orchard flaw and remains a supported shielded pool. New shielded funds in modern wallets go to Ironwood by default.
Does shielding cost extra?
Fees follow ZIP-317: 5,000 zatoshi per logical action, minimum 0.0001 ZEC. Shielding many small transparent amounts at once costs more because each input counts.