What Is Shielding and Why Do It?
Zcash offers two types of addresses: transparent (t-address, publicly visible like Bitcoin) and shielded (z-address, cryptographically private). Shielding means moving ZEC from a t-address into a z-address so that subsequent transactions are invisible to outside observers — sender, receiver, and amount all hidden by zero-knowledge proofs.
If you receive ZEC from a mining pool, exchange, or peer payment, it typically arrives in a transparent address. Without shielding, anyone can trace those funds on the public blockchain. Shielding breaks that trail, giving you true financial privacy.
Step 1: Download a Shielded Wallet
You need a wallet that supports z-addresses. The top options are:
- Zashi (iOS/Android) — official ECC wallet, simplest interface, defaults to shielded addresses
- YWallet (iOS/Android/Desktop) — faster sync, advanced features, also supports Ledger hardware
- Nighthawk (Android) — user-friendly, Orchard support, backed by ZOMG grants
For your first shielding transaction, Zashi is the recommended starting point.
Step 2: Create Your Wallet and Back Up Your Seed
Open the app and create a new wallet. You will be shown a 24-word seed phrase — write it down on paper and store it somewhere safe, offline. This seed phrase is the only way to recover your funds if you lose your device. Never store it digitally or share it with anyone.
Step 3: Get Your Transparent Address
In Zashi, navigate to Receive. Most wallets show a Unified Address by default, which accepts both transparent and shielded deposits. If you need a pure t-address (for example, to withdraw from an exchange), switch to the transparent receive tab.
Step 4: Withdraw ZEC from Your Exchange or Pool
Log into your exchange or mining pool account and initiate a withdrawal to your t-address. Use the exact address shown in your wallet — even one character difference will result in lost funds. Most exchanges require 1–6 confirmations before funds are spendable.
Step 5: Initiate the Shielding Transaction
Once your ZEC arrives in the transparent balance, open your wallet and look for a "Shield" button (Zashi has this prominently on the main screen). Enter the amount to shield (or select "Shield All") and confirm. The wallet generates a zero-knowledge proof and broadcasts the shielding transaction. A small network fee (under $0.01) is deducted.
Step 6: Confirm Your Private Balance
After ~75 seconds (one Zcash block), the transaction confirms. Your shielded balance will appear separately from your transparent balance. From this point, any ZEC you send from the shielded balance to another z-address is completely private — no sender, receiver, or amount visible on-chain.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
| Mistake | Why It Matters | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Sending to wrong address | Funds lost permanently | Always double-check first 4 and last 4 chars |
| Not backing up seed phrase | Can't recover wallet | Write it down before first use |
| Keeping ZEC on exchange | No self-custody | Withdraw to your own wallet |
| Sending shielded to t-address | Deshields your ZEC | Always send z-to-z for privacy |
Now that your ZEC is shielded, keep it in your z-balance and only send to other z-addresses to maintain privacy throughout the chain. See our full How to Shield Zcash guide for advanced techniques.