Zcash after a swap: shield your coins in your own wallet
Swaps usually send ZEC to transparent addresses. How to move it into the shielded pool for real privacy.
Zcash has two worlds. Transparent addresses, starting with t, work like Bitcoin and everything is public. Shielded addresses hide the sender, the receiver and the amount. Modern wallets also show unified addresses starting with u1, which bundle both types into one.
Why swaps arrive transparent
Instant swaps send and receive Zcash at transparent addresses. That is how the swap side works, not a limitation of your wallet. It means the coins you receive are visible on the chain until you move them.
Shield them yourself
- Use a wallet that supports shielding, such as Zashi or YWallet.
- Set your wallet's transparent address as the swap destination.
- When the ZEC arrives, use the wallet's shield feature to move it into the shielded pool.
- From then on, spend from the shielded balance.
The move from transparent to shielded is visible, because the transparent side is public. What happens inside the shielded pool afterwards is not.
Small habits
- Do not shield an exact amount and then spend that same amount right away. Let it sit.
- Use a fresh transparent address for each swap.
See the Zcash page for live rates.
Questions
Why not receive directly at a shielded address?
Swaps send to transparent t addresses. Receive at a t address and shield the coins yourself.
Is transparent Zcash private?
No. Transparent ZEC works like Bitcoin: anyone can see amounts and addresses. Privacy starts when the coins enter the shielded pool.
