Zcash shielded address vs transparent: t1, z and unified explained

Why Zcash addresses matter right now

On October 4 at 18:21:45 UTC, the NU7 upgrade went live on the Zcash testnet at block 4,465,026. The Zcash Foundation asked node operators to test the release candidate "under real conditions." On October 20 the ecosystem decides, based on the testnet, whether to ship NU7 to mainnet, with November 5 as the target date. The upgrade disables version 4 transactions, so coins still sitting in the oldest pool, Sprout, become unspendable after activation. We covered the rest of NU7 in our piece on what happens to the Sprout pool and 25-second blocks.

For most ZEC holders this is a good moment to open the wallet and check which addresses you have and where the coins sit. Zcash has five address types, and each one shows your transfers to the world differently.

What types of Zcash addresses are there

Transparent t1 and t3 addresses work like bitcoin's, which Zcash was forked from. t1 is a regular single-key address, t3 is a script address such as a multisig. For the sender there is no difference. This is the address almost any crypto exchange or trading platform will ask for when you receive ZEC.

A TEX address is the same transparent address written in a different encoding. It tells the sender's wallet: I accept coins only from transparent addresses. The format is defined in ZIP 320 and exists because of Binance: in 2023 the exchange threatened to delist ZEC unless the community offered a way to reject deposits coming from the shielded pool.

Sprout, zc addresses are the first generation of shielded addresses, from 2016–2018. If you have any, move the coins out before NU7 activates.

Sapling, zs addresses are the second generation, live since 2018. Shielded transfers to them still work, but newer wallets show a unified address by default.

A unified u1 address packs several addresses into one string: a shielded one and, if the wallet is set up that way, a transparent one. The sender's wallet picks the most private option it understands. On July 28, 2026, the network activated the Ironwood upgrade: the old Orchard pool was closed to new transfers, and shielded coins now live in the Ironwood pool. Existing u1 addresses keep working.

What each Zcash address reveals on the blockchain

The key difference is what anyone opening a block explorer can see.

So a Zcash shielded address hides only the side of the transfer that sits inside the pool. If coins arrived on a t1 address, the path to it is as public as bitcoin's and stays in the history after shielding. What happens to the coins afterwards is hidden.

Shielded addresses also come with a viewing key: you can show your transfers to an accountant or tax adviser without giving them the right to spend. And there is an encrypted memo field that only the recipient can read.

Which wallets give which addresses

As of October 2026, among wallets that support Ironwood:

A note on YWallet: after Ironwood it no longer supports Zcash, and its author kept only Ycash. If your coins were there, restore the seed phrase in Zodl, Zingo or Cake Wallet and check the balance.

When restoring a Zcash wallet, the wallet creation date or block height (the birthday) helps a lot. With it, syncing takes minutes; without it, the wallet scans the chain from the very beginning.

Why exchanges only accept transparent ZEC addresses

The reason is simple: a service needs to see where the money came from and be able to send it back. With a transparent address that is visible right away. With a shielded one it is not, and a deposit that fails screening has nowhere to go back to. That is how Binance explained its demands in 2023, and the TEX format grew out of that dispute.

In practice it looks like this:

• Kraken withdraws ZEC only to addresses starting with t; zs and zc addresses are not supported.
• Binance issues a TEX address for deposits, while Coinbase, OKX, KuCoin and Bitfinex work with transparent addresses.
• Gemini has allowed withdrawals to shielded and unified addresses since November 2025, and the small exchange BitcoinVN sends and receives ZEC on z-addresses. These are the exceptions.

Why bother holding shielded coins if you enter through a transparent address anyway? We explained that in our comparison of Monero vs Zcash privacy: Monero hides everything by default, while in Zcash the user turns privacy on.

Which address to use when swapping on VertEXchange

The VertEXchange swap form accepts only transparent addresses starting with t1 or t3 for receiving ZEC. It checks both the format and the checksum, so an address with a typo will not pass. The form will not accept zs, u1 or tex1 addresses.

Here is the order:

1. Open the receive screen in your wallet and switch to the transparent address.
2. Paste that t1 address into the form and send your coin. No account, email or phone number needed.
3. ZEC arrives straight to your address. A block comes on average every 75 seconds, with 25 seconds planned after NU7.
4. Shield the coins in your wallet.

Most people exchange bitcoin to Zcash without registration, and if you hold stablecoins on TRON it is easier to swap USDT TRC20 to ZEC and skip Ethereum network fees. You can pick a floating or a fixed rate: the fixed one holds for about 15 minutes.

How to move ZEC from a transparent to a Zcash shielded address

Shielding is an ordinary transfer from your transparent address into the shielded pool of the same wallet.

1. Zodl shows the transparent balance separately with a Shield button. Tap it and the coins move into the pool.
2. Other wallets: send the coins to your own u1 unified address, and the wallet will put them in the shielded pool.
3. Check that the transparent balance is zero and the shielded one has grown.

The fee starts at 0.0001 ZEC for a simple transfer. While coins stay in the pool, transfers between shielded addresses reveal neither sender, recipient nor amount.

A couple of habits make shielding more useful. Do not take the same amount out of the pool right after putting it in: identical amounts a minute apart are easy to match. And do not reuse one transparent address for all incoming funds; modern wallets hand out a new one on their own. The full path from the swap to a shielded balance is in our guide on how to buy Zcash and move it into the shielded pool.

Common Zcash address mistakes

• Pasting a u1 address into an exchange form. Most services will reject it. Take the t1 address from the same wallet.
• Sending to a TEX address from an old wallet. A wallet that does not know the tex1 format cannot build the transfer. Zodl, Zingo and other modern wallets send it in two steps through a one-time transparent address.
• Keeping ZEC on t1 and thinking it is hidden. A transparent balance is visible to everyone, just like bitcoin.
• Forgetting about Sprout. zc addresses or an old wallet.dat file mean you should move the coins before NU7 activates on mainnet.
• Wrapped ZEC on another chain. A ZEC token on Ethereum or Solana cannot be sent to a t1 address: real ZEC lives only on the Zcash network.

How to sell ZEC from a shielded balance

The way back is simpler. The swap page gives you the deposit address, and a shielded wallet takes the coins out of the pool on its own. Only the transparent side is visible: the amount and the address the coins went to. If you would rather hold a privacy coin without the extra steps, you can convert ZEC to Monero, where every transfer is hidden. Use a transparent address for the ZEC refund address as well.

FAQ

What is a Zcash shielded address?

An address whose transfers are encrypted: the blockchain shows neither sender, recipient nor amount. These are zs addresses and unified u1 addresses; the old zc addresses are shielded addresses of the Sprout pool.

What is the difference between t1 and t3 addresses?

Both are transparent. A t1 address belongs to a single key, a t3 address to a script such as a multisig. You can send ZEC to either in the same way.

Can I receive ZEC directly to a u1 address when swapping?

Not on VertEXchange: the form accepts only t1 and t3 addresses for receiving. Get ZEC to your wallet's transparent address and shield it.

What is a TEX address in Zcash?

A transparent address written with the tex1 prefix. It accepts coins only from transparent addresses. Binance issues such addresses for deposits.

Can people see where the coins came from after shielding?

Yes, the transfer from t1 into the pool stays in the history along with the amount. What happens to the coins inside the pool after that is hidden.

What happens to zc addresses after NU7?

Coins in the Sprout pool become unspendable because NU7 disables version 4 transactions. Move them before mainnet activation, targeted for November 5, 2026.

Do I need a new u1 address after Ironwood?

No. Existing unified addresses keep working, but your wallet must support Ironwood, otherwise it cannot send shielded coins.