Receive ZEC¶
ZecVault generates a Unified Address for your wallet — one address that supports both Orchard and Sapling receivers. Share it and ZEC arrives shielded, no matter what wallet the sender uses.
Your receive address¶
Open the Receive screen from the sidebar. You'll see:
- Your Unified Address (
u1...) — the recommended address for all receives - A QR code for easy scanning
- Your 4-word alias — a human-readable fingerprint for verification
The 4-word alias¶
ZecVault displays a 4-word alias derived from your address (e.g., planet orbit canvas river). This is a human-readable fingerprint you can read out loud or verify at a glance before sharing your address.
To verify: compare the 4 words shown on your device with what the sender sees in their wallet. If the words match, the address is correct — no character-by-character comparison needed.
Always verify before large transfers
The 4-word alias is a convenience verification tool, not a replacement for address confirmation. For large amounts, verify both the alias and the first/last characters of the full address.
Address types¶
By default, the Receive screen shows your Unified Address with Orchard + Sapling receivers. In Expert address mode (Settings → Advanced → Expert address mode), you can display additional address types:
| Type | Starts with | Privacy | When to use |
|---|---|---|---|
| Unified (Orchard + Sapling) | u1 |
Shielded | Default — use this whenever possible |
| Orchard-only unified | u1 |
Shielded | Maximum forward privacy; some older senders can't pay it |
| Sapling | zs1 |
Shielded | For wallets that don't support Orchard yet |
| Transparent | t1 |
Public | Exchanges, legacy integrations — avoid for routine use |
All address types receive into the same wallet account. The sender's wallet automatically picks the best pool it supports when using a Unified Address.
Receiving into a vault¶
To receive ZEC directly into a vault:
- Open the vault in the Vaults screen
- Tap Deposit on-chain
- Share the vault's dedicated receive address with the sender
When the sender includes a ZV1:<vaultId>:<goalName> memo, the app links the incoming transaction to that vault automatically. You can also ask a sender to pay your main Unified Address and manually log the deposit later.
QR codes¶
The QR code on the Receive screen encodes your Unified Address. Most Zcash wallets can scan it directly from the Send screen camera.
For vaults or payment requests with a specific amount, use a payment URI instead — the QR encodes the full zcash: URI including address, amount, and memo.
Privacy when receiving¶
Funds sent to your shielded (Unified or Sapling) address are private:
- The amount is hidden from on-chain observers
- The sender and recipient are cryptographically concealed
- Only you (and anyone with your viewing key) can see the transaction details
If someone sends to your transparent address, the transaction is public on-chain. ZecVault will notify you and offer to shield those funds to your Orchard balance.
Sharing your address safely¶
Your Unified Address is safe to share publicly — it's the equivalent of sharing your bank account number for receiving payments. No private information is revealed by your address alone.
The only risk of sharing your address is linking your identity to an address. If you share the same address with multiple parties, those parties could potentially correlate your activity. For maximum privacy, ZecVault generates a fresh address per vault — consider using vault addresses for different recipients.