How to Buy ZEC in 2026 (and Keep It Shielded): Step by Step

Last verified: November 6, 2026.

Install a shielded wallet first, buy ZEC on an exchange that serves your country, withdraw to that wallet, and shield the coins. Buying is the easy part. Most exchanges only send ZEC to a transparent address, so the coins stay public until you shield them in a wallet you control.

The 5-step route

Install a shielded wallet first, on your phone or your computer, so you have a receive address before the coins leave the exchange.
Pick an exchange that serves your country, and check whether it withdraws to a transparent address or a unified one.
Buy ZEC on that exchange after you turn on 2FA and finish the identity checks it asks for.
Withdraw to your wallet, using a unified address only if the exchange accepts it, and send a small test first.
Shield it in Vizor on your phone or on Mac, Windows, or Linux, so later payments come from a shielded balance.

Step 1: Install a shielded wallet first

Install the wallet before you buy. You need a receive address, and ZEC left on an exchange sits under the exchange's keys. It is also not in your shielded balance.

Use Vizor. It is a self-custody, open-source Zcash wallet, shielded by default, for iPhone, Android, Mac, Windows, and Linux. The iPhone listing and the project README say the same thing: you receive to a shielded Unified Address or a transparent address, you send from the shielded balance, and you shield funds that arrive on a transparent address. Desktop builds for Mac, Windows, and Linux are on Get Vizor. v0.0.63 publishes a macOS DMG, a Windows installer, and Linux AppImages.

Comparing wallets first: best Zcash wallet for iPhone, for Android, the 2026 wallet comparison, and Zcash on desktop.

When you create the wallet, write the recovery phrase on paper and keep it offline. The App Store listing says Vizor cannot recover your funds if that backup is lost. Never type the phrase into a website, a pop-up, or a chat.

Install from the store links below, or from vizor.cash/get. Searching the store by name is how look-alike apps get installs.

On a computer, get Vizor for Mac, Windows, or Linux.

Step 2: Pick an exchange that serves your country

Open an account only on an exchange that will actually let you buy ZEC where you live. Then check one more thing: which address it will pay. A transparent address starts with t. A shielded Unified Address starts with u1. Most exchanges in this table pay the transparent one.

Quick table

On a phone, swipe the table sideways. Last verified: November 6, 2026.

Exchange	Where it serves you	Withdraws to
Coinbase	Check whether Coinbase offers ZEC in your account. We are not listing countries here.	Transparent only. Coinbase's Zcash page says customers can send Zcash to transparent addresses, and that "Sending to shielded addresses is not supported at this time." The live page returned a bot check on November 6, 2026, so this cell uses that published wording. Coinbase Zcash page.
Gemini	Gemini's areas of availability page says the exchange is available in 50+ countries. The same page, and Gemini's account notice, say that effective 6 April 2026 Gemini will close customer accounts in the United Kingdom, the European Economic Area, and Australia.	Unified (`u1`) / shielded. Gemini's unified-address post says a withdrawal to a unified address uses the shielded receiver. Its Zakura post says shielded withdrawals began in 2020, unified addresses and Orchard in 2025, and Ironwood on day one. Confirm the withdrawal screen still accepts your `u1` address.
Kraken	Kraken's licensing article says it welcomes clients with residency restrictions, and that which assets you can buy can depend on where you live. Confirm ZEC in your account.	Kraken's address-format article lists Zcash addresses starting with `t` as supported, and addresses starting with `zs` or `zc` as not supported. It does not list unified (`u1`) addresses. Confirm what the withdrawal screen accepts.
Binance	Confirm ZEC is offered in your Binance account before you fund it.	Confirm the address type in the Binance withdrawal screen. We did not find a Binance help page, on November 6, 2026, that states whether ZEC withdrawals pay a transparent address or a unified one. Deposits back to Binance can require a TEX address. See ZIP 320 and how to send ZEC.
OKX	Confirm ZEC is offered in your OKX account. OKX's listing note puts ZEC on the Zcash chain.	Confirm the address type in the OKX withdrawal screen. OKX's withdrawal help says some assets, including ZEC, have specific address requirements. That page does not say whether the address is transparent or unified.

You are withdrawing ZEC to an address Vizor shows you. None of these exchanges has said it supports Vizor.

If no licensed exchange serves you

Some countries' licensed exchanges do not list ZEC. South Korea is the case we have written up from the regulator's own text: exchanges there do not list it. In the United States, owning ZEC is legal. This page does not give a legal conclusion for any other country.

Follow your local law. Do not use a VPN to get around an exchange's location checks.

Step 3: Buy ZEC

On the exchange:

Finish the identity checks it asks for.
Turn on 2FA before you fund the account.
Add funds with a method the exchange offers you, such as a bank transfer.
Buy ZEC. If the screen shows both an instant buy and a limit order, compare the two quotes there before you confirm. Read the trading fee on the exchange's own fee page.

Step 4: Withdraw to your wallet

Withdraw native ZEC on the Zcash network. A wrapped token on another chain is not the ZEC this guide is about. How to send ZEC covers the wrong-network warning exchanges show, including Binance's.

Which address to paste

In Vizor, open Receive. You get two addresses: a shielded Unified Address (u1) and a transparent address (t). The App Store listing documents both.

If the exchange accepts a unified address, paste the u1. Gemini's posts, linked in the table, describe that withdrawal.
Otherwise paste the transparent address. That is the path for Coinbase, from the wording in the table, and for any exchange whose screen rejects a u1.

Check the first and last characters of the pasted address against what Vizor shows. Then check the network one more time.

Send a test amount first

Send a small withdrawal first. Wait until it shows up in Vizor. Then send the rest.

Vizor rotates the transparent receive address after a deposit, so the next withdrawal should use the new address the app shows you.

Step 5: Shield it in Vizor

Vizor sends only from your shielded balance. Transparent funds have to be shielded before you can spend them. The README says to shield funds received to a transparent address. Do that on your phone, or on Vizor for Mac, Windows, or Linux. The full shield and backup walkthrough is how to store ZEC.

What stays public: the exchange withdrawal, and the transparent amount that moves into the shielded pool. How to store ZEC states that directly. After the funds are in your shielded balance, a later payment to a shielded address does not publish the sender, receiver, or amount. The wallet's server can still see network metadata such as your IP. That limit is also in the store guide.

NU7 activated at mainnet block 3,543,405 at 02:34 UTC on November 6, 2026, and cut the target block time from 75 seconds to 25 seconds. Every Vizor platform is NU7-ready. iPhone version 0.0.60 says "Ready for NU7." Desktop v0.0.63 switched to the NU7 rules at that height. Install the current Android build from Play as well. Update before you move a large balance. What changed: Zcash NU7.

If you bought ZEC earlier and still hold funds in the older Orchard pool, read Orchard to Ironwood before you assume those coins already sit in the current pool.

Same store links, if you skipped step 1:

No exchange? Swap another coin into ZEC inside Vizor

If you already hold another coin, Vizor can swap it into ZEC inside the app, with no separate exchange account. The swap uses NEAR Intents and can trade assets from chains such as Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Solana into ZEC, which is the Non-ZEC to ZEC path on the Vizor home page. Timeouts from a September 2026 Play review are fixed, the app shows the quote before you confirm, and a dedicated swap guide is coming.

Want shielded ZEC on a Ledger or Keystone?

Withdraw into a Vizor account backed by a Ledger or a Keystone 3 Pro, then shield there. The keys stay on the device. You approve the shield on the device. Walkthroughs: Ledger with shielded ZEC on your phone and Keystone and Zcash.

What it costs

Three charges, and only one of them is the Zcash network fee:

The exchange's trading fee or spread. Read it on that exchange's fee page the day you buy. We are not printing a percentage.
The exchange's withdrawal fee. Read it on the withdrawal screen. It is separate from the network fee.
A Zcash network fee to shield. From NU7, Vizor charges 1,000 zatoshis per logical action, and a transaction pays for at least two actions (2,000 zatoshis). v0.0.63 applies that rate from mainnet height 3,543,405 (PR #1130). ZIP 2009 is still Proposed and would change the ZIP 317 standard fee at mainnet block 3,590,000, around November 19, 2026, not at NU7. Vizor shows the exact fee before you confirm. Details: how to send ZEC.

Read the fee in the wallet before you confirm.

Sending ZEC back to an exchange later

A later deposit is a different problem from this withdrawal. Do not send shielded funds straight to an exchange that only accepts a transparent source. Some exchanges, including Binance, give you a TEX address (tex1) for that reason. ZIP 320 defines it. How to send ZEC is the walkthrough, including the two network fees a TEX send pays.

Mistakes to avoid

Leaving the coins on the exchange. The exchange holds the keys, and withdrawals can pause. Shield them in your wallet.
Installing a look-alike app. Start from the App Store and Play links above, or from vizor.cash/get. See Zcash wallet scams.
Using a transparent-only wallet and treating the balance as private. Trezor says its devices "only support public transactions using t-addresses," and that shielded transactions are not compatible. Trezor's Zcash page.
Typing the recovery phrase into a website. A real wallet asks for it on its own create or restore screen. Vizor cannot restore the phrase for you.

FAQ

How do I buy ZEC?

Install a shielded Zcash wallet first, such as Vizor on iPhone, Android, or a computer. Then buy ZEC on an exchange that serves your country and withdraw it to that wallet. Most exchanges, including Coinbase, only send to transparent addresses, so shield the coins once they arrive. After that, payments from your shielded balance are private on-chain.

Can I buy shielded ZEC directly from an exchange?

Rarely. Most exchanges withdraw ZEC only to transparent addresses, the ones that start with t. Coinbase says sending to shielded addresses is not supported. Gemini is the exception in this guide: its posts say it withdraws to unified addresses and that it supported Ironwood on day one. Everywhere else, withdraw to your transparent address and shield in the wallet.

Why does my exchange only show a transparent (t1) withdrawal option?

Many exchanges pay only a transparent address, which publishes the amount the way a Bitcoin payment does. Coinbase says sending to shielded addresses is not supported. Kraken's help page lists t addresses as supported and zs or zc addresses as not supported. If the screen rejects your unified address, paste Vizor's transparent address and shield after the funds arrive.

Can I buy ZEC without an exchange account?

Yes, if you already hold another coin. Vizor can swap assets from chains such as Bitcoin, Ethereum, or Solana into ZEC inside the app, using NEAR Intents. You still pay the quote the swap shows, and local rules on trading still apply. The wallet shows that quote before you confirm.

Can I buy ZEC in my country?

Only if an exchange that serves you lists ZEC. This page is not a legal opinion. Our South Korea page explains why Korean exchanges do not list it, and our United States page covers owning ZEC there. If no licensed exchange offers ZEC, follow your local law, and do not use a VPN to get around location checks.

What does it cost to withdraw and shield?

You pay the exchange's trading fee or spread, its withdrawal fee, and a Zcash network fee to shield. From NU7, Vizor charges 1,000 zatoshis per logical action, and a transaction pays for at least two actions (2,000 zatoshis). That rate is in Vizor v0.0.63 from mainnet height 3,543,405. ZIP 2009 is still Proposed and would change the ZIP 317 standard fee at mainnet block 3,590,000, around November 19, 2026, not at NU7. Read the exchange fee on the withdrawal screen. The wallet shows the exact network fee before you confirm.

Ready to buy ZEC and keep it shielded? Install Vizor on your phone, then shield on that phone or on your computer.

Get Vizor for Mac, Windows, or Linux. It's free and open source, and it works with Ledger and Keystone. Questions? Email support@vizor.cash or visit Vizor support.