Best Zcash Desktop Wallets for Mac, Windows & Linux (2026)

Updated November 4, 2026. Last verified: November 4, 2026.

The Vizor team wrote this guide. We build one of the wallets below, so we link our sources for every claim, including the ones about our competitors.

The best Zcash desktop wallet keeps your ZEC shielded, is up to date for Ironwood and NU7, and ships builds you can verify. Vizor covers macOS, Windows, and Linux, signs shielded transactions with a Ledger or Keystone, and publishes signed builds for each system. Zingo PC and Zkool are strong open-source alternatives, Brave Wallet suits people who already use Brave, and Ledger Wallet Desktop works for Ledger owners who want Ledger's own app.

Quick answer: Zcash desktop wallets compared

Ironwood is the shielded pool that came with NU6.3, which activated on July 28, 2026 at block 3,428,143. NU7 is scheduled to activate at block 3,543,405, expected around November 5, 2026 (UTC). "NU7-ready" means the wallet's own release notes say it supports that upgrade.

Light client, full node, or browser wallet?

Desktop Zcash wallets come in three types:

• Light client. The wallet downloads compact block data from a server (lightwalletd) and scans it on your computer. Your keys and the decryption of your transactions stay on your machine. Vizor, Zingo PC, and Zkool work this way. It's the right choice for most people.
• Full node. You run your own Zcash node and point a wallet at it. Your wallet asks no third-party server about the chain, but you need disk space, bandwidth, and upkeep. Zkool can connect to full nodes as well as light nodes.
• Browser wallet. The wallet lives inside a browser. Brave Wallet is built into the Brave browser, so there's nothing extra to install, but your wallet shares an app with everything else you do on the web.

A light client still talks to a server, and the server sees your connection. Vizor lets you choose a custom lightwalletd server and route wallet traffic through Tor on desktop.

Vizor on desktop

Vizor is a self-custody, open-source Zcash wallet, and transactions are shielded by default. The code is on GitHub under the Apache-2.0 license. The latest release is v0.0.63, published October 30, 2026, and it's ready for NU7. Vizor switches to NU7 by itself once the network reaches the activation height. Vizor hasn't had a formal third-party audit yet. The team says on vizor.cash/get that one is planned.

Install on each system

Download from vizor.cash/get or the GitHub releases page. Both point to the same files.

• macOS: Vizor-macos.dmg. It runs natively on Apple Silicon and Intel Macs and needs macOS 12 or later.
• Windows: com.keplr.vizor-win-x64-mainnet-Setup.exe, the 64-bit (x64) installer.
• Linux: Vizor-linux-x86_64.AppImage or Vizor-linux-aarch64.AppImage. Verify the file first (see below), then run chmod +x on it and start it. The AppImage needs GTK 3, a Secret Service provider such as GNOME Keyring, and working graphics drivers, according to the build notes.

Use the files without "Testnet" in the name. The testnet builds are for test coins, not real ZEC.

Shielded by default

Vizor sends from your shielded balance and gives you a shielded Unified Address to receive. When ZEC arrives at your transparent address, for example from an exchange, you shield it before spending. Vizor also rotates your transparent receive address after each deposit, so separate deposits don't land on the same public address. For what each address type reveals, see how to send ZEC privately.

Ledger over USB, Keystone over QR

Your keys can stay on a hardware wallet while Vizor handles syncing and building the transaction:

• Ledger: Vizor supports Ledger over USB on macOS, Windows, and Linux, and over Bluetooth on macOS with a Nano X, Flex, or Stax. You approve sends, shielding, swaps, and voting on the device. New Ledger accounts need Zcash app 3.9.4 or later. Before NU7 activates, Vizor asks Ledger users to update the device firmware and install Zcash app 3.10.0 or newer. On Linux you may need to install the USB permission rule that ships with the app.
• Keystone: Vizor connects to a Keystone 3 Pro running Keystone's Cypherpunk firmware through QR codes, using your computer's camera. Nothing is plugged in. Keystone's NU7 firmware status isn't confirmed yet, so check Keystone's firmware page before activation.

In the app, pick Connect hardware wallet, then Connect Ledger or Connect Keystone. For cold-storage advice, see how to store ZEC safely.

Multiple accounts

One Vizor wallet can hold several accounts: software accounts, Ledger accounts, and Keystone accounts side by side. Vizor syncs the selected account first.

Vizor is on mobile too

Vizor isn't only a desktop wallet. It's on iOS through the App Store and on Android through Google Play, and the mobile apps keep the same shielded-by-default design and work with Ledger over Bluetooth and Keystone over QR. To move your desktop wallet to your phone, open Settings on desktop and choose Link Vizor Mobile. It transfers your software accounts, supported Keystone accounts, and contacts with a one-time QR code. You can also import the same secret passphrase on both. All download links are on vizor.cash/get.

The other options

Zingo PC. A shielded light-client wallet from Zingo Labs, built with Electron on the Zingolib Rust SDK and licensed under MIT. It has the widest range of builds here: Windows x64 and ARM64 (.msi), macOS x64 and ARM64 (.dmg, plus a Mac App Store version), Linux .deb and AppImage for x64 and ARM64, and a Flatpak, according to its README. Shielded transactions are the default, and it includes a guided Orchard-to-Ironwood migration. Release 2.0.27 is NU7-ready, and Zingo Labs warns that earlier versions stop working at activation. Its Windows builds are code-signed. Its README doesn't list Ledger or Keystone support.

Zkool. The successor to YWallet, licensed under MIT. It supports transparent, Sapling, Orchard, and Ironwood, multiple accounts, FROST multisig, offline signing, and either full nodes or light servers. Releases include Windows, macOS, Linux AppImage and .deb for x86_64 and aarch64, a Flatpak, and mobile builds. Recent changelogs add signing with Ledger's official Zcash app. We couldn't find an NU7 statement in its release notes, so check its releases page before activation. Zkool suits advanced users who want multisig or their own node.

Brave Wallet. The wallet built into the Brave browser. Brave turned on Zcash Ironwood support by default in desktop release 1.97.56 on October 7, 2026. It's convenient if you already use Brave. We couldn't confirm its NU7 readiness or Zcash hardware-wallet support from Brave's release notes.

Ledger Wallet Desktop. Ledger's own app added native shielded ZEC on September 23, 2026. It needs Ledger Wallet Desktop 4.21 or later and Zcash app 3.9.4 or later, and it's Ironwood only, so Sapling and Orchard funds don't appear, according to Ledger's update on the Zcash forum. The original Nano S isn't supported, and shielded ZEC isn't available in the mobile app yet. Ledger's help center says Ledger Wallet can't send to TEX addresses like Binance's. If you need that, the same Ledger device works in Vizor, which handles TEX sends.

Wallets to move away from

• Zecwallet Lite. Its GitHub repository is archived, and the last release, 1.8.8, came out in September 2022. It predates Ironwood and NU7. If you still have funds in it, write down the seed phrase and import it into a maintained wallet.
• Any wallet that hasn't shipped an NU7 update. Once NU7 activates, the network no longer accepts version 4 transactions, and wallets that don't know the new rules can't send. Check your wallet's release notes for NU7 before November 5.
• Ledger's legacy "Zcash Shielded" app. Ledger says the older Zondax-built app, used through YWallet and Zkool, stops working at NU7. Sapling funds held through it can't be moved with a Ledger after that, so move them now.

How to verify a Zcash wallet download

Fake wallet sites copy real wallets' names and logos. Download only from the wallet's official site or its GitHub releases page, then check the file before you run it. For Vizor:

Linux (checksum and GPG signature). Each AppImage in a Vizor release comes with a .sha256 file and a detached .asc signature, signed by the key in vizor-linux-appimage-signing-key.asc. The release notes give the fingerprint 51517D6B0B654AD734EA96C8E8D0693E52F793AE.

gpg --import vizor-linux-appimage-signing-key.asc
gpg --fingerprint 51517D6B0B654AD734EA96C8E8D0693E52F793AE
sha256sum -c Vizor-linux-x86_64.AppImage.sha256
gpg --verify Vizor-linux-x86_64.AppImage.asc Vizor-linux-x86_64.AppImage

The fingerprint must match exactly, and gpg --verify must report a good signature. Swap in the aarch64 filename if that's your build.

macOS (Developer ID and notarization). The Vizor DMG is signed with an Apple Developer ID certificate, and the release pipeline sends the app and the DMG through Apple notarization. To check it yourself, run:

spctl -a -vv -t install Vizor-macos.dmg

You want accepted and source=Notarized Developer ID. If macOS warns that the app is from an unidentified developer, don't open it.

Windows (code signature). The Vizor installer carries an Authenticode code signature. Right-click the .exe, open Properties, then Digital Signatures, and check that the signature is valid. Don't run an installer with no signature or an invalid one.

Other wallets. Zingo PC asks users to check the digital signature on its Windows builds and to download only from its releases page. For any wallet, if the project doesn't publish signatures or checksums, compare the download link with the one in its official repository.

Moving from another wallet by importing a seed

You can bring an existing Zcash wallet into Vizor desktop with its seed phrase:

1. In Vizor, choose Import secret passphrase ("Vizor or any other Zcash wallet").
2. Enter your 12, 15, 18, 21, or 24 words. If your old wallet used a BIP39 passphrase (a "25th word"), add it with Add BIP39 passphrase.
3. Answer Around when did you create your wallet? with a date or block height. An earlier date is safer, and it only means a longer scan. If you don't know, pick I can't remember.
4. Let Vizor sync. It can also find additional accounts from the same seed that have transparent activity.

Your old wallet keeps working, since both now hold the same keys. Once you see your balance in Vizor, you can stop using the old one. If the seed was ever stored somewhere unsafe, create a new wallet and send your funds to it instead of importing. If your old funds are still in Orchard, Vizor walks you through moving them into Ironwood.

FAQ

Is there a Zcash desktop wallet for Linux?

Yes. Vizor ships Linux AppImages for x86_64 and aarch64, each with a GPG signature and a SHA-256 checksum. Zingo PC and Zkool also publish Linux builds, including ARM64.

Does Vizor run natively on Apple Silicon Macs?

Yes. The Vizor macOS DMG contains universal binaries for both Apple Silicon (arm64) and Intel (x86_64) Macs, and it needs macOS 12 or later.

Can I run a Zcash desktop wallet on an ARM computer?

On Linux, yes: Vizor, Zingo PC, and Zkool all publish aarch64 or ARM64 Linux builds. On Windows, Vizor currently publishes an x64 installer only. Zingo PC publishes a Windows ARM64 installer.

Can I use a Ledger with a Zcash desktop wallet?

Yes. Vizor supports Ledger over USB on macOS, Windows, and Linux, and over Bluetooth on macOS with a Nano X, Flex, or Stax. Ledger Wallet Desktop 4.21 or later also supports shielded ZEC. Before NU7, Vizor asks Ledger users to install Zcash app 3.10.0 or newer.

Is there a Vizor mobile app?

Yes. Vizor is on iOS through the App Store and on Android through Google Play. You can move software accounts, supported Keystone accounts, and contacts from Vizor desktop to your phone with Link Vizor Mobile, or import the same secret passphrase on both.

Do I need a new wallet for NU7?

No, but you need an up-to-date one. NU7 is expected around November 5, 2026 (UTC), at block 3,543,405, and it ends support for version 4 transactions. Update your wallet before activation. Vizor v0.0.63 is ready for NU7.

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Ready to try a shielded desktop wallet? Get Vizor for macOS, Windows, Linux, iOS, or Android. It's free and open source, and it works with Ledger and Keystone. Questions? Visit Vizor support, browse the code on GitHub, or head back to the Vizor homepage.