The Zclassic wallet, start to finish.

01Overview

This guide covers the official Zclassic desktop wallet, zcl-qt-wallet, published by the ZclassicCommunity on GitHub. It is a full-node wallet: it downloads and verifies the entire Zclassic blockchain locally, so you never have to trust a third-party server with your balance or your history.

The wallet supports both address types used on the network:

• Transparent addresses (start with t1) — behave like Bitcoin addresses; amounts and participants are publicly visible on the chain.
• Shielded addresses (start with zc or zs) — use zk-SNARK proofs; sender, recipient and amount stay private.

Read the whole guide once before installing. The backup section in particular should be completed before you receive any funds.

02System requirements

Running a full node needs more resources than a light wallet. Recommended minimums:

• Operating system: Windows 10/11 (64-bit), macOS 11 or later, or a recent 64-bit Linux distribution (Ubuntu 20.04+, Debian 11+, Fedora 36+).
• Memory: 4 GB RAM minimum, 8 GB recommended — generating shielded proofs is memory-intensive.
• Storage: at least 15 GB free disk space for the blockchain and zk-SNARK parameters; an SSD makes syncing considerably faster.
• Network: a stable broadband connection. The first sync downloads several gigabytes.
• Time: the initial synchronisation can take from a few hours to a day depending on hardware.

03Downloading safely

Download only from the official release page: https://github.com/ZclassicCommunity/zcl-qt-wallet/releases/latest. Never install wallet software from links in private messages, ads, forums or search-engine sponsored results.

On the release page, pick the file matching your system:

• Windows — the .zip or installer .exe build.
• macOS — the .dmg disk image.
• Linux — the .deb package (Debian/Ubuntu) or the .tar.gz archive for other distributions.

Where checksums (SHA-256) are published alongside a release, verify them before running the file. On Windows: certutil -hashfile <file> SHA256. On macOS and Linux: shasum -a 256 <file>. The output must match the published value exactly — if it does not, delete the file.

04Installing on Windows

• Extract the downloaded .zip to a folder such as C:\Program Files\Zclassic, or run the installer if one is provided.
• Launch zcl-qt-wallet.exe. If Windows SmartScreen displays a warning, choose “More info” → “Run anyway” only after you have verified the checksum.
• Allow the wallet through Windows Defender Firewall when prompted, so it can connect to peers.
• On first launch the wallet downloads the zk-SNARK parameters (about 1.7 GB). Keep the window open until this completes.

Data is stored in %APPDATA%\Zclassic — this folder contains your wallet.dat file and the blockchain.

05Installing on macOS

• Open the .dmg and drag the zcl-qt-wallet application into the Applications folder.
• The first time, right-click the app and choose “Open” — macOS Gatekeeper blocks unsigned applications on double-click.
• If macOS still refuses, open System Settings → Privacy & Security and click “Open Anyway”.
• Wait for the zk-SNARK parameters to download before closing the app.

Data is stored in ~/Library/Application Support/Zclassic.

06Installing on Linux

• Debian/Ubuntu: sudo apt install ./zcl-qt-wallet_<version>.deb
• Other distributions: extract the archive with tar -xzf zcl-qt-wallet-<version>.tar.gz and run ./zcl-qt-wallet from the extracted folder.
• If the binary is not executable, run chmod +x zcl-qt-wallet first.
• Advanced users can run the headless node instead: build zclassicd from github.com/ZclassicCommunity/zclassic and control it with zclassic-cli.

Data is stored in ~/.zclassic. The configuration file is ~/.zclassic/zclassic.conf.

07First launch & synchronisation

After installation the wallet connects to peers and begins downloading the blockchain. The status bar shows the current block height and progress.

• Do not send or rely on received funds until the wallet shows it is fully synchronised — balances may appear incomplete during sync.
• You can close and reopen the wallet at any time; syncing resumes where it stopped.
• If the wallet finds no peers after several minutes, check your firewall and internet connection (see Troubleshooting).

08Encrypting your wallet

Before receiving funds, protect the wallet file with a passphrase. Without encryption, anyone with access to your computer can copy wallet.dat and spend your coins.

• Open the encryption option in the wallet settings and choose a long passphrase — ideally five or more random words.
• Write the passphrase down on paper and store it separately from your backups.
• The wallet restarts after encryption. From then on, sending funds requires the passphrase.
• There is no password recovery. A lost passphrase means lost access to the funds in an encrypted wallet.

09Backing up your wallet

Your coins are controlled by private keys stored in wallet.dat. A backup is the only way to recover them if your computer fails, is lost or stolen.

• Use the wallet’s backup function, or close the wallet and copy wallet.dat from the data directory manually.
• Keep at least two copies on separate offline media — for example an encrypted USB drive and a second drive stored elsewhere.
• Export private keys of important addresses (Export private key in the address menu) and store them on paper in a secure place.
• Make a new backup after creating new addresses — especially new shielded addresses, which are not derived from older keys.
• Never store unencrypted backups in email, cloud drives or messaging apps.

10Restoring a wallet

There are two ways to restore funds on a new or reinstalled computer.

From a wallet.dat backup:

• Install the wallet and run it once so the data directory is created, then close it completely.
• Replace the new wallet.dat in the data directory with your backup copy.
• Start the wallet again. It rescans the blockchain and your balance appears once sync and rescan finish.

From exported private keys:

• Open the import function in the wallet (Import private keys) and paste one key per line.
• Allow the wallet to rescan the blockchain — this can take a long time; do not interrupt it.
• Headless users can run zclassic-cli importprivkey <key> for transparent keys or zclassic-cli z_importkey <key> for shielded keys.

Once restored, move funds to a fresh address you created and backed up on the new installation if you suspect the old keys may have been exposed.

11Receiving ZCL

• Open the Receive tab and choose a transparent or shielded address. Use a shielded address whenever privacy matters.
• Copy the address with the copy button — never retype it by hand.
• Share the address or its QR code with the sender.
• Incoming payments appear after the transaction is mined; wait for several confirmations before treating large amounts as final.

12Sending ZCL

• Open the Send tab and select the address you are sending from.
• Paste the recipient address and double-check the first and last characters.
• Enter the amount and, optionally, a memo (shielded transactions only).
• Review the network fee and confirm. Shielded sends take a little longer, as the wallet generates a zero-knowledge proof.
• For a first transfer to a new recipient or exchange, send a small test amount first.

Transactions on the blockchain are irreversible. Nobody — not the developers, not the community — can cancel or refund a payment.

13Shielded transactions explained

A shielded transaction moves value between addresses without publishing who paid whom or how much. Validity is guaranteed by a zk-SNARK proof checked by every node.

• t → z (shielding): moves funds from a public address into the private pool. The deposit amount is visible, but subsequent movement is not.
• z → z (fully private): neither sender, receiver nor amount is visible on the chain.
• z → t (deshielding): withdraws to a public address; the received amount becomes visible.
• Best practice: shield funds, wait some time, and spend from shielded addresses to avoid linking amounts across transactions.

14Using the wallet with exchanges

• Most exchanges only support transparent (t1) addresses for deposits and withdrawals. Check before sending.
• Withdraw purchased ZCL to your own wallet promptly — an exchange account is not a wallet you control.
• Confirm that the exchange has ZCL deposits and withdrawals enabled before transferring; markets can suspend them without notice.

15Updating the wallet

• Back up wallet.dat before every update.
• Close the wallet fully, install the new release over the old one (same procedure as installation) and start it again.
• Your data directory is preserved during updates; the new version may need a few minutes to re-index.
• Follow announcements on GitHub and Bitcointalk — network upgrades can require updating before a specific block height.

16Troubleshooting

• No peers / stuck at 0 connections: allow the app through your firewall, check that port 8033 is not blocked, and restart the wallet.
• Sync stuck on one block: close the wallet, restart it; if the problem persists, launch with the -reindex option (slow, but rebuilds the local database).
• Balance shows zero after restore: the rescan has not finished, or the wallet is not fully synced — wait, or launch with -rescan.
• Parameters download fails: check disk space and connection, then restart; the wallet resumes the download.
• “Insufficient funds” on shielded send: funds may still be unconfirmed; wait for confirmations.
• Wallet will not start after a crash: rename the blocks and chainstate folders (keep wallet.dat!) and let it resync.

17Security best practices

• Never share your private keys, wallet.dat or passphrase — no legitimate support person will ever ask for them.
• Keep your operating system and antivirus up to date.
• Beware of clipboard malware: always verify a pasted address before confirming.
• Consider a dedicated computer or user account for larger holdings.
• Test your backup by restoring it on a spare machine before you depend on it.

18Getting help

Source code, issue tracker and releases live at github.com/ZclassicCommunity. Community discussion takes place on the Bitcointalk Zclassic thread. For questions about this documentation, write to support@zclassic.io.