> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://docs.cakewallet.com/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://docs.cakewallet.com/cryptos/zcash/ironwood-migration.md).
# Ironwood migration
Zcash is going through a network upgrade called **Ironwood** (also known as NU6.3). It adds a new shielded pool — the encrypted part of the Zcash blockchain where your private balance is held — and closes the older **Orchard** pool. Once Ironwood activates, the Zcash network itself will no longer allow Orchard funds to be spent: they have to be moved into Ironwood first. This is a network rule that applies to every Zcash wallet, not a Cake Wallet restriction.
Because Cake Wallet automatically shields your Zcash, almost every Cake Wallet user with a Zcash balance will go through this migration.
Cake Wallet does the move for you, automatically, in a privacy-preserving way. There is no setting to turn on, no button to press, and nothing to sign up for. You do not need to do anything except open your wallet and leave the app running for a while.
## What you need to do
1. Open your Zcash wallet in Cake Wallet.
2. Let it finish syncing. When syncing has finished, the sync area at the top of the screen is empty — no status text and no dot.
3. Leave the app open until migration finishes.
You'll know it has finished when your **Available Balance** is back to its normal amount and no new `Migration` transactions appear in your history.
{% hint style="warning" %}
Migration only makes progress while Cake Wallet is open and your wallet is synced. If you close the app it pauses — nothing is lost, but nothing moves either. Leaving the app open is the one thing that matters.
{% endhint %}
## When it happens
Ironwood activates at Zcash block height **3,428,143** (defined in ZIP 258). Nothing happens in your wallet before then.
{% hint style="info" %}
Ironwood is expected to activate on **Tuesday 28 July 2026, some time around midday or early afternoon UTC**. This is only an estimate: activation is tied to a block height, not to a clock, so the exact moment depends on how quickly blocks are found. If you are reading this after that date, activation has already happened.
For a live tracker, visit this site: [cipherscan.app/ironwood](https://cipherscan.app/ironwood)
{% endhint %}
After activation, migration starts on its own the first time you open a synced Zcash wallet that still holds an Orchard balance.
## Why this is happening
A cryptographic bug was found in the Orchard shielded pool that could, in theory, have allowed counterfeit ZEC to be created. Ironwood adds a supply-verification step — a "turnstile", meaning funds have to be moved across into the new pool in order to be counted — so the network can prove the total ZEC supply is correct.
Every Zcash wallet has to move its users' funds across that turnstile. Cake Wallet does it for you.
## What you'll see
* **Transactions labelled `Migration`.** Your Orchard balance is split into standard, round-number amounts, and each of those is moved in its own transaction, so you will see a number of these rows. They appear as outgoing transactions with an amount next to them, which can look alarming — but they are your own funds moving between your own pools inside your own wallet. Nothing is being sent to anyone else.
* **Part of your balance shown as confirming.** While migration is running, the portion still sitting in Orchard is shown with your **confirming** balance rather than your **Available Balance**, so your available figure is lower than your full balance until migration finishes. See **Why part of your balance isn't spendable yet**, below.
* **The same receive address as before.** Orchard and Ironwood share one address. Your address and QR code do not change, and there is nothing to re-share with anyone who pays you.
* **A slightly lower total.** Each migrated amount pays a small network fee — on the order of 0.0002 ZEC — so your total balance dips a little. It is proportionally more noticeable on very small balances.
* **One label change on the `Receive` screen.** The **Shielded** address option's subtitle changes from `Default (Orchard)` to `Default (Ironwood)`.
## Is my privacy retained?
While the turnstile necessarily means that all amounts in migration transactions are temporarily exposed, Cake Wallet has built out the migration process in a way that is as privacy-preserving as possible. We do this by:
* Splitting your Zcash coins into standard denominations (i.e. 10 ZEC, 1 ZEC, 0.1 ZEC, etc.) to blend in with other user's migration transactions.
* Spacing out migration transactions instead of sending them all at once.
* Ensuring that all Cake Wallet users use this privacy-preserving path so no one stands out on chain.
While this is the best approach for your privacy, it does mean that it will take slightly longer than the less privacy-preserving approaches some other Zcash wallets may take.
To us, your privacy is worth it.
## Is my money safe?
Yes. Your ZEC is safe for the whole process. Migration moves it between two shielded pools inside your own wallet — it never sends anything to anyone else, and your seed and keys are unchanged throughout. Nothing can be lost by waiting, and nothing can be lost by closing the app.
What does change is *timing*: each portion of your balance becomes spendable again only once it has been migrated. Your funds are not at risk, they are just temporarily not available to send.
## Why part of your balance isn't spendable yet
Once Ironwood activates, the Zcash network no longer allows funds to be spent out of the old Orchard pool. Any of your ZEC still sitting in Orchard therefore cannot be sent until the wallet has moved it into Ironwood. This is a rule of the upgrade itself, not something Cake Wallet chose.
Cake Wallet shows this by counting the not-yet-migrated portion with your **confirming** balance rather than your **Available Balance**. As each amount is migrated, it moves back into your available balance, and once migration has finished your full balance is spendable again.
For more on the difference between available and full balances, see [Why is my Available Balance 0?](https://docs.cakewallet.com/faq/zero-balance).
{% hint style="warning" %}
If you need to send Zcash — and especially if you want to send your whole balance — wait until migration has finished. Until then you can only spend the portion that has already been migrated, so a send may fail or come up short of the amount you expected.
{% endhint %}
## How long it takes
Migration is paced deliberately — roughly one transaction per Zcash block, about 75 seconds apart. That spreads the work out and keeps your transfers from standing out on-chain. It does mean the whole thing can take a while.
## What happens if you close the app
Nothing breaks. Closing Cake Wallet just pauses migration. The next time you open the wallet and it syncs, migration continues on its own from where it stopped — the wallet works out what is left to move each time, so nothing is lost and nothing has to be started over. The only consequence of closing the app is that the remaining part of your balance stays unspendable for longer, so it's worth coming back and letting it finish.
## Autoshielding
While only Orchard funds are migrated, your transparent balance and any **Legacy Shielded** (Sapling) funds will be automatically shielded into the Ironwood pool as well due to our core autoshielding function.
Autoshielding also keeps working as normal, and after activation it shields incoming transparent funds straight into Ironwood, so those never need migrating at all. See [Zcash](https://docs.cakewallet.com/cryptos/zcash) for how addresses and autoshielding work.
## Still have questions?
Why can't I send my Zcash right now?
Because part of your balance is still in the old Orchard pool, which the Zcash network no longer allows funds to be spent from. Leave Cake Wallet open and let migration finish, and your full balance will be spendable again. If your wallet has been open and synced for well over an hour and part of your balance is still not available, contact our support team at .
I don't see any Migration transactions
If your wallet holds no shielded Orchard balance, there is nothing to migrate and you won't see any. Otherwise, check that Ironwood has already activated and that your wallet has finished syncing — migration doesn't start until both are true. If your wallet is synced, holds a shielded balance, and still shows nothing after Ironwood has activated, contact our support team at .
Do I need to update the app?
Yes — please make sure you are on the latest version. Ironwood support was added in Cake Wallet **6.4.0**, so update if you are on an older release. If you aren't sure whether your version handles the migration, contact our support team at .
Can I turn migration off, or trigger it manually?
No. There is no setting for it either way. Migration is part of how the Ironwood upgrade verifies the Zcash supply, and Cake Wallet handles it for you.
Do I need to give anyone a new address?
No. Orchard and Ironwood use the same address, so your address and QR code are unchanged.
If something about your Zcash balance still doesn't look right after migration has finished, start with [Why are my funds not appearing?](https://docs.cakewallet.com/faq/funds-not-appearing) — and if that doesn't resolve it, contact our support team at .
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