Public Mode vs Private Mode

ZKX Wallet Web App operates in one of two modes, toggled with the Public / Private switch near the account name:

• Public Mode displays ordinary on-chain balances tied to the account's public (0x…) address. Standard sending, receiving, and swapping happen here.

• Private Mode displays Railgun shielded balances tied to the account's private (0zk…) address. The interface switches to an orange/amber accent to visually distinguish it from Public Mode.

For background on what each mode means and its privacy tradeoffs, see Public Mode and Private Mode.

Switching into Private Mode for the first time

The first time you switch to Private Mode, the wallet scans encrypted Railgun notes belonging to your account's viewing key. This is shown as a percentage loader — in testing, this progressed from roughly 5% to 18% within about 15 seconds — with a notice that the initial load may take up to 15 minutes. Subsequent switches are faster, since the wallet no longer needs to scan from scratch.

Swap & Bridge always requires Public Mode

If you open Swap & Bridge while in Private Mode, the app automatically switches you back to Public Mode, since swapping and bridging only operate on public balances, not shielded ones.