ZecZcashZcash Network Upgrade Tracker
What's live on Zcash mainnet right now, what's confirmed to come next, and what's still just a proposal — kept clearly separate, with a source for every date.
Facts on this page last independently verified September 19, 2026.
NU6.2
Activated June 3, 2026
Mainnet activation height: #3,364,600
An emergency fix for a critical soundness flaw found in Orchard's proof circuit, discovered May 29, 2026. A brief soft fork paused Orchard transactions on June 2; NU6.2 shipped a corrected circuit the next day. No evidence of actual exploitation was found.
What this means for ZEC users
- Orchard transactions briefly paused, then resumed under corrected rules within about a day.
- No user funds were lost — this was a precautionary, protocol-level fix.
- Ironwood (NU6.3) is the proposed longer-term response — see its status below.
Technical details
NU7
Targeted for November 5, 2026 (target, not yet confirmed)
Mainnet activation height: Not yet finalized
Zcash's next upgrade. A September 14, 2026 coinholder vote backed cutting block time from 75 to 25 seconds and keeping the existing halving schedule. Testnet is targeted for October 6; a final mainnet activation height is expected around October 20, ahead of a November 5, 2026 mainnet target. No ZIP with the exact deployment details has been published yet.
What this means for ZEC users
- Blocks would arrive ~3x faster — about every 25 seconds instead of 75.
- The halving schedule and 21M ZEC max supply don't change.
- Nothing's final yet: the activation height isn't set, and Nov 5 is a target, not a guarantee.
Technical details
Relevant ZIPs
NU6.3 — Ironwood
Ironwood is a proposed new shielded pool, developed after a bug was found in Orchard. It's been reported as already activated, but official Zcash specification sources still classify it as proposed/candidate — so we don't mark it as confirmed.
Reportedly July 28, 2026 at height #3,428,143 — per media coverage, not the official spec.
Technical details
Full explanation
Multiple crypto news outlets (including CoinDesk) reported that NU6.3/Ironwood activated on Zcash mainnet on July 28, 2026 at block height 3,428,143. We independently checked this against primary sources and could not confirm it: the zcash/zips repository's README, current as of a September 15, 2026 commit, still explicitly states the most recent settled Mainnet network upgrade is NU6.2 — not NU6.3. The Zcash Protocol Specification's own source still labels this the "NU6.3 proposal." Zcash Foundation's Zebra node software does contain real, non-placeholder NU6.3/Ironwood consensus parameters, which suggests genuine implementation progress, but that alone doesn't confirm formal mainnet ratification. We're showing this as an open discrepancy rather than asserting either version as fact.
Media reports (unconfirmed by us)
Relevant ZIPs
Beyond NU7 and the NU6.3 report above, we're not tracking a separate slate of early-stage proposals here. See the official zcash/zips repository for every Zcash Improvement Proposal under discussion.
Past Network Upgrades
| Upgrade | Activated | Mainnet height |
|---|---|---|
| NU6.1 | November 23, 2025 | #3,146,400 |
| NU6 | November 23, 2024 | #2,726,400 |
For the full history back to Zcash's 2016 launch, see Zcash Network Upgrades: A Complete Timeline.
How this tracker works & FAQ
A network upgrade is a coordinated, scheduled change to Zcash's consensus rules, defined through Zcash Improvement Proposals (ZIPs). See Zcash Network Upgrades: A Complete Timeline for the full history.
Status labels
- Confirmed — activated, or the height is locked into consensus rules.
- Targeted — an official target date exists, height not yet finalized.
- Proposed — a ZIP exists, under discussion, no committed date.
- Draft — early-stage, may never ship.
We never show a proposed or targeted date, height, or feature as confirmed. When news coverage and the official zcash/zips specification disagree, we give the specification precedence and show the disagreement openly — see the NU6.3 card above.
FAQ
What is a Zcash network upgrade?
A coordinated, scheduled change to Zcash's consensus rules that every full node and miner adopts at the same block height, defined by Zcash Improvement Proposals (ZIPs).
When is the next Zcash network upgrade (NU7)?
Targeted for Zcash mainnet on November 5, 2026, pending a final activation-height decision expected around October 20. This is a target date, not a confirmed height.
What does NU7 change?
Mainly cutting Zcash's target block time from 75 to 25 seconds — about 3x faster blocks. A September 2026 coinholder vote also confirmed Zcash keeps its existing halving schedule.
Independently maintained by ZecZcash, not Electric Coin Company, the Zcash Foundation, or Zcash Open Development Lab. Facts last verified September 19, 2026. Spotted something outdated? Contact us or the @ZecZcash Telegram channel.
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