How to Mine Zcash (ZEC) in 2026
Complete Guide

What Is Zcash?

Zcash (ZEC) is a privacy-focused cryptocurrency launched on October 28, 2016, by a team of respected cryptographers. It was the first blockchain to implement zk-SNARKs (Zero-Knowledge Succinct Non-Interactive Arguments of Knowledge) — a revolutionary cryptographic technique that allows transactions to be verified without revealing the sender, receiver, or amount.

Zcash offers users a choice between two types of transactions:

• Transparent transactions — Work like Bitcoin. Sender, receiver, and amount are publicly visible on the blockchain. Addresses start with t1 or t3.
• Shielded transactions — Use zk-SNARKs to encrypt all transaction details. Only the sender and receiver know the specifics. Addresses start with zs.

For miners, Zcash uses the Equihash 200/9 algorithm — a memory-hard proof-of-work algorithm that can be mined with both GPUs and ASICs. Hashrate is measured in Sol/s (solutions per second) rather than the traditional H/s.

Hardware Requirements

Equihash 200/9 is a memory-hard algorithm, but its memory requirement is fixed at approximately 2.5 GB. This is significantly less than algorithms like Ethash or KAWPOW, making Zcash accessible to a wider range of GPUs. Our mining hardware guide covers the differences between GPU and ASIC setups in detail. Both GPUs and dedicated ASIC miners can mine Zcash.

GPU Mining

Recommended NVIDIA GPUs

Recommended AMD GPUs

NVIDIA GPUs have a significant advantage on Equihash 200/9 due to better Equihash solver implementations in mining software. AMD GPUs work but generally offer lower Sol/s per watt. Regardless of GPU brand, keep an eye on your stale and rejected share rates to ensure maximum efficiency.

ASIC Miners

Dedicated ASIC miners for Equihash offer vastly superior performance to GPUs. If you are serious about Zcash mining at scale, an ASIC is the most efficient option:

Step 1: Set Up a Zcash Wallet

You need a Zcash wallet address to receive mining payouts. For mining pool payouts, you will typically use a transparent (t-address) because most pools do not support shielded address payouts directly.

Transparent vs Shielded Addresses for Mining

Step 2: Choose and Install Mining Software

Several mining programs support Equihash 200/9. Here are the best options for GPU mining:

Installing lolMiner (Recommended)

1. Go to github.com/Lolliedieb/lolMiner-releases/releases
2. Download the latest release for your OS (Windows: lolMiner_v*_Win64.zip)
3. Extract to a folder (e.g., C:\lolMiner\)
4. lolMiner supports NVIDIA (CUDA) and AMD (OpenCL) out of the box
5. Ensure you have the latest GPU drivers installed

Installing miniZ (NVIDIA Alternative)

1. Go to miniz.ch and download the latest release
2. Extract to a folder
3. miniZ is optimized for NVIDIA CUDA and often achieves slightly higher Sol/s than lolMiner on NVIDIA cards
4. Note the 2% dev fee (vs 1% for lolMiner)

Step 3: Configure Pool Mining on zec.suprnova.cc

Connect your miner to Suprnova's Zcash pool. Register at zec.suprnova.cc and create a worker in your account dashboard.

lolMiner BAT File

Create a file called mine_zec.bat in the lolMiner folder:

lolMiner.exe --algo EQUI200_9 --pool stratum+tcp://zec.suprnova.cc:2142 --user USERNAME.WORKERNAME
pause

lolMiner with Additional Options

:: lolMiner with logging and device selection
lolMiner.exe --algo EQUI200_9 ^
    --pool stratum+tcp://zec.suprnova.cc:2142 ^
    --user USERNAME.WORKERNAME ^
    --pass x ^
    --log on ^
    --apiport 4068
pause

miniZ BAT File (NVIDIA)

miniZ.exe --url=USERNAME.WORKERNAME@zec.suprnova.cc:2142 --pass=x --par=200,9
pause

EWBF Miner BAT File (NVIDIA)

miner.exe --server zec.suprnova.cc --port 2142 --user USERNAME.WORKERNAME --pass x
pause

Linux Command Line

# lolMiner on Linux
./lolMiner --algo EQUI200_9 --pool stratum+tcp://zec.suprnova.cc:2142 --user USERNAME.WORKERNAME --pass x

# miniZ on Linux
./miniZ --url=USERNAME.WORKERNAME@zec.suprnova.cc:2142 --pass=x --par=200,9

# Run in background with logging
nohup ./lolMiner --algo EQUI200_9 --pool stratum+tcp://zec.suprnova.cc:2142 --user USERNAME.WORKERNAME --pass x --log on > lolminer.log 2>&1 &

Replace USERNAME with your Suprnova account name and WORKERNAME with the name of your worker (e.g., gpu1).

Understanding Equihash 200/9

Equihash is a memory-hard proof-of-work algorithm based on the generalized birthday problem (a mathematical problem about finding collisions in large lists). The "200/9" refers to the algorithm parameters:

• n = 200 — The bit length of the collision problem
• k = 9 — The number of steps in the algorithm (determines the number of collisions to find)

How Equihash Works (Simplified)

Why Memory Matters

The algorithm generates approximately 2²¹ (about 2 million) hash values of 200 bits each, which must be stored in memory for the collision-finding phase. This requires ~2.5 GB of fast-access memory. Miners that try to use less memory (time-memory trade-offs) suffer severe performance penalties.

Fixed Memory = Long-Term GPU Viability

Unlike DAG-based algorithms (Ethash, KAWPOW) where memory requirements grow over time, Equihash's memory footprint is fixed by the algorithm parameters. A GPU that can mine Zcash today will be able to mine Zcash indefinitely, regardless of blockchain growth. This makes Zcash mining particularly attractive for owners of older GPUs with limited VRAM.

Expected Sol/s Rates by GPU

Real-world Equihash 200/9 performance with lolMiner or miniZ, optimal settings applied:

miniZ generally outperforms lolMiner by 5–10% on NVIDIA cards, but its 2% dev fee (vs 1%) offsets some of that advantage. For AMD cards, lolMiner is the clear choice as miniZ has limited AMD support.

Step 4: Optimize Mining Performance

Equihash mining optimization differs from other algorithms. Since the memory requirement is fixed and relatively small, the focus shifts to GPU core performance and solver efficiency.

NVIDIA Overclocking for Equihash

AMD Optimization

• Driver mode: Ensure compute mode is enabled in AMD Adrenalin Software
• Core clock: Fixed at 1200–1400 MHz with reduced voltage for efficiency
• Memory clock: Moderate increase (+100–200 MHz from stock)
• Virtual memory: Set Windows page file to at least 16 GB

General Tips

• Latest drivers: Always use the latest GPU drivers. Equihash solver performance can improve with driver updates.
• Dedicated mining rig: For best results, use a headless system or connect via Remote Desktop to free GPU resources from the display compositor.
• Multiple GPUs: lolMiner and miniZ both support multi-GPU mining out of the box. Use --devices to select specific GPUs if needed.
• Intensity settings: miniZ supports a --intensity parameter. Try values between 50–100 to find the sweet spot for your GPU.

Zcash: Transparent vs Shielded Mining

Zcash's dual-address system has implications for miners. Understanding the difference helps you maximize both privacy and convenience.

Mining to Transparent Addresses (t-addresses)

Moving Funds to Shielded Addresses (z-addresses)

Note that the shielding transaction itself is visible (the amount leaving your t-address is public), but once funds are in a z-address, all subsequent movements are private.

Troubleshooting Common Issues