Quick Start
This guide walks you through your first private transaction end-to-end. Start after you've installed the extension; confirmation and wallet sync times depend on the network.
Step 1 — Create Your Account
Open Anon and choose an authentication method:
Passkey (recommended)
- Choose Passkey (Recommended) and follow the Create Passkey flow
- Your browser will prompt for Touch ID / Face ID / Windows Hello
- The passkey authenticates you and cryptographically derives your wallet keys — no password to forget
Password
- Choose Password and follow the Create Account flow
- Choose a strong password; Anon hashes it with Argon2id before using it to derive your keys
- Store this password somewhere safe — there is no recovery path if you lose it and your mnemonic
After authentication, Anon displays your 12-word recovery phrase. Write it down and keep it offline. This phrase is the master backup for your entire wallet.
Step 2 — Fund Your Wallet
Your new wallet has a public Ethereum address. To use Anon's private features you first need some funds in your public wallet.
- Click your address in the top bar to copy it
- Send ETH (or any supported ERC-20) from an exchange or another wallet to this address
- Wait for the transaction to confirm (timing varies by network)
You'll see the balance appear on the home screen.
Step 3 — Shield Your Funds
Shielding moves tokens from your public address into the Railgun private pool. Your private balance is encrypted; the deposit address and amount remain public.
- Open Anonymize and select Shield
- Select the token and amount to shield
- Review the fee breakdown (a small protocol fee + gas)
- Confirm and authenticate — Anon builds, signs, and submits the shield transaction
- Wait for confirmation and wallet sync. Shielded funds may require additional privacy checks before they can be spent.
Step 4 — Make a Private Send
Now send tokens privately to another address.
- Click Send on the home screen
- Toggle Private mode (uses your shielded balance)
- Enter the recipient — a wallet address, a
.anon.buzzusername, or a stealth address QR code - Enter the amount
- Review the network, delivery method, and estimated fees
- Confirm Send — Anon generates the proof and submits the transaction using the selected delivery method
A transfer between private addresses keeps its internal transfer details shielded. Sending to a public address unshields funds, exposing the public recipient and amount. Timing and other activity can still create correlations.