The Monero view key: what it shows and when to share it
Your private view key lets a wallet find and read incoming payments to your address, including amounts, but it cannot spend funds. Share it only to create a view-only wallet for yourself, an auditor or your bookkeeper, and remember that whoever holds it can watch your incoming transactions indefinitely.
Monero's keys in one minute
Every Monero wallet has two key pairs, both derived from your seed:
| Key | What it does | Share it? |
|---|---|---|
| Private spend key | Signs transactions; spends your money | Never |
| Private view key | Finds incoming outputs and decrypts their amounts | Only with someone you trust to see your incoming history |
| Public spend and view keys | Together form your address | Yes, that is your address |
| Seed (16 or 25 words) | Rebuilds all of the above | Never |
What someone with your view key can see
- Every incoming payment to your primary address and all your subaddresses, with amounts and block times.
- Incoming payments from the moment the wallet was created, and any in the future. You cannot revoke a view key; only moving funds to a new wallet stops future visibility.
What it cannot do
- Spend or move funds.
- Reliably see outgoing payments. A view-only wallet does not know which outputs you spent, so after you send money its balance is wrong. The official guide says the fix is to import key images from the full wallet, which then reveals your spends to that wallet too.
- See who sent you money. Monero does not record sender addresses.
When sharing a view key makes sense
- Your own watch-only wallet on a phone or laptop, while the spending wallet stays on a hardware wallet or offline computer. See Monero cold storage.
- Bookkeeping and audits. A business or charity can show donors or an accountant its incoming funds.
- Payment processing. BTCPay's Monero plugin uses your address, view key and restore height to detect payments. See accepting Monero payments.
When sharing it is a bad idea
- Web and light-wallet services. A light-wallet server receives your view key and scans for you. It sees your incoming payments, and through key images reported back, much of your spending. MyMonero worked like this until it closed on 6 January 2026, citing the model's tension with Monero's privacy direction. See Monero web wallet.
- Online payment checkers that ask for an address plus view key send that key to a third party. Prefer your own wallet or node.
- Anyone asking for it to fix, unlock or verify your funds. Combined with social engineering, this is a common scam opener. See Monero scams.
If you only need to prove one payment, do not share your view key at all. Share the transaction key for that single transaction instead. See how to send Monero.
How to find your private view key
- Monero GUI: Settings, Seed and keys.
- Monero CLI: the
viewkeycommand (andaddressfor the primary address). - Feather, Cake and Monerujo: in the wallet's keys or seed section, usually behind your PIN.
Apps also show the public view key. The private one is what a view-only wallet needs.
How to create a view-only wallet
Monero GUI
From an open wallet: Settings, Wallet, Create a view-only wallet. The file is saved next to your wallet with the same password. From keys: on the start screen choose Restore wallet from keys or mnemonic seed, select Restore from keys, enter the primary address (starting with 4) and private view key, leave the spend key empty and set a restore height.
Monero CLI
Run monero-wallet-cli --generate-from-view-key wallet-name and paste the primary address and private view key when prompted.
With a hardware wallet
The official guide notes that view-only wallets made from Ledger or Trezor wallets are more limited: they do not support offline transaction signing or key image import.
How to share a view key safely
- Decide whether you need to share it at all. A transaction key proves a single payment with far less exposure.
- Consider a dedicated wallet for the funds you want visible, for example a business or donation wallet, so your personal history stays separate.
- Send the key through an encrypted channel, never in a public post or plain email.
- Send the primary address and a restore height with it, so the recipient does not have to scan the whole chain.
- Write down who has your view key. If that relationship ends, move funds to a new wallet.
Will this change?
The planned FCMP++ upgrade with the new Carrot addressing scheme is expected to change how wallets and keys work, including finer-grained viewing options. It was on a test network in October 2026 with no mainnet date. See FCMP++ explained.
Frequently asked questions
Can someone steal my Monero with my view key?
No. The private view key cannot sign transactions. It does let the holder see your incoming payments and amounts, permanently, so share it only with people or software you trust.
Does a view key show outgoing transactions?
Not reliably. A view-only wallet cannot tell which outputs you spent, so its balance becomes wrong after you send. Importing key images from the full wallet fixes it but reveals your spending to that wallet.
Can I revoke a Monero view key?
No. Anyone who has it can keep watching incoming payments. To stop that, move your funds to a new wallet with a new seed.
Do subaddresses have separate view keys?
Subaddress keys are derived from your main private view key, so one view-only wallet can monitor all your subaddresses. You cannot give out a view key for just one subaddress in standard wallets.