Zcash’s NU7 upgrade was scheduled to activate on public Testnet on October 6, 2026, at block height 4,465,026. As of October 5, that activation was still upcoming. November 5 was a planned Mainnet date—not a confirmed activation: the Mainnet decision and setting of an activation height were scheduled for October 20, after the Testnet experience.
When does NU7 activate on Testnet?
The Zcash Community Forum timeline scheduled NU7 for Testnet on October 6, 2026. The Zcash Foundation’s October 2 release announcement identified the activation height as 4,465,026 and said it was expected around that date. These were scheduled and expected milestones, respectively; the activation had not yet occurred as of October 5.
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See the NU7 timeline and the Zebra 7.0.0-rc.0 announcement for the dated schedule and operator details.
Is the November 5 Mainnet upgrade confirmed?
No. November 5, 2026 was a target date in the timeline, not a finalized activation. The timeline scheduled a Mainnet decision and activation-height setting for October 20, after the Testnet experience. The Zebra announcement said no Mainnet activation height had been set at the time it was published.
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The schedule therefore distinguishes three different statuses: Testnet had a scheduled date and announced height; Mainnet had a target date; and the final Mainnet decision and height were still pending. Those details can change as the proposal and deployment progress.
What does NU7 propose to change?
NU7 is a proposed Zcash network upgrade. Draft ZIP 259 describes the deployment scope; it is not evidence that the proposed rules had already taken effect on Mainnet.
Shorter target block spacing
The draft proposes reducing target block spacing from 75 seconds to 25 seconds. This is a protocol parameter, not an independently measured study showing that transactions will confirm three times faster in practice.
Shielded action limits
The proposal includes shielded action limits under ZIP 218. These limits are part of the draft’s protocol scope; the available announcement does not establish observed user or performance effects.
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Network sustainability rules and transaction versions
The deployment proposal combines Network Sustainability Mechanism rules with disabling version 4 transactions. Under the draft, version 5 and version 6 transactions remain valid. For the full proposed specification, see draft ZIP 259 and the ZIP index.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What happens to old Sprout funds?
ZIP 259 says Sprout transfers can only be represented by version 4 transactions. If the proposed version 4 disablement activates, remaining funds in the Sprout pool would become unspendable through ordinary transactions. This is a conditional consequence of the draft proposal, not a statement that Sprout funds were frozen on October 5, 2026.
What should Zcash node operators do?
Testnet operators
The Zcash Foundation described Zebra 7.0.0-rc.0 as the first release candidate supporting NU7 on public Testnet and advised Testnet operators to upgrade before the scheduled activation. It is a release candidate, not stable software. Operators should follow the announcement’s release notes for Testnet-specific configuration overrides and mining-template behavior rather than assuming a generic setup.
Mainnet operators
The Zcash Foundation’s October 2 announcement said: “Mainnet operators do not need to do anything yet: no Mainnet activation height has been set, and this is a release candidate, not a stable release.” Zcash’s NU7 overview says NU7 may not be supported by zcashd and points operators toward Zebra preparation. That general guidance does not establish a Mainnet activation instruction or date; operators should use current official announcements when the Mainnet decision is made.
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