How to verify your funds with a private view key
Introduction
Monero allows selective transparency through the use of view keys. A private (secret) view key can be used to verify incoming transactions and balances without granting the ability to spend funds.
To prevent your Monero funds from being stolen if your computer is hacked, you will probably want to keep some of your funds in long term offline cold storage.
In other words, you'd store your Monero in a wallet that you don't keep stored on your regular computer. You'd instead reboot to a freshly installed operating system that is unlikely to have any viruses, download the wallet software, disconnect your computer from the internet and create an offline wallet.
You'd then write the wallet seed down onto a piece of paper, delete the wallet from your computer and reboot.
Since your cold wallet will have never communicated with the internet, you'll want to check that your funds did really arrive to your offline wallet.
To do this, you will need to know your wallet's secret "view key" and your wallet's "address". Run the command line wallet and type:
The "secret" view key is what you will need. If the view key is ever disclosed, the worst that can happen is that someone will be able to view your funds. They will not be able to steal them.
This guide explains how to verify Monero funds using a private view key with the official Monero command-line wallet . The focus is on correctness, privacy trade-offs, and reproducible command-line steps.
What Is a Private View Key?
Every Monero wallet is derived from two core secrets: a private spend key and a private view key. The private view key allows a wallet to scan the blockchain and detect which outputs belong to a given address.
What It Can Do
- Detect incoming transactions
- Calculate received balances
- Verify that a payment was made
What It Cannot Do
- Spend funds
- Create valid transactions
- Reveal outgoing payments
This makes the private view key suitable for auditing, proof of payment, or third-party verification without custody.
Privacy and Security Trade-Offs
While a private view key cannot spend funds, it is still sensitive data. Any wallet using it must connect to a Monero daemon to scan the blockchain.
- A remote daemon can infer which outputs belong to the wallet
- Timing and scanning patterns may leak metadata
- Logs may persist sensitive information if not handled carefully
Expert recommendation: For sensitive verification, use your own local node. Remote nodes are acceptable for low-risk or temporary checks, but they reduce privacy guarantees.
Recommended Method Overview
The documented and supported way to verify funds with a private view key
is to create a view-only wallet using
--generate-from-view-key.
- Trust model: View-only (no spending possible)
- Officially documented: Yes
- Best use case: Incoming payment verification
Linux (Debian / Ubuntu): Create a View-Only Wallet
What You Are About to Do
You will create a Monero wallet that can scan for incoming transactions using only a public address and private view key.
Prerequisites
- Public Monero address
- Private (secret) view key
- Debian or Ubuntu system
Steps
- Download the official Monero CLI release.
- Verify signatures and extract the archive.
- Navigate to the CLI wallet directory.
- Launch the wallet using the view-key generation flag.
- Provide the wallet name when prompted.
- Enter the public address and private view key.
- Set an appropriate restore height to reduce scan time.
What to Expect
The wallet will scan the blockchain and display incoming transfers. Commands related to sending funds will be unavailable.
Common Problems
- Restore height set too low → very long scan
- Incorrect view key → zero balance shown
- Slow or unreliable remote daemon
Safety Notes
- Never enter keys on shared machines
- Delete the wallet files if they are no longer needed
- Avoid storing view keys in plaintext backups
Windows: Create a View-Only Wallet
What You Are About to Do
This procedure mirrors the Linux workflow using the Windows CLI wallet.
Steps
- Download the official Windows CLI release.
- Extract the archive to a trusted folder.
- Open Command Prompt.
- Navigate to the wallet directory.
- Run the view-key generation command.
- Enter the required address and key.
- Allow the scan to complete.
Common Problems
- Antivirus flagging CLI binaries
- Firewall blocking daemon access
- Incorrect restore height
Important: View-Only Wallets Don’t Show Spending (Unless You Import Key Images)
IMPORTANT: Using the steps outlined above, the view-only wallet can ONLY be used to verify the amount of funds that have been sent to a wallet. If you spend your funds with a full wallet, your view-only wallet will not reflect the decrease in funds. This is because Monero’s privacy mechanisms prevent anyone except an owner of a full wallet from knowing when funds have been spent. Therefore only rely on a view-only wallet to check when funds are received, and never rely on it to verify that funds have not been subsequently stolen.
There is a way to monitor whether funds have been spent while still using a view-only wallet: you must import the wallet’s key images. Key images allow a view-only wallet to learn which outputs have been spent so it can calculate a correct balance. This is described in the official guide How to make a view-only wallet and in the monero-wallet-cli reference.
How to Export and Import Key Images (CLI)
The workflow is simple: export key images from the full wallet, then import them into the view-only wallet. This enables the view-only wallet to reflect spending and show a more accurate balance.
- Open your full wallet in
monero-wallet-cli. - Export key images to a file (choose a location you can move securely).
- Copy the exported file to the machine where the view-only wallet is opened (USB/offline transfer is ideal).
- Open your view-only wallet in
monero-wallet-cli. - Import the key images file.
- Refresh the wallet so it recalculates balances with the new spent information.
What to Expect
- After importing key images, the view-only wallet can account for spending and show a more accurate balance.
- If you later spend more funds, you must export/import updated key images again to keep the view-only wallet current.
Safety Notes
- Key images reveal which outputs have been spent. Do not share them publicly unless you understand the privacy implications.
- Only import key images into a view-only wallet you control; importing into third-party systems can weaken your privacy.
- Hardware-wallet-derived view-only wallets may not support key image import in some setups; verify behavior against the official view-only wallet guide before relying on it.
Other Methods and Tools
The Monero GUI wallet also supports view-only wallets using the same cryptographic principles. GUI workflows are intentionally not covered here and deserve a dedicated guide.
FAQs
Can a private view key ever spend Monero?
No. Spending requires the private spend key, which is mathematically distinct.
A view-only wallet cannot create valid transactions.
Common misunderstanding: “Read-only access implies partial control.”
Does using a remote node reduce privacy?
Yes. A remote node can observe which outputs your wallet scans for.
This does not reveal your identity, but it weakens privacy compared to a local node.
Common misunderstanding: “View-only wallets are privacy-neutral.”
Should view-only wallets be kept long-term?
Only if ongoing verification is required.
For one-time checks, deleting the wallet after verification is safer.
Common misunderstanding: “View-only wallets are harmless to store indefinitely.”
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