Last updated: October 15, 2026
A Monero subaddress is an extra receiving address generated from your same wallet — it starts with "8" instead of "4", you can create unlimited ones for free, and nobody except you can tell that two subaddresses belong to the same wallet. Use a new subaddress for every sender, exchange or swap payout so the people paying you can't link your payments together. Create one before your next BTC → XMR swap.
- 8… subaddress prefix
- 4… primary address prefix
- Unlimited subaddresses per wallet
- 1 seed backs them all up
Monero address types at a glance
| Type | Starts with | What it's for | Linkable by others? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Primary address | 4 | The wallet's first, main address | Yes, if you reuse it with several payers |
| Subaddress | 8 | One per sender, exchange or purpose | No — they look unrelated |
| Integrated address | 4 (longer) | Primary address + payment ID, legacy exchange deposits | Same as primary |
Why subaddresses matter even though Monero is private
Monero already hides sender, receiver and amount on the blockchain — outsiders can't see your address in any transaction. Subaddresses protect you from the people you give your address to. If you give the same address to an exchange, a client and a friend, they can compare notes and learn that they all paid the same person. With a separate subaddress for each, they can't. It is the Monero version of "don't reuse addresses" — and unlike Bitcoin, your wallet still shows everything in one balance. See is Monero traceable for the full privacy model.
How to create and use subaddresses (step by step)
- Open the Receive tab in your wallet (Feather, Monero GUI, Cake Wallet, Monerujo — see best Monero wallets).
- Create a new subaddress and give it a label, e.g. "swap payout October" or "client A".
- Use it once per sender. Paste it as the receiving address in your swap form or send it to the payer.
- Check incoming payments — the wallet shows which subaddress each one arrived on.
- Spend normally. All subaddresses share one balance and one seed.
Subaddresses vs accounts
Many wallets also offer accounts: separate balances inside one wallet, each with its own subaddresses. Use accounts to keep funds apart (savings vs spending), and subaddresses to keep payers apart. For the strictest separation, avoid spending coins received on different subaddresses in the same transaction when those payers must never be linked; wallets don't combine funds across accounts by default, and coin control in Feather lets you choose exactly which outputs to spend.
Using subaddresses with exchanges and swaps
- Swap payouts: use a fresh subaddress for each no-KYC swap into XMR, e.g. USDT → XMR or ETH → XMR.
- Refund addresses: when swapping from XMR, give a subaddress as the refund address — see using refund addresses safely.
- Getting paid: one subaddress per client or per invoice — see how to pay someone in Monero.
- Old services: a few legacy services don't accept addresses starting with 8; use the primary address there.
Frequently asked questions
What is a Monero subaddress?
An additional receiving address derived from your wallet. It starts with 8, is unlimited and free, and can't be linked to your other addresses by anyone but you.
Do I need to back up subaddresses separately?
No. Every subaddress is derived from your seed, so restoring the seed restores them all. Labels are local and may need re-creating.
Can exchanges send XMR to a subaddress?
Almost all modern exchanges and swap services accept subaddresses. If one rejects an address starting with 8, use your primary address for that service.
Is reusing my Monero address dangerous?
It doesn't expose you on the blockchain, but everyone you gave it to can see they paid the same person. Subaddresses prevent that.
What's the difference between a subaddress and an integrated address?
An integrated address is your primary address plus a payment ID, used by some older services to identify deposits. Subaddresses replaced them for most uses.
Grab a fresh subaddress and swap in: BTC → XMR, USDT → XMR or best XMR exchanges. No account, no ID, no logs.