XMR Address Lookup

Last updated: September 10th, 2025

Searching for a “Monero (XMR) address lookup” like you would for Bitcoin or Ethereum? With Monero’s privacy design, you cannot look up balances or see a transaction history for a public address. Monero uses stealth addresses and RingCT, so amounts are hidden and each payment is sent to a unique one-time address that’s not linkable to the receiver’s public address.

Why You Can’t Look Up an XMR Address

Stealth addresses: Every payment generates a one-time destination that doesn’t publicly link back to the receiver’s address.
Ring signatures: Inputs are mixed with decoys, obscuring which coins were actually spent.
RingCT (confidential amounts): The amount transferred is cryptographically hidden, so explorers can’t show it.

Result: there is no public balance page for an XMR address. This is working-as-designed privacy.

Legitimate Ways to “Verify” a Monero Payment

If you sent the payment (prove you paid)

Note the TXID after sending.
Get the transaction key (GUI: “Prove/Check”, CLI: get_tx_key ).
Share the TXID + tx key + recipient address with the other party.
They verify (GUI: “Check”, CLI: check_tx_key ).

If you received the payment (let someone audit your incoming funds)

Create a view-only wallet by sharing your public address and private view key (never your spend key). This allows others to see incoming payments but not spend them. Note: to get fully accurate balances (accounting for your outgoing spends), the auditor may also need your key images exported from the spending wallet.
Or provide a payment proof using “Prove/Check” (GUI) or get_tx_proof / check_tx_proof (CLI) when appropriate.

Tip: You can still use a block explorer to check whether a TXID confirmed, but it will not reveal addresses or amounts. If you use an explorer, consider accessing it over Tor for better network privacy.

How to Check If an XMR Address Is Valid (Format Only)

You can sanity-check an address format (not ownership or balance) without leaking data:

Mainnet prefixes: Standard addresses usually begin with 4; subaddresses typically begin with 8.
Length: Standard/subaddresses are ~95 characters; legacy integrated addresses are ~106.
Use your wallet: Adding an address to the GUI/CLI address book often catches typos via checksum.
Validate offline: Prefer offline tools/libraries or your wallet app over pasting addresses into random websites.

Avoid integrated addresses (with embedded payment IDs)—they’re considered legacy. Use subaddresses instead.

OpenAlias & Human-Readable Names

Monero supports OpenAlias—email-like identifiers (e.g., donate@getmonero.org) that resolve via DNS TXT records to a real XMR address. Most wallets resolve OpenAlias automatically. You can also use friendly aliases via services like XMR.ID to minimize copy/paste errors. (Always verify the resolved address before sending.)

Common Questions

Can I see someone’s balance if I know their address?

No. Monero’s design prevents public balance lookups.

Can a merchant prove I paid them?

Yes—either party can use transaction proofs (tx key / tx proof) to verify a specific payment to a specific address.

Is it safe to paste my address into “lookup” sites?

There’s no balance to reveal, but avoid random websites anyway—stick to your wallet, trusted libraries, or official docs.

Best Practices for Address Safety

Prefer subaddresses: Generate a new subaddress per counterparty or invoice.
QR codes: Use wallet-generated QR codes + amounts to avoid transcription errors.
Confirm on send: Double-check the first/last characters of the destination and the amount before broadcasting.
Use Tor or your own node: Connect your wallet to your own node and/or route via Tor for stronger network privacy.

Learn More (Official Docs)

Key Takeaways

No public address lookups in Monero. That’s the privacy feature, not a bug.
Use tx proofs or a view-only wallet when a third party needs to verify payments.
Validate address format offline and prefer subaddresses for day-to-day use.

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