How to Stake Zano — Step by Step

No minimum, no lock-up. Open Zano Wallet, enable staking, keep your wallet running.

Step 1: Have ZANO in your wallet

Staking requires holding ZANO in a Zano Wallet under your control. Buy ZANO from an exchange or swap service (see /buy-zano), then withdraw to your wallet. Any quantity works — there is no minimum.

Step 2: Open Zano Wallet with full sync

Launch Zano Wallet on your desktop. Wait for the blockchain to fully sync (around 15 minutes via predownload checkpoint on first sync; near-instant on subsequent launches). Staking only works when your wallet is in sync.

Step 3: Enable staking in settings

Open the wallet's Settings panel. Find the "Staking" section. Toggle "Enable PoS Staking" to ON. The wallet will begin participating in Proof-of-Stake block validation in the background. You will see staking-status indicators in the wallet UI — typically "Staking Active" with estimated reward time. Block selection is probabilistic; you will earn rewards over time, not on a fixed schedule.

Step 4: Keep the wallet running

Staking requires the wallet to be online and connected to the Zano network. If you close the wallet or lose internet, staking stops until you restart. For meaningful staking, a stable always-on setup helps: desktop running 24/7 with wired ethernet is ideal; laptop on power with lid closed but wallet running works (configure power settings to prevent sleep); VPS / Raspberry Pi is the typical "serious staker" setup.

Step 5: Monitor rewards

Rewards arrive directly in your wallet address. The wallet UI shows incoming staking rewards. Compounding is automatic — new rewards count toward your next staking eligibility.

Honest expectations

APR is variable. Not fixed. Depends on total network participation. A reasonable expectation is in the low single-digit annual percentages, but this fluctuates.
Block selection is probabilistic. With small stake amounts, expect weeks between rewards. With larger amounts, more frequent.
No slashing. Going offline reduces your share of blocks but does not destroy stake.

Troubleshooting

"Staking enabled but no rewards in months" — usually small stake + probabilistic selection. Be patient or increase stake.
"Staking stopped silently" — usually intermittent connection. Wired ethernet preferred over WiFi. Restart wallet to re-establish.
"Wallet keeps crashing during stake" — update to latest version. File issue if persists.

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