> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://void-protocol-2.gitbook.io/void-protocol-docs/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://void-protocol-2.gitbook.io/void-protocol-docs/privacy/how-private-transfers-work.md).

# How Private Transfers Work

## How Alice Sends Privately to Bob

### 1. Alice Deposits

Alice deposits public tokens into VOID.

The deposit is visible on-chain and creates a **private note**.

The note's commitment is added to VOID's Merkle tree.

{% hint style="warning" %}
The deposit itself is public.

Privacy begins after the funds are represented as a private note inside VOID.
{% endhint %}

### 2. Alice Sends

Alice enters Bob's **VOID address** and the amount she wants to send.

{% hint style="info" %}
A VOID address is not the same as a public wallet address.

Bob shares the **Your VOID address** shown on his Receive screen.
{% endhint %}

### 3. A Proof Is Created

The hosted proof service generates a **zero-knowledge proof** showing that:

* Alice owns valid, unspent notes
* those notes exist in the Merkle tree
* the transaction balances correctly

{% hint style="warning" %}
The hosted proof service sees the prover inputs for that request.

See **Proof Service** for details.
{% endhint %}

### 4. The VOID Relayer Submits

On testnet, the **VOID relayer** submits the transaction and pays the gas.

The relayer is therefore **the on-chain sender**, not Alice's wallet, and the transaction does not show the amount, the asset or Bob. The proof binds the outputs, so the relayer cannot change where the funds go.

If the relayer is unavailable, Alice can choose to submit from her own wallet instead. Her wallet then pays the ETH gas and appears as the on-chain sender.

### 5. The Old Note Is Spent

The spent note's **nullifier** is recorded on-chain.

This prevents the same note from being spent again.

### 6. Bob Receives a New Note

Bob receives a **new encrypted note** that can only be opened with his key.

His app discovers the note through the indexer and adds it to his private balance.

### What the Blockchain Sees

The blockchain can see:

* that a private transfer occurred
* new commitments
* new nullifiers
* the VOID relayer as the transaction sender, not Alice's wallet

If Alice chooses the fallback to submit from her own wallet, her wallet is the transaction sender instead.

The blockchain does **not publish**:

* the transferred amount
* the asset sent
* Bob as the recipient
* the direct Alice-to-Bob relationship

{% hint style="info" %}

#### Privacy Note

Privacy generally improves as the anonymity set grows.

With limited testnet activity, timing and amount patterns may still make it possible to correlate activity around deposits, private transfers and withdrawals.
{% endhint %}


---

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