Choose your Bitcoin wallet
Find your wallet and start making payments with merchants and users.
Take time to educate yourself
Bitcoin is different from what you know and use every day. Before you start using Bitcoin for any serious transaction, be sure to read what you need to know and take appropriate steps to secure your wallet. Always remember that it is your responsibility to choose your wallet carefully and adopt good practices in order to protect your money.
Multibit is No Longer Supported
Dear Bitcoin Community,
It is time for us to let Multibit go.
KeepKey acquired Multibit a little over 1 year ago. At the time, the engineers who originally built and supported Multibit had announced that they would no longer be working on it or providing support. Multibit played an important role in the Bitcoin infrastructure. We felt that it was important for Multibit to continue and hoped that with our existing support and development teams, we would be able to keep Multibit alive.
The reality is that Multibit is in need of a lot of work. It has stubborn bugs that have caused us and Multibit users much grief. Additionally, Bitcoin has gone through a fundamental change in regards to the way fees work. The addition of SegWit in the coming weeks will mean the Multibit software has fallen still further behind.
Unfortunately, KeepKey simply does not have the resources to support the current issues, nor to rebuild Multibit to ensure ideal user experience. By focusing our attention on the KeepKey device, we will continue building and improving the best hardware wallet available.
Thus, KeepKey will discontinue support and maintenance of Multibit, effective immediately.
We recommend that all Multibit users discontinue using it and you move your keys to other wallet software of your choosing. We wrote a blog post describes some options of your options in more detail.
Multibit was a fantastic piece of software in its time, and we want to thank the Multibit developers for such an important contribution to Bitcoin's history.
Bitcoin Wallet
Bitcoin Wallet is easy to use and reliable, while also being secure and fast. Its vision is de-centralization and zero trust; no central service is needed for Bitcoin-related operations. The app is a good choice for non-technical people.
Control over your money
This wallet gives you full control over your bitcoins. This means no third party can freeze or lose your funds. You are however still responsible for securing and backing up your wallet.
This wallet uses SPV and the Bitcoin network. This means very little trust in third parties is required when verifying payments. However, it is not as secure as a full node like Bitcoin Core.
The developers of this wallet publish the source code for the client. This means any developer in the world can audit the code. However, you still need to trust developers of this wallet when installing or updating the final software because it was not built deterministically like Bitcoin Core.
This wallet is loaded on mobiles where apps are usually isolated. This provides a good protection against malware, although mobiles are usually easier to steal or lose. Encrypting your mobile and backing up your wallet can reduce that risk.
Prevents spying on your payments
This wallet makes it harder to spy on your balance and payments by rotating addresses. You should still take care to use a new Bitcoin address each time you request payment.
Discloses limited information to peers
Peers on the network can log your IP address and associate your payments together when receiving or sending payment.
Tor not supported
This wallet does not let you use Tor to prevent attackers or Internet service providers from associating your payments with your IP address.
Full control over fees
This wallet gives you full control over fees. This means that this wallet allows changing the fees after funds are sent using RBF or CPFP. This wallet also provides fee suggestions based on current network conditions so that your transactions are confirmed in a timely manner without paying more than you have to.
US Search Mobile Web
Welcome to the Yahoo Search forum! We’d love to hear your ideas on how to improve Yahoo Search.
The Yahoo product feedback forum now requires a valid Yahoo ID and password to participate.
You are now required to sign-in using your Yahoo email account in order to provide us with feedback and to submit votes and comments to existing ideas. If you do not have a Yahoo ID or the password to your Yahoo ID, please sign-up for a new account.
If you have a valid Yahoo ID and password, follow these steps if you would like to remove your posts, comments, votes, and/or profile from the Yahoo product feedback forum.
- Vote for an existing idea ( )
- or
- Post a new idea…
- Hot ideas
- Top ideas
- New ideas
- Category
- Status
- My feedback
Improve your services
Your search engine does not find any satisfactory results for searches. It is too weak. Also, the server of bing is often off
I created a yahoo/email account long ago but I lost access to it; can y'all delete all my yahoo/yahoo account except for my newest YaAccount
I want all my lost access yahoo account 'delete'; Requesting supporter for these old account deletion; 'except' my Newest yahoo account this Account don't delete! Because I don't want it interfering my online 'gamble' /games/business/data/ Activity , because the computer/security program might 'scure' my Information and detect theres other account; then secure online activities/ business securing from my suspicion because of my other account existing will make the security program be 'Suspicious' until I'm 'secure'; and if I'm gambling online 'Depositing' then I need those account 'delete' because the insecurity 'Suspicioun' will program the casino game 'Programs' securities' to be 'secure' then it'll be 'unfair' gaming and I'll lose because of the insecurity can be a 'Excuse'. Hope y'all understand my explanation!
I want all my lost access yahoo account 'delete'; Requesting supporter for these old account deletion; 'except' my Newest yahoo account this Account don't delete! Because I don't want it interfering my online 'gamble' /games/business/data/ Activity , because the computer/security program might 'scure' my Information and detect theres other account; then secure online activities/ business securing from my suspicion because of my other account existing will make the security program be 'Suspicious' until I'm 'secure'; and if I'm gambling online 'Depositing' then I need those account 'delete' because the insecurity 'Suspicioun' will program the casino game 'Programs' securities' to be… more
chithidio@Yahoo.com
i dont know what happened but i can not search anything.
Golf handicap tracker, why can't I get to it?
Why do I get redirected on pc and mobile device?
Rahyaftco@yahoo.com
RYAN RAHSAD BELL literally means
Question on a link
In the search for Anaïs Nin, one of the first few links shows a picture of a man. Why? Since Nin is a woman, I can’t figure out why. Can you show some reason for this? Who is he? If you click on the picture a group of pictures of Nin and no mention of that man. Is it an error?
Repair the Yahoo Search App.
Yahoo Search App from the Google Play Store on my Samsung Galaxy S8+ phone stopped working on May 18, 2018.
I went to the Yahoo Troubleshooting page but the article that said to do a certain 8 steps to fix the problem with Yahoo Services not working and how to fix the problem. Of course they didn't work.
I contacted Samsung thru their Samsung Tutor app on my phone. I gave their Technican access to my phone to see if there was a problem with my phone that stopped the Yahoo Search App from working. He went to Yahoo and I signed in so he could try to fix the Yahoo Search App not working. He also used another phone, installed the app from the Google Play Store to see if the app would do any kind of search thru the app. The Yahoo Search App just wasn't working.
I also had At&t try to help me because I have UVERSE for my internet service. My internet was working perfectly. Their Technical Support team member checked the Yahoo Search App and it wouldn't work for him either.
We can go to www.yahoo.com and search for any topic or website. It's just the Yahoo Search App that won't allow anyone to do web searches at all.
I let Google know that the Yahoo Search App installed from their Google Play Store had completely stopped working on May 18, 2018.
I told them that Yahoo has made sure that their Yahoo members can't contact them about anything.
I noticed that right after I accepted the agreement that said Oath had joined with Verizon I started having the problem with the Yahoo Search App.
No matter what I search for or website thru the Yahoo Search App it says the following after I searched for
www.att.com.
WEBPAGE NOT AVAILABLE
This webpage at gttp://r.search.yahoo.com/_ylt=A0geJGq8BbkrgALEMMITE5jylu=X3oDMTEzcTjdWsyBGNvbG8DYmyxBHBvcwMxBHZ0aWQDTkFQUEMwxzEEc2VjA3NylRo=10/Ru=https%3a%2f%2fwww.att.att.com%2f/Rk=2/Es=plkGNRAB61_XKqFjTEN7J8cXA-
could not be loaded because:
net::ERR_CLEARTEXT_NOT_PERMITTED
I tried to search for things like www.homedepot.com. The same thing happened. It would say WEBPAGE NOT AVAILABLE. The only thing that changed were all the upper and lower case letters, numbers and symbols.
Then it would again say
could not be loaded because:
net::ERR_CLEARTEXT_NOT_PERMITTED
This is the same thing that happened when Samsung and At&t tried to do any kind of searches thru the Yahoo Search App.
Yahoo needs to fix the problem with their app.
Yahoo Search App from the Google Play Store on my Samsung Galaxy S8+ phone stopped working on May 18, 2018.
I went to the Yahoo Troubleshooting page but the article that said to do a certain 8 steps to fix the problem with Yahoo Services not working and how to fix the problem. Of course they didn't work.
I contacted Samsung thru their Samsung Tutor app on my phone. I gave their Technican access to my phone to see if there was a problem with my phone that stopped the Yahoo Search App from working. He went to Yahoo and… more
Multibit is No Longer Supported
Dear Bitcoin Community,
It is time for us to let Multibit go.
KeepKey acquired Multibit a little over 1 year ago. At the time, the engineers who originally built and supported Multibit had announced that they would no longer be working on it or providing support. Multibit played an important role in the Bitcoin infrastructure. We felt that it was important for Multibit to continue and hoped that with our existing support and development teams, we would be able to keep Multibit alive.
The reality is that Multibit is in need of a lot of work. It has stubborn bugs that have caused us and Multibit users much grief. Additionally, Bitcoin has gone through a fundamental change in regards to the way fees work. The addition of SegWit in the coming weeks will mean the Multibit software has fallen still further behind.
Unfortunately, KeepKey simply does not have the resources to support the current issues, nor to rebuild Multibit to ensure ideal user experience. By focusing our attention on the KeepKey device, we will continue building and improving the best hardware wallet available.
Thus, KeepKey will discontinue support and maintenance of Multibit, effective immediately.
We recommend that all Multibit users discontinue using it and you move your keys to other wallet software of your choosing. We wrote a blog post describes some options of your options in more detail.
Multibit was a fantastic piece of software in its time, and we want to thank the Multibit developers for such an important contribution to Bitcoin's history.
Best Wallet for Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Dozens of Other Cryptocurrencies
Our digital asset wallet, Jaxx, was created in 2014 by Ethereum co-founder Anthony Diiorio. We now have dozens of blockchain tokens available and a wallet that runs on iOS, Android, Windows, Mac, and other platforms.
Jaxx Blockchain Interface
Jaxx is a cryptocurrency wallet available for download on 8 platforms. The Jaxx wallet is the top choice of Bitcoin users and cryptocurrency traders worldwide for its security, privacy, and simple yet powerful set of features.
Once you’ve bought Bitcoin, Ethereum or other digital assets on an exchange like Coinbase, Kraken or QuadrigaCX it’s time to take control of your coins from them. It's time to get a Jaxx wallet to handle your cryptocurrencies.
Get control your Bitcoin, Ethereum and other cryptocurrencies by moving them off of exchanges and into Jaxx where you have true ownership of your private keys. We simplify owning Bitcoin, Ethereum, Litecoin, Dash, and dozens of other digital assets. Jaxx is beautiful, frictionless and intuitive. It also has free customer support if you encounter any issues while using it.
The Browser for Value Transfer
Jaxx is a simple tool for you to use to hold, control, and trade your Bitcoin, Ethereum, Litecoin, Dash, Zcash, Augur, Salt, Civic, Qtum, Blockchain Capital, Bancor, and dozens of other blockchain-based assets.
You can start using Jaxx immediately, for free, without having to register or sign up for any service. The Jaxx wallet gives you complete control of your "private keys", which you can use with any other cryptocurrency wallet or software. We don't lock-you-in to our platform and we want you to be as free as possible.
You can access your Jaxx wallet on any of the platforms we support. For instance, changes you make in Jaxx in our iPhone app will be visible the next time you open Jaxx on your desktop or laptop, simply by pairing your devices one-time with the Jaxx 12-word backup phrase.
Hardware wallet
A hardware wallet is a special type of bitcoin wallet which stores the user's private keys in a secure hardware device.
They have major advantages over standard software wallets:
- private keys are often stored in a protected area of a microcontroller, and cannot be transferred out of the device in plaintext
- immune to computer viruses that steal from software wallets
- can be used securely and interactively, private keys never need to touch potentially-vulnerable software
- much of the time, the software is open source, allowing a user to validate the entire operation of the device
This page is an attempt to summarize all the known developments of hardware wallets that can use Bitcoin as part of their operation.
Security risks
To date there have been no verifiable incidents of Bitcoins stolen from hardware wallets. Hardware wallets are relatively new, but at least for the time being they have maintained a good track record, unlike the numerous incidents of Bitcoin theft from Internet-connected computers.
However, it's important to understand that hardware wallets are a high value target and depend on various assumptions holding true to maintain security. They are not a silver bullet, and there are several realistic ways in which a hardware wallet can fail to protect your Bitcoin. These risks need to be carefully considered when deciding how much trust to place in a hardware wallet, and which hardware wallet to buy.
How a hardware wallet could fail to protect your Bitcoin:
- Malware swaps recipient Bitcoin addresses: a hardware wallet won't protect you from being tricked into sending Bitcoin to the wrong address. For example, malware on a PC could monitor for high value transactions and then swap out the recipient's authentic Bitcoin address for an address controlled by the attacker. When the stakes are high, multi factor (e.g., over the phone) confirmation of a recipient's Bitcoin address is recommended.
- Insecure RNG (Random Number Generator): hardware wallets rely on the security of an RNG, often embedded in hardware, to generate your wallet's private keys securely. Unfortunately, it is notoriously difficult to verify the true randomness of the RNG. An insecure RNG may create wallet keys that can later be recreated by an attacker, by generating psuedo-randomness that would seem statistically indistinguishable from true randomness yet still be predictable to an advanced attacker. An RNG may become insecure as a result of malicious weakening or an unintentional mistake. This failure mode is common to any wallet generation procedure in which the true randomness of the source of entropy being used can not be verified.
- Imperfect implementation: the security of all computing devices relies on the quality of their implementation. Hardware wallets are no exception. Bugs at the software, firmware or hardware level may allow attackers to break into a hardware wallet and gain unauthorized access to secrets. Even if the design is perfect, proving the security of a hardware or software implementation is a very hard, mostly unsolved problem. To date, no wallet in existence is implemented using provably correct software.
- Compromised production process: even a perfect software and hardware implementation of a hardware wallet would be vulnerable to a corrupt production process that introduces intentional or unintentional holes into the final product. The introduction of hardware backdoors is a real concern for high risk financial and military applications.
- Compromised shipping process: a compromised fulfillment process may substitute or modify secure devices for superficially identical but insecure replacements. Government programs that intercept hardware and modify them in route to insert backdoors are known to exist.
- While not a silver bullet hardware wallets can still be extremely useful, assuming you take care to use a good one: an authentic device manufactured by trustworthy, technically competent security experts with a good reputation (e.g., TREZOR).
- Cold storage solutions implemented with open source software and general purpose hardware (e.g., BitKey, Pi Wallet), using a verifiable source of entropy such as physical dice may provide superior security for some use cases (e.g., long term savings).
Connecting to a full node
By default, most hardware wallets instruct the user to connect to the manufacturer's own web interface. The web page cannot steal the user's private keys but can spy on them or trick them into accept fake payments.
Hardware wallets only keep the private keys safe and create spending transactions; they cannot tell you if you have actually received coins and in what quantity. Bitcoin's security model also requires that full node wallets are used. If not, somebody could pay you with a transaction of something other than bitcoin. If bitcoin is digital gold then a full node wallet is your own personal goldsmith who checks that the incoming payments are actually real. Also the third-party wallet will see all your bitcoin addresses so this is very damaging to your privacy.
Most hardware wallets can be connected to Electrum bitcoin wallet. Electrum can be connected to your own full node via a server.
US Search Mobile Web
Welcome to the Yahoo Search forum! We’d love to hear your ideas on how to improve Yahoo Search.
The Yahoo product feedback forum now requires a valid Yahoo ID and password to participate.
You are now required to sign-in using your Yahoo email account in order to provide us with feedback and to submit votes and comments to existing ideas. If you do not have a Yahoo ID or the password to your Yahoo ID, please sign-up for a new account.
If you have a valid Yahoo ID and password, follow these steps if you would like to remove your posts, comments, votes, and/or profile from the Yahoo product feedback forum.
- Vote for an existing idea ( )
- or
- Post a new idea…
- Hot ideas
- Top ideas
- New ideas
- Category
- Status
- My feedback
Improve your services
Your search engine does not find any satisfactory results for searches. It is too weak. Also, the server of bing is often off
I created a yahoo/email account long ago but I lost access to it; can y'all delete all my yahoo/yahoo account except for my newest YaAccount
I want all my lost access yahoo account 'delete'; Requesting supporter for these old account deletion; 'except' my Newest yahoo account this Account don't delete! Because I don't want it interfering my online 'gamble' /games/business/data/ Activity , because the computer/security program might 'scure' my Information and detect theres other account; then secure online activities/ business securing from my suspicion because of my other account existing will make the security program be 'Suspicious' until I'm 'secure'; and if I'm gambling online 'Depositing' then I need those account 'delete' because the insecurity 'Suspicioun' will program the casino game 'Programs' securities' to be 'secure' then it'll be 'unfair' gaming and I'll lose because of the insecurity can be a 'Excuse'. Hope y'all understand my explanation!
I want all my lost access yahoo account 'delete'; Requesting supporter for these old account deletion; 'except' my Newest yahoo account this Account don't delete! Because I don't want it interfering my online 'gamble' /games/business/data/ Activity , because the computer/security program might 'scure' my Information and detect theres other account; then secure online activities/ business securing from my suspicion because of my other account existing will make the security program be 'Suspicious' until I'm 'secure'; and if I'm gambling online 'Depositing' then I need those account 'delete' because the insecurity 'Suspicioun' will program the casino game 'Programs' securities' to be… more
chithidio@Yahoo.com
i dont know what happened but i can not search anything.
Golf handicap tracker, why can't I get to it?
Why do I get redirected on pc and mobile device?
Rahyaftco@yahoo.com
RYAN RAHSAD BELL literally means
Question on a link
In the search for Anaïs Nin, one of the first few links shows a picture of a man. Why? Since Nin is a woman, I can’t figure out why. Can you show some reason for this? Who is he? If you click on the picture a group of pictures of Nin and no mention of that man. Is it an error?
Repair the Yahoo Search App.
Yahoo Search App from the Google Play Store on my Samsung Galaxy S8+ phone stopped working on May 18, 2018.
I went to the Yahoo Troubleshooting page but the article that said to do a certain 8 steps to fix the problem with Yahoo Services not working and how to fix the problem. Of course they didn't work.
I contacted Samsung thru their Samsung Tutor app on my phone. I gave their Technican access to my phone to see if there was a problem with my phone that stopped the Yahoo Search App from working. He went to Yahoo and I signed in so he could try to fix the Yahoo Search App not working. He also used another phone, installed the app from the Google Play Store to see if the app would do any kind of search thru the app. The Yahoo Search App just wasn't working.
I also had At&t try to help me because I have UVERSE for my internet service. My internet was working perfectly. Their Technical Support team member checked the Yahoo Search App and it wouldn't work for him either.
We can go to www.yahoo.com and search for any topic or website. It's just the Yahoo Search App that won't allow anyone to do web searches at all.
I let Google know that the Yahoo Search App installed from their Google Play Store had completely stopped working on May 18, 2018.
I told them that Yahoo has made sure that their Yahoo members can't contact them about anything.
I noticed that right after I accepted the agreement that said Oath had joined with Verizon I started having the problem with the Yahoo Search App.
No matter what I search for or website thru the Yahoo Search App it says the following after I searched for
www.att.com.
WEBPAGE NOT AVAILABLE
This webpage at gttp://r.search.yahoo.com/_ylt=A0geJGq8BbkrgALEMMITE5jylu=X3oDMTEzcTjdWsyBGNvbG8DYmyxBHBvcwMxBHZ0aWQDTkFQUEMwxzEEc2VjA3NylRo=10/Ru=https%3a%2f%2fwww.att.att.com%2f/Rk=2/Es=plkGNRAB61_XKqFjTEN7J8cXA-
could not be loaded because:
net::ERR_CLEARTEXT_NOT_PERMITTED
I tried to search for things like www.homedepot.com. The same thing happened. It would say WEBPAGE NOT AVAILABLE. The only thing that changed were all the upper and lower case letters, numbers and symbols.
Then it would again say
could not be loaded because:
net::ERR_CLEARTEXT_NOT_PERMITTED
This is the same thing that happened when Samsung and At&t tried to do any kind of searches thru the Yahoo Search App.
Yahoo needs to fix the problem with their app.
Yahoo Search App from the Google Play Store on my Samsung Galaxy S8+ phone stopped working on May 18, 2018.
I went to the Yahoo Troubleshooting page but the article that said to do a certain 8 steps to fix the problem with Yahoo Services not working and how to fix the problem. Of course they didn't work.
I contacted Samsung thru their Samsung Tutor app on my phone. I gave their Technican access to my phone to see if there was a problem with my phone that stopped the Yahoo Search App from working. He went to Yahoo and… more
Cryptocurrency Wallets
Whether you're new to the world of cryptocurrency or a veteran of crypto trading, the Wirex Wallet gives you a full range of security features ensuring that you can buy, spend or transfer your funds with ease, no matter where you are
Buy bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies safely with super-high limits at world-class exchange rates directly from the Wirex account.
Store cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin, Litecoin and Dash in industry-leading maximum security blockchain wallets.
Deposit and exchange altcoins like NEM, Neo, or OmiseGo to fund your Wirex Account. Over 50 altcoins supported!
Convert crypto into traditional currency via your Wirex Wallet. Funds are instantly available in your account.
Buy bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies safely with super-high limits at world-class exchange rates directly from the Wirex account.
Store cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin, Litecoin and Dash in industry-leading maximum security blockchain wallets.
Deposit and exchange altcoins like NEM, Neo, or OmiseGo to fund your Wirex Account. Over 50 altcoins supported!
Convert crypto into traditional currency via your Wirex Wallet. Funds are instantly available in your account.
Secured with 2-Factor Authentication and multi-signature protection
Your cryptocurrency wallet is available online via desktop or from the Wirex app on your mobile
Multi-Crypto Wallets
Protect your crypto with ultra-secure wallets for major coins including Bitcoin and Litecoin
Crypto Exchange
Wirex makes it super-convenient to exchange currencies in any direction between £, $, €, Bitcoin and Litecoin
Spend Crypto
Sell your crypto (50+ altcoins supported) to fund your Wirex currency account and then spend funds using your Wirex payment card anywhere Visa is accepted
Free Transfers
Cryptocurrency wallet transfers are 100% free between Wirex customers. No bank or expensive money transfer service needed
Plus so much more.
Ready to Get Started?
Get a free wallet and explore
No documents required. Register online and explore your new Wirex account today.
Choose Your Power
The Wirex Account gives you cutting-edge cryptocurrency management along with traditional current accounts and globally accepted debit cards.
Which is the Best Bitcoin Wallet?
This guide will help you to find the best Bitcoin wallet for YOU!
There's no "one size fits all" Bitcoin wallet. Wallets come on different platforms with different features.
If you want the best possible wallet, keep reading.
Select Your Preferences
Wallet Finder
Just enter your wallet preferences and we'll show you the best wallet for your needs.
Recommendations
Ledger Nano S Buy Learn More
The Ledger Nano S is the cheapest hardware wallet. Hardware wallets secure your coins by storing them offline and away from hackers. The Ledger Nano S supports more coins than any other hardware wallet, like bitcoin, litecoin, ether and more. It can be used with any desktop computer or Android device.
TREZOR Buy Learn More
TREZOR launched in August 2014 as the first Bitcoin hardware wallet, offering secure bitcoin storage plus the ability to spend with the convenience of a hot wallet. TREZOR is a small, thumb-sized device.
Samourai Wallet
Samourai is 100% the best available Android wallet. It has the most features, the best privacy and its developers are constantly working to add the latest Bitcoin features to the wallet. Samourai Wallet has been around for more than 3 years and its code is fully open source.
Coinomi
Coinomi is the most popular multi-coin cryptocurrency wallet for iOS and Android. It supports over 100+ coins including bitcoin, litecoin, ether, dash and more.
BRD
BRD is a mobile wallet for both Android and iOS. Its clean interface makes it easy to use for beginners. It supports bitcoin and ether.
Electrum
Electrum wallet is an easy to use desktop wallet for Mac, Windows and Linux. It's east and fast to setup so you can start sending and receiving bitcoins right away.
Exodus
Exodus is the most popular multi-coin cryptocurrency wallet. It supports Bitcoin, ether, litecoin, dash, Golem and many more.
What is a Bitcoin Wallet?
A Bitcoin wallet is the first step to using Bitcoin.
A “wallet” is basically the Bitcoin equivalent of a bank account. It allows you to receive bitcoins, store them, and then send them to others.
You can think of a wallet as your personal interface to the Bitcoin network, similar to how your online bank account is an interface to the regular monetary system.
Bitcoin wallets contain private keys; secret codes that allow you to spend your bitcoins.
In reality, it’s not bitcoins that need to be stored and secured, but the private keys that give you access to them.
A Bitcoin wallet is simply an app, website, or device that manages Bitcoin private keys for you.
This guide will show you how to create a bitcoin wallet and pick the best one.
Types of Bitcoin Wallets
Let's discuss the types of bitcoin wallets and why you might want to use one kind over another.
Hardware Wallets
A hardware wallet is a physical electronic device, built for the sole purpose of securing bitcoins.
The core innovation is that the hardware wallet must be connected to your computer, phone, or tablet before bitcoins may be spent.
The three most popular and best Bitcoin hardware wallets are:
Hardware wallets are a good choice if you’re serious about security and convenient, reliable Bitcoin storage.
Bitcoin hardware wallets keep private keys separate from vulnerable, internet-connected devices.
Your all-important private keys are maintained in a secure offline environment on the hardware wallet, fully protected even should the device be plugged into a malware-infected computer.
As bitcoins are digital, cyber-criminals could, potentially, target your computer’s “software wallet” and steal them by accessing your private key.
Generating and storing private keys offline using a hardware wallet ensures that hackers have no way to reach your bitcoins.
Hackers would have to steal the hardware wallet itself, but even then, it can be protected with a PIN code.
Don’t worry about your hardware wallet getting stolen, lost or damaged either; so long as you create a secret backup code, you can always retrieve your bitcoins.
Think of a hardware wallet like your own underground steel vault. If you own a significant amount of bitcoin, you should strongly consider getting one!
Why are hardware wallets good?
- Easiest way to securely store bitcoins
- Easy to backup and secure
- Less margin for error; setup is easy even for less technical users
Why are hardware wallets bad?
- They're not free!
Hot Wallets
Hot wallets are Bitcoin wallets that run on internet connected devices like a computer, mobile phone, or tablet.
Private keys are secret codes. Because hot wallets generate your private keys on an internet connected device, these private keys can’t be considered 100% secure.
Think of a hot wallet like your wallet today: you use it to store some cash, but not your life savings. Hot wallets are great if you make frequent payments, but not a good choice for the secure storage of bitcoins.
Why are hot wallets good?
- Easiest way to store small amounts of bitcoin
- Convenient; spending and receiving payments is easy and fast
- Some hot wallets allow access to funds across multiple devices
Why are hot wallets bad?
- Not safe for the secure storage of large amounts of bitcoins
Which Wallet is Best for You?
Investing or saving? Then a hardware wallet will keep your coins safe.
Otherwise, a software wallet will send and receive bitcoins just fine. Best of all, software wallets are free.
Each wallet has pros and cons, and different wallets are built to solve different problems.
Here is a video that may help:
Some wallets may be geared towards security, while some wallets may be more focused on privacy.
Your specific needs should determine the wallet you use, as there is no “best bitcoin wallet”.
Below, we've listed wallets you can buy or download. We suggest using the wallets listed or doing research before buying or downloading any wallet.
Each day, new Bitcoin scam wallets are added to the Google Play Store and Apple app store that are designed to steal peoples' bitcoins.
We only list wallets that have published and open-sourced their code.
Hardware Wallets: Keep Your Coins Safe
Hardware wallets aren't free.
But the price can be worth it if you own a significant amount of bitcoins. A hardware wallet will protect a few hundred in Bitcoin just as effectively as a few million.
How Hardware Wallets Work
Hardware wallets are secure, offline devices. They store your private keys offline so they can't be hacked.
This means you can even use one on a malware infected computer.
Why A Hardware Wallet with a Screen is Important
In the table below, you'll notice we show which hardware wallets have screens.
Screens provide extra security by verifying and displaying important wallet details. Since the hardware wallet is nearly impossible to hack, its screen is more trustworthy than data displayed on your computer.
Bitcoin Hardware Wallet Comparison
Check the table below for a quick comparison. Note:
Best Bitcoin Hardware Wallet Overviews
Ledger Nano S Buy Learn More
The Ledger Nano S is the cheapest of the three hardware wallets with a screen; it costs about $95. Ledger, one of the most well-known Bitcoin security companies, released the device in August 2016.
TREZOR Buy Learn More
TREZOR launched in August 2014 as the first Bitcoin hardware wallet, offering secure bitcoin storage plus the ability to spend with the convenience of a hot wallet. TREZOR is a small, thumb-sized device.
KeepKey Buy Learn More
KeepKey was released in September 2015 and was the second hardware Bitcoin wallet to offer a screen. The KeepKey's larger screen gives it some extra security features that the Nano S and Trezor lack.
Hot Wallets
Just a quick refresher:
Hot wallets are Bitcoin wallets that run on internet connected devices like a computer, mobile phone, or tablet. As hot wallets generate private keys on an internet connected device, these private keys can’t be considered 100% secure.
Think of a hot wallet like your wallet today: you use it to store some cash, but not your life savings. Hot wallets are great if you make frequent payments, but not a good choice for the secure storage of bitcoins.
Online Bitcoin Wallets (Web Wallets)
Web wallets store your private keys online, where they are encrypted with a user-selected password. Although they offer the lowest level of security, online bitcoin wallets have the advantage of being accessible from any internet connected device.
GreenAddress
GreenAddress is a multi-signature Bitcoin wallet available on the web, desktop, Android, and iOS. GreenAddress is compatible with hardware wallets like TREZOR, Ledger Nano, and the HW.1.
“Multi-signature” in this context means that the site requires a manual confirmation from you for your coins to be moved; this greatly improves security.
Android Bitcoin Wallets
There is a large selection of Android wallets. Since Bitcoin wallets were originally banned by Apple, developers spent much of their time developing for Android.
Samourai Wallet
Samourai is 100% the best available Android wallet. It has the most features, the best privacy and its developers are constantly working to add the latest Bitcoin features to the wallet. Samourai Wallet has been around for more than 3 years and its code is fully open source.
Mycelium
Mycelium is the most popular Bitcoin wallet on Android. It's very easy to use for sending and receiving payments. Backing up your wallet is also simple, since Mycelium makes it very clear with setup and backup instructions.
breadwallet
breadwallet, the great iPhone Bitcoin wallet, recently released an Android wallet. It offers the user control of private keys, an easy to use interface, and passcode support.
Edge
Edge is an easy to use Bitcoin wallet for iPhone and Android. Its familiar login feature makes using the app a breeze for people new to bitcoin. The wallet also creates automatic backups, so you don't have to worry about the technicalities of performing manual wallet backups.
GreenBits
GreenBits is the native Android version of GreenAddress. It’s a multi-signature wallet that also supports hardware wallets like TREZOR and Ledger.
Bitcoin Wallet
Bitcoin Wallet, or “Schildbach Wallet”, was the first mobile Bitcoin wallet. Bitcoin Wallet is more secure than most mobile Bitcoin wallets, because it connects directly to the Bitcoin network. Bitcoin Wallet has a simple interface and just the right amount of features, making it a great wallet and a great educational tool for Bitcoin beginners.
iOS and iPhone Bitcoin Wallets
Apple banned Bitcoin wallets from the App Store in February 2014, but reversed its decision a few months later. Luckily, there are now plenty of options for iOS users.
breadwallet
We consider breadwallet, along with Copay (below), as the best bitcoin wallet for iPhone. It’s open source and gives the user full control over their private keys. It also has a clean interface which makes the sending and receiving of bitcoins a pleasurable and super-simple process.
Edge
Edge is an easy to use Bitcoin wallet for iPhone and Android. Its familiar login feature makes using the app a breeze for people new to bitcoin. The wallet also creates automatic backups, so you don't have to worry about the technicalities of performing manual wallet backups.
Desktop Wallets
Desktop wallets are downloaded and installed on your computer. If privacy is your main concern, the Bitcoin core wallet is a good option since it does not rely on third parties for data.
Electrum
Electrum is a light weight Bitcoin wallet for Mac, Linux, and Windows. Electrum was created in November 2011. The main features of Electrum are: support for hardware wallets (such as TREZOR, Ledger Nano and KeepKey), and secure Bitcoin storage using an offline computer. Electrum is a good option for both beginners and advanced users.
Bitcoin Banks: $1 Billion Lost in Hacks
One last thing to keep in mind when it comes to bitcoin wallets is that there is a difference between a wallet and a bank. Some Bitcoin users view Coinbase as a Bitcoin wallet, but companies like this operate much more like banks.
The private keys are what users need to protect to safely use the Bitcoin network without getting robbed. When you hand someone else control over your private keys, you are essentially making a deposit at that financial institution – much like a deposit at any bank.
Don't store coins on exchanges! Bitcoin users have lost over $1 billion worth of bitcoins in exchange hacks and scams. Control your own private keys.
This is not to say that bitcoin banks are inherently bad. Companies like Coinbase have done wonders for bringing more users into the ecosystem. It is simply important to remember that whoever controls the private keys controls the bitcoin attached to those keys.
A misunderstanding of this point has led to hundreds of millions of US dollars being lost in the past, so it’s important to understand this critical difference in how Bitcoin private keys can be stored.
Understanding how bitcoin wallets work is an important aspect of safely using this new technology. Bitcoin is still in its early years of development and wallets will become much more user-friendly in time.
In the near future, certain devices may eventually come with pre-installed wallets that interact with the blockchain without the user’s knowledge.
For now, it’s vital to keep in mind that the private keys are what you need to protect if you want to keep your bitcoin safe from hackers, user error, and other possible issues.
Theft and Scams
No matter which wallet you choose, remember:
Your bitcoins are only safe if the private key was generated securely, remains a secret, and--most importantly--is controlled only by YOU!
Here are two examples where users got ripped off by leaving bitcoins in the care of a third party:
To avoid theft, scams, and any other loss of funds, follow these three basic principles:
- Generate your private keys in a secure, offline environment. (Except if using trivial amounts, in which cases keys may be created in a hot wallet).
- Create backups of your private keys. This helps to protect against the loss of your bitcoins due to hard drive failure or some other problem or accident. Ideally you should have a duplicate set of backups kept off-site to protect against the possibility of fire, robbery, etc.
- Encrypt wallets to provide additional security. This helps prevent the physical theft of your funds in the event that your device or hardware wallet is stolen.
Securing your bitcoins properly is the most important step for any Bitcoin user.
With Bitcoin you have the privilege - but also the responsibility - to safeguard your own money. There have been countless scams related to Bitcoin that could have been prevented had people not entrusted others with their bitcoins.
It’s a good rule of thumb to never trust anyone else with your money.
Bonus Chapter
Bitcoin Wallet Frequently Asked Questions
Bitcoin wallets. What are they?
Bitcoin Wallets let us send, receive and store Bitcoin amounts all the way down to the Satoshi unit.
Wallets secure funds by guarding our private keys. These private keys act as the proof of ownership for our Bitcoins. As such, a Bitcoin wallet is like a key to your safe deposit box on the Blockchain.
What is a private key?
Private keys emerged as a way to communicate securely through insecure communication channels.
Historically, before the advent of public key cryptography, the greatest cryptographic weakness was the inability to communicate the ‘key’ that makes sense of encrypted messages. As a solution, the use of two keys (public and private) entered the picture.
It’s a nifty little trick.
Keys come in pairs. The public key is used to encrypt the message whereas the private key decrypts the message. The only person with the private key is you. Everyone else is free to have your public key. As a result, everyone can send you encrypted messages without having to agree on a key beforehand. They simply use your public key and you untangle the gibberish by using your private key.
Why should I care about private keys?
At the end of the day, all of this can go over your head without much danger. Just remember that it’s good to know what you’re dealing with. Bitcoin wallets make use of a fundamental cryptographic principle that we use for things ranging from https for websites or sending anonymous tips to Wikileaks. Most importantly, by understanding private keys you’ll have a much easier familiarizing yourself with Cold Storage wallets.
What is a Bitcoin address?
A Bitcoin address is like an account number, just better. The address denotes which wallet the coins should be sent to. Like a bank account number, where the difference lies in the wallets having multiple addresses. These can be customized by including payment request information such as an amount and a date of expiration.
What should I know about addresses?
Bitcoin wallet addresses are case sensitive, usually have 34 characters of numbers and lowercase letters, start with either a 1 or a 3, and never use 0, O, l and I to make every character in the address as clear as possible. That’s a lot to take in. But don’t worry. What they consist of is largely irrelevant to you. Just know they’re a string of characters that denote a destination on the Bitcoin Blockchain.
How do I generate a Bitcoin address for my wallet?
How to generate a new Bitcoin Address varies between wallets. Some manage your addresses for you. Others give you full control. As with many other Bitcoin technologies, the option to dirty your own hands is always open.
If you do end up taking the easier route, just press a button to generate a new address for your wallet.
Some wallets, like Electrum, allow you choose in how many blocks your transaction should be confirmed. The faster you want your payment to go through, the more you will have to pay miners for confirming your activity. We find here another difference between Bitcoin wallets and Bank accounts. Given the right wallet, the control and oversight that we have over our transactions is far more extensive than that of the traditional banking system.
How do I fund a Bitcoin Wallet?
First, acquire some Bitcoins. Go through an exchange in your country, ask an acquaintance to share, or use Buybitcoinworldwide.com if you want as seamless of an experience as possible. The purchased coins can then be sent to your wallet by specifying one of its addresses.
Some wallets, particularly online ones, also let you buy coins. Keep in mind that these come with larger exchange margins which are best left alone.
Are Bitcoins safe?
Is Bitcoin a safe way to store value digitally? Are we wise to save our coins on our computer? It’s true that online wallets are necessarily more dangerous than offline wallets. However, even offline wallets can be breached, meaning that security in the Bitcoin world depends largely on following good practices. Just like you would avoid flailing your bills about in a dangerous place, you should make sure to keep your passwords and keys as safe as possible.
How do I secure my Wallet?
- Secure your computer
- Restrict unsupervised access. Set a strong password and close all ports and maintain a strict firewall.
- Frequently change address. Use a different address for every transaction.
- Multiple Signatures (Multi-sig). Multiple private keys to deter breaches.
Where are Bitcoins stored?
Bitcoins simply consist of a string of data. That’s why they can be stored anywhere. You could paint Bitcoin on a wall with your blood. Nobody does that though. Hopefully.
Instead, we store BTC on computers because we need them handy to trade. After all, we need to be connected to the internet to send value from one wallet to another over the Blockchain.
How do I open a Bitcoin account?
To some readers this might seem like a weird question. Truth is, people coming from a financial or business background are likely to expect Bitcoin to be a direct alternative to our current financial system. This is not the case.
You don’t need a Bitcoin account. There is no such thing really. You just need a wallet. The only accounts you might encounter are online wallets that are separated into various accounts via a user system.
How do I know which wallet is best for me?
Let’s be honest. It’s unreasonable to expect anyone else to make this decision for you. After all, your preference depends entirely on your personality and needs. So just be honest with yourself.
Frankly, you shouldn’t need anything complicated if you’re using the wallet for simple internet expenses or as a way to save money.
If, however, you’re planning to run a Bitcoin centered business make sure to use advanced wallets that support automated mass payments.
Any common mistakes to be careful of?
First of all, don’t rest your money in an exchange wallet. Keep your coins in an environment where you have complete control.
Secondly, don’t keep all of your coins in one place. You’ll be crushed if you lose access to a wallet with all of your funds.
Thirdly, double check the target address. Bitcoin transactions cannot be reversed, so don’t lose your coins forever to a stranger!
Last of all, use trusted online wallets (if at all). Don’t just trust anyone with your money. Make sure that the online wallet provider has a reputation of upholding the highest possible security standards.
Security Risks with Hardware Wallets
Hardware wallets are more secure than any other software wallet, like one that runs on your Android or iOS device, or desktop. However, hardware wallets have some unique security risks to be aware of.
Tampering of the Device
We always recommend to order directly from the hardware seller. This is because someone can buy a hardware wallet, tamper with it, and sell it used. They could program it to steal any bitcoins or add a back door.
Most hardware wallets add some special kind of tape on the packaging to try to make any tampering more noticeable. This is another reason we recommend only ordering from the hardware wallet company, and not from a website like eBay.
Bad Random Number Generator
Bitcoin private keys are based on cryptography. Random number generators, also called RNGs, are used to create the private keys that secure bitcoins.
If the random number generator is not random enough, that means someone else can recreate the private key of the hardware wallet easier. This attack has happened in the past with blockchain.info, a web wallet. Over 300 BTC were lost because blockchain.info did not use good RNG, so a hacker was able to generate the private keys again and steal coins.
One way to help prevent this is to use the hardware wallet’s custom 25th word. TREZOR, for example, allows you to add a 25th word to the 24 word seed. This means that you can technically add your own RNG to the computer generated RNG to ensure your private key will be truly based on good RNG.
What happens if the hardware wallet company goes out of business?
All hardware wallets listed above work with other wallets. So, if the hardware wallet company goes out of business you will still be able to use your wallet with a different wallet like Electrum.
Let’s say you use TREZOR with TREZOR’s myTREZOR wallet. TREZOR goes out of business and no longer supports myTREZOR wallet and it gets shut down.
You could, in just a few minutes, download Electrum on your computer. Once installed, you’d setup your TREZOR and all of your transaction history and balance would get imported and be exactly the same. This is because Electrum will use the same 24-word seed you generated with TREZOR on setup.
Which wallets can be used for each device?
Ledger Nano S, KeepKey and TREZOR all work with:
- Mycelium (Android version only)
- Electrum for Mac, Windows and Linux
- Multibit HD
- GreenAddress
Do these hardware wallets work for Ethereum?
Yes, all of these wallets work with Ethereum, Litecoin and many other coins.
TREZOR and Ledger both have blog posts explaining their integrations with various Ethereum wallets.
The hardware wallet tells me to write down the 24 word seed on paper.
Should I take a picture of the seed with my phone as a backup?
The seeds generated by hardware wallets are meant to be written down only. By taking a picture of your seed with an internet connected phone, you put your entire wallet on a device that is connected to the internet and easier for hackers to get into. Please do not do this!
Why do the hardware wallets have buttons?
The buttons are used to confirm transactions. In order to send a transaction, you must physically press or hold buttons on the devices. This is a security feature. If a hacker were to access the hardware wallet somehow, the hacker still would not be able to send a TX without physical access to the buttons. Read more about this in TREZOR’s security philosophy.
Do hardware wallets work with Coinbase?
One of the most frequent questions we get asked is how Coinbase works with hardware wallets.
It’s a trick question!
Coinbase does not work directly with hardware wallet. You should, however, send bitcoins from Coinbase directly to your hardware wallet once you buy. Never store bitcoins on Coinbase or any other exchange for long periods of time.
Too many people in the past have lost money from hacks like Bitfinex and Mt. Gox.
So, yes, use a hardware wallet in conjunction with Coinbase. Buy on Coinbase, then send to hardware wallet.
Also, what we said above goes for ALL exchanges. Use Bitstamp? Cool! Once you buy bitcoins on Stamp, send the coins to your hardware wallet. The same goes for Kraken, Poloniex, or any other exchange or service that holds your coins!
What other kinds of wallets can I use?
Other wallet types are hot wallets. This means they are wallets run on an internet connected computer.
Android wallets, iOS wallets and desktop wallets are all examples of this.
How many backups of my seed should I create?
We recommend keeping at least two backups of your seed in multiple locations.
You can also laminate your seed to protect against water damage or any other damage.
Keeping your seeds in fire proof safes can help protect in the event that the storage location is burned down.
Another option is to put your seed into metal manually using stamps, or using cryptosteel.
What happens if someone finds my 24 word seed?
Unless you’re using a 25th word, someone who finds your 24 word seed can sweep your entire wallet.
Coinbase is a web wallet with a simple design and a number of very useful features that make it excellent for beginners. You can send and receive bitcoins via email and buy and sell bitcoins directly from Coinbase.
Once you get the hang of things, it is better to move your coins off of Coinbase and into a wallet mentioned above like the Ledger Nano S . Coinbase is a good place to buy bitcoins and learn how it works, but not a good solution for long term storage.
A full-featured Android app enables access to all account functions on the go. Coinbase’s founders have a proven startup track record and have raised money from very prominent venture capitalists. This gives Coinbase a level of legitimacy unparalleled in the Bitcoin space. They are also one of the only large Bitcoin companies to never suffer a major hack. Click here to sign up.
Electrum is a software wallet that enables you to set up a strong level of security very quickly. During the simple installation process, you are given a twelve word phrase that will allow you to recover all of your bitcoins in the event that your computer fails. Your wallet is also encrypted by default which helps protect your coins against hackers. Electrum is available for Windows, OSX, and Linux and is our recommended software wallet for beginners. Click here to download the right version for your operating system.
Bitcoin Wallet for Android
For those looking for mobility and security, we recommend the simply-titled Bitcoin Wallet mobile app. There is a version for both Android and BlackBerry OS . It is a software wallet, so you retain complete control over your bitcoins. It also works well with QR codes and NFC, making transferring coins to someone else’s phone easier than writing a check. Be sure to backup your wallet (with the included “Backup Wallet” feature) or you risk losing all your coins the next time you get too close to a pool.
Other Wallets
We also recommend a few other wallets, but not for the beginning Bitcoin user. If you are up for more of a challenge, Armory is a good choice for those requiring the highest possible security, and the original Bitcoin-Qt client is also trusted and worth learning how to use.
Now that you have a wallet set up, it’s time to learn how to get some bitcoins .
Комментариев нет:
Отправить комментарий