How to start a bitcoin wallet and fill it with bitcoins - today this question worries, if not all, then many users of the global network.

Cryptocurrency - what is it?

Cryptocurrency is a certain category of digital currency - a subspecies of electronic money, the issue and promotion of which cannot be controlled by either states or individual citizens. Intermediary sites that transfer bitcoins or other cryptocurrencies from one wallet to another or withdraw it to a bank card may charge a commission at their discretion. The Bitcoin rate is unstable, anyone can watch the jumps.

Cryptocurrency is now legalized in many countries of the world, but there are states where the use of this category of electronic money is prohibited by law. No serious bank allows you to withdraw virtual money.

How to fund a bitcoin wallet? With the help of payment systems Qiwi, WebMoney, "Yandex.Money" and other "payments".

Where do bitcoins come from

The procedure for obtaining any kind of cryptocurrency is called mining. Payment for the undertaken simple actions is credited to the account of the earner. As mining develops, it becomes more and more difficult to mine cryptocurrency, which is why many Internet entrepreneurs compare this type of activity with gold mining.

You can pay for services or purchases from a wallet in which cryptocurrency is stored only by transferring funds from one wallet of the same type to another.

When the funds spent on obtaining cryptocurrency exceed its real value, the existence of this subspecies of electronic money ceases.

You can create a bitcoin wallet (or a carrier of another type of digital currency) in order to pay bills and make financial transfers on special sites that register electronic wallets for free.

Creating a wallet for collecting bitcoins on the Blockchain.info website

How to start a bitcoin wallet using the Blockchain service? The procedure is very simple.

Once on the site, the user should go to the tab that says “Wallet”, and then click on the inscription “Create a new wallet”.

After entering the email address and coming up with a password, the potential wallet holder continues registering a bitcoin wallet by pressing the "Continue" button, and when the key phrase required to restore access to the account opens in the window that appears, it must be written down or printed using the "Quick Print" option .

Once again clicking on the inscription "Continue", the user finds himself on a page with an identifier, which is recommended to be rewritten or saved in a separate file.

At the end of the procedure, you must specify a password that opens the newly created bitcoin wallet. Registration is considered completed after successful authorization on the site after clicking on the "Open Wallet" button.

At the end of the procedure, the user should get to the page where all the information regarding the received and spent bitcoins is written. The address for receiving this type of cryptocurrency is indicated at the bottom of the page.

How to create a Bitcoin Wallet (bitcoin wallet) for Android

Before getting a bitcoin wallet in your smartphone, its owner needs to make sure that the version of Bitcoin Wallet found on the global Web is comparable to the settings of the phone. Then the Bitcoin wallet downloaded from the Internet and installed on the smartphone will work offline.

If the wallet is installed correctly, the owner of the phone will be able to use the built-in Bitcoin Wallet applications - a calculator and a currency conversion program, using which you can display the available bitcoins (BTC) in the form of any other known currency.

The keys to the bitcoin wallet address and the address itself are stored in the phone's memory, usually in the wallet.dat file. The owner of the phone gets the opportunity to close access to the created wallet.dat wallet with a password.

How to start a bitcoin wallet in the WebMoney system. Instructions for a beginner

Users of the popular WebMoney payment system and those who have issued a formal passport can start a wallet for earning bitcoins. To do this, you must provide the site with your passport details and mobile phone number.

The offer to specify a mobile phone number comes immediately after the registration of a new user. At the next stage, the potential owner of the Bitcoin wallet is asked to enter personal data, after which the user who clicks on the "Continue" button will be redirected to a new page, where in the window that opens he will have to enter the digital code sent to the mobile phone number.

By clicking on the “Continue” button again and ending up on the next registration page, the newly minted wallet owner must come up with and set a password with which he can log into his payment account.

Once on the next page of the site with the inscription “Create a wallet”, the user can either immediately create all the wallets he needs, or first open a bitcoin wallet (selecting the desired abbreviation from the list), and start creating other wallets later.

Bitcoins in the WebMoney system are abbreviated as WMX.

using WM Keeper

After opening the klassic program ("WebMoney Keeper classic"), you should go to the tab with the list of wallets, and then find the "Create" button in the top menu, which is located in the upper left corner above the list of available wallets).

By clicking on the "Create" button, the user opens a list of wallets available for creation and selects the desired position. In this case, it is a WMX wallet (1 WMX is equivalent to 0.001 bitcoin). After creating a wallet, its owner will be asked to read and agree to the terms of the agreement on the creation of property rights.

The created wallet number is the account where bitcoins will be stored.

on the WebMoney website and link the address to the WMX wallet

It must be understood that a Bitcoin address and an internal WMX wallet are not the same thing. A wallet created on the WebMoney website is used to pay for services and purchases.

In order for the desired bitcoins received on various sites distributing this type to be in the WMX wallet, the holder of an electronic wallet must first obtain a Bitcoin address from WebMoney, and then link it to a bitcoin wallet.

After logging in to the page of the Bitcoin deposit and withdrawal service, the address of which is indicated above, and opening the “Operations” tab, the WMX wallet holder activates the “Receive” command, after which the Bitcoin address is loaded and activated.

From now on, all Bitcoin (the rate of this currency, by the way, can fluctuate hourly, as it is one of the most unstable currencies in the virtual world), received on specialized sites and credited to a Bitcoin address, will automatically go to the WMX wallet. After conversion, they can easily be withdrawn to any card.

If you decide to buy bitcoin, then most likely you already know that first of all you need to get a bitcoin wallet. To date, there are several options for "storage" Bitcoin. You can study them on the Bitcoin.org website. There is a kind of catalog of popular wallets. This is how the section of the portal dedicated to wallets looks like:

If you already have a wallet and are looking for information on buying Bitcoin, use this one.

Varieties of Bitcoin wallets

• Device (hardware wallets);
• Universal (multi-platform)
• A computer;
• Mobile;

Below we can see the compatibility table of all bitcoin wallets with different devices:

Due to the fact that there are not so many wallets in Russian, we have created step-by-step guides with screenshots that will simplify the installation as much as possible.

Device or hardware wallets

The most popular, but at the same time affordable and reliable hardware wallet is . Its cost is only 59 euros (the cost of the cheapest analogue is from 85 euros), it supports more than 1000 cryptocurrencies and tokens. Ledger is the most reliable way of long-term storage of cryptocurrencies, since it is impossible to hack it - the wallet is not connected to the Internet. Such a wallet can be put in your pocket, but it is better to hide it in a safe place.

Multi-platform wallets

This category includes wallets for which mobile, desktop and web versions are available at the same time. This is very convenient if you often use cryptocurrency payments. The risks lie in the fact that it is easier to hack such wallets by simply using the negligence of their owner.

Computer or desktop wallets

This category includes software wallets that need to be installed on a computer. These wallets are divided into full-weight (Bitcoin-Core, Armory) and clothed (Electrum and Bither). The first subtype of wallets involves downloading the full Bitcoin blockchain. Electrum and Bither, on the other hand, uses partial synchronization, so it “weighs” only a few megabytes.

The most reliable option is Bitcoin Core. This wallet is fully synchronized with the blockchain. This means that you will have to download the entire block chain. And this is the state for 2017 - more than 100 gigabytes. If you are not ready to download such an array of data to your computer, use the lightweight (light) versions of wallets.

All software is free. You download the installation file, configure the settings and wait for the installation to complete.

Mobile Wallets

The fourth category is mobile wallets. Usually these are analogues of desktop (computer) versions, made for a separate mobile platform. Due to limitations in physical memory, they cannot download all blocks. So Bitcoin-Core has a mobile version called Bitcoin Wallet. There are programs for all popular platforms (Android, iOS, Windows Phone, Blackberry). By the principle of operation, they resemble lightweight wallets for PC.

Web (online) wallets

Finally, the fifth category is web wallets. They are implemented on the websites. That is, to use such wallets, you do not need to download or install anything on your computer. They work completely online, transactions are fast enough.

For beginners and advanced users, a reliable online wallet-exchanger in Russian is ideal. The service has existed since 2014 and all these years it has been working stably and without failures. The main advantage is that you can buy bitcoin or use it for 1-click payments right in your wallet, without using third-party services. You no longer need to worry about your computer breaking down or losing your smartphone - your bitcoins will be available from any device at any time of the day. Matbi provides a high level of user protection using 3-factor authentication. The wallet works without commissions and offers a favorable bitcoin rate for its users.

Another wallet implemented in an online format is WestWallet. The wallet supports 18+ major cryptocurrencies, and you can create it in just two clicks. WestWallet also has a P2P exchange where other users of the service can sell and buy cryptocurrency. Also implemented is the ability to make transfers between the owners of two WestWallet wallets without any delays and API integration for business.

Whichever online wallet you choose, you don't have to worry about your wallet.dat file getting corrupted for any reason. Please note that some wallets have a minimum fee. There is a small risk associated with phishing sites and the unreliability of admins of such projects. The possibility of hacking the wallet is not excluded. Therefore, choose only proven services. The most famous foreign online service for storing Bitcoin is Blockchain.info.

We see how diverse the choice of wallets is. Which bitcoin wallet to choose? It all depends on your needs, preferences and lifestyle.

How to create a bitcoin wallet

Hardware or hardware wallets

You can store your bitcoins on the device. This option is called "cold storage" and is considered the safest and most reliable option that guarantees the safety of your funds.

These devices are small devices that look like a flash drive, often with a screen for convenience. The system is password protected from hacking. To date, the most popular options are Trezor Wallet and KeepKey.

As mentioned above, is the most affordable device. You can order free express delivery of the product to anywhere in the world, and while you are waiting for your wallet to put the purchased cryptocurrency on it, you can store it on one of the options below.

Installing a desktop wallet

Let's try to open a wallet for ourselves and consider an example of installing a desktop wallet. To do this, let's go to the site Bitcoin.org. First you need to download your wallet to your computer (PC-> Windows). Our choice fell on Electrum.

Click on the "Visit site" button. We immediately get to the official website of the wallet. Scrolling a little lower, we find the inscription Download Electrum.

Choose a wallet option:

After downloading, run the exe file. Installation takes no more than 1 minute. Now we start Electrum. Click here for the first item:

The program will generate an entry for you, with the help of which you will gain access to the private key in Electrum. There will be no screenshot, because this “password” cannot be shown to anyone at all. Save it in a secluded place. The program will prompt you to enter the issued seed for confirmation:

Ready! Now you can make a bitcoin transfer. The Receive tab contains your address for receiving cryptocurrency and a QR code:

Now you can go to the exchanger and replenish your bitcoin wallet (read the detailed material on how to buy bitcoin).

To send cryptocurrency, go to the Send tab. The Pay to field specifies the recipient's address:

Do not give your passwords and seed to anyone. Do not store them in email or other online media.

Mobile Wallets

Consider installing a mobile wallet using the BRD application as an example (before the rebranding, it could be found under the name Bread Wallet). Versions of this wallet are available for iOS and Android.

The popularity of cryptocurrencies is growing by the hour. The appearance of this virtual circulation of money dates back to 2009 and was created by the Japanese programmer Satoshi Nakamoto with a group of like-minded people. Among all the options, one of the popular ways to make money out of thin air is bitcoin mining. To master this art, you need to understand what it is, how to use it, and whether it is profitable to get involved in the world of cryptocurrencies.

What is bitcoin mining

Blockchain is a chain of transactions, where each subsequent link contains information about all the previous ones. It was these chains that were called bitkins (bitcoin). The process of creating and mining such virtual "connections" was called mining, which requires good computer equipment and special programs.

At the same time, bitcoin mining is the support of an entire infrastructure designed to ensure the performance of the entire network. The essence of such a process is in solving complex mathematical problems with the help of special software installed on users' PCs. The process of receiving bitcoins is not controlled by the center, but is distributed to everyone. Mining performs a number of important tasks:

• support for transactions (deals);
• protecting the network from adding invalid information;
• safety of bitcoins from various attacks;
• support for decentralization.

Important! In terms of profit, it is no longer profitable to mine bitcoins at home, as the power of standard computer equipment is not enough.

How to start mining bitcoins

Having understood the main essence and task of the miners, you can proceed to the process itself, for the implementation of which you will need to choose:

• purchase local storage for accumulating funds on a PC;
• open an online wallet in any system.

Truly successful manners choose the first option. It will require the purchase of more powerful equipment or a separate server storage, but it has greater performance and only the owner is responsible for personal funds.

And the first thing a beginner should do after creating a place to store virtual money is to visit the official Bitcoin website, from where the official software for storing cryptocurrency is downloaded and installed.

When you first start the program, the process of downloading Bitcoin blocks starts. This takes some time, but the process cannot be suspended. Wait for full synchronization and move on.

Fork selection

Forking is the use of the code base of a software project as a start for another. Each branch can develop and exist independently of the other. The main criterion for choosing a fork is profitability. It is also worth paying attention to liquidity - the ability to transfer virtual money to all possible “live” ones.

Bitcoin itself is based on SHA-256, and the owners of large and expensive farms receive high profits. For example, Scrypt uses a lot of RAM, which makes it problematic to create ASIC processors and makes it possible to use ordinary PCs for mining.

You can calculate the profitability on any online mining calculator. This indicator depends on the video card and the speed of your PC, as well as the exchange rate. If the computer is not equipped with "hardy" components, then the average earnings per day will be only 100-200 rubles.

Pool selection

Pool (mining pool) - a server that distributes tasks by subscriptions among all connected participants. The contribution of each pool is estimated as Share, the higher it is, the more likely it is to get an expensive signature. As soon as such a “Ball” hits the target, the pool says that the block is ready and distributes a reward.

They choose a pool by commission - a percentage of the block amount that will be divided between the miners. And also look at the features of withdrawing funds to your wallet. Some pools provide additional options for viewing worker statistics and monitoring them.

For your information: Worker is a program that runs from your computer. How many pieces of equipment you have, so many “robots” can be launched. Each of them must be registered on the selected pool.

Miner's choice

Miner ("miner" in English) is a program for mining. It solves complex mathematical problems and counts rewards in the form of accruing several units of cryptocurrency to the account.

Usually, the selected pool indicates which miner is best suited to perform all functions, and detailed instructions for setting it up. Look for the "Get started" section.

Start mining

The launch instructions are also attached to the documentation for the pool. Usually the process happens through the command line. For example, when using cgmoner on Linux without a graphical interface, you will need to enter the command:

./cgminer --scrypt -o stratum+tcp://pool_host:port -u Weblogin.Worker -p Worker_passwor

Where Weblogin.Worker is the name of the worker and its password is Worker_passwor. To mine ether with the Ethminer miner, use the following command:

ethminer.exe -G -S eth-eu.coinmine.pl:4000 -FS eth-us.coinmine.pl:4000 -O VIPepol.1:1

All options are written in the documents in the pool, including those for starting the earning process in the absence of a video card.

Withdrawal to your wallet

From the official website of the fork, follow the links provided and create your wallet. You need to make an address in it so that you can receive the earned funds. Then, transfer the received line to the section of your account - "Payments".

You can put the withdrawal immediately on the cryptocurrency exchange. Also, do not forget that you will pay commissions for each transaction, so you should not set payouts of small amounts.

Tip: if you haven’t figured out how to set up the miner at all, there are special programs that do all the steps step by step for you. But you have to share with them. So, you give 1-1.5% to the pool, and 30-40% to software developers.

Bitcoin mining software

To mine bitcoins, you need to install a cryptocurrency farm or software on a PC. Among the software, there are several most suitable and proven options:

1. CGminer is a popular GPU / FPGA / ASIC microprocessor Open source graphics type suitable for Windows, Linux, OS X. The software itself includes overclocking, monitoring, fan control and remote interface capability.
2. BFGminer - Created specifically for FPGAs and ASICs, but does not provide a central focus on graphics processes. There are functions of dynamic clocking, monitoring and remote screen viewing.
3. BitMinter is the best software when it comes to connecting with users and potential customers. A simple and intuitive interface with a simple installation of the program itself.

You should also pay attention to BTCMiner, Poclbm, DiabloMiner.

Bitcoin mining wallets

On the technical side, the wallets themselves (BTC) are not stored anywhere - this is a digital code recorded in the database using Blockchain technology. There are 4 groups of such cryptocurrency storages:

• for computers;
• smartphone application;
• web wallets;
• in the form of gadgets.

Among the options for PC, Bitcoin Knots, Bitcoin Core, GreenAddress, ArcBit are considered the most reliable. Mobile versions are selected depending on the software of the gadget, there are options for Android, IOS, Windows. If you choose among virtual ones, then pay attention to Blockchain, Xapo, Coinapult.

The best bitcoin mining hardware

For the extraction of cryptocurrency, which is not influenced by financial markets or regulatory centers, it is necessary to assemble the optimal set of computer hardware. It includes a processor, video cards and additional hardware.

Video cards

The video card must be with enough memory and GPU frequency for the mining process to proceed without any complications. Suitable models include:

• Radeon RX 470 and 480;
• Geforce GTX 1060, 1070,1080;
• AMD latest models.

The average payback of such equipment varies from 200 to 360 days.

Processors

GPUs are the most important hardware when working with a cryptographic system. Only powerful modern computers with enough RAM and a good video card are suitable for mining. The best options include:

• CyberPowerPC Gamer Ultra 2235 - 8 GB RAM, 1 TB hard drive, AMD RX 480 graphics card;
• Acer Aspire T AT3-715A-UR11 - AMD RX 480 graphics card, Intel Core i7-6700 processor;
• CybertronPC RHODIUM - 8 GB RAM, AMD RX 580 graphics card, good for Ethereum.

You can separately purchase an Intek G4400 class processor, which is suitable for mining, but will be cheaper than a whole computer.

Other equipment

Instead of processors and video cards, you can purchase application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs) or gate arrays (FPGAs), as well as separate USB devices.

Among ASIC miners, ANTMiner S7, S9, Avalon6, CoinTerra TerraMiner IV are considered the best. If you choose from USB bitcoin miners, you should take a closer look at AntMiner U2, BPMC Red Fury USB, Avalon Nano 3.

Pools

Pools differ in interfaces, information content, capacity, types of currency, reward distribution system and commissions. There is a "Chinese Four" of the most popular and reliable pools:

1. F2Pool or "aquarium fish". About 20% of the hashrate is held on the network. Withdrawal commission is only 4%. This system is the most widespread.
2. BTC China with 10-12% retention on the network. They take 4th place in the overall ranking of pools.
3. BW pool - 7-9% capacity, there is a partial translation into Russian. The PPLNS accrual system works without commission.
4. AntPool - about 18% mining capacity, works on PPLNS without commission, there is a PPS option with a 2.5% retention. Suitable for solo players.

Choose a pool according to the most favorable conditions and simplicity of interfaces. For beginners, it is better to choose an easier option for mastering the basics of bitcoin mining.

System requirements

On a medium-sized home PC, only little-known and new cryptocurrencies can be mined. Bitcoin requires a minimum of 4 GB of RAM and 2 GB of video memory.

Operating Systems

There are no requirements for the operating system, you can choose the appropriate version of the mining program for Windows from 7, Lunix (it is most often chosen for cryptocurrencies).

The main thing is to purchase powerful video cards and not even one or install separate USB devices or ASIC miners.

Internet ping

Mining traffic depends on the number of connected devices, their performance and the complexity of solving mathematical problems. With the right equipment settings and pool selection, 10 kb / s Internet speed is enough with a standard Dial-Up connection. It must be wired, without failures and breaks. Therefore, choose a traffic provider carefully.

If it is not possible to ensure connection stability, you can buy 3G modems with unlimited traffic and use them in a good coverage area.

Cloud mining of bitcoins

Cloud mining uses special servers that you can work on without purchasing your own equipment for cryptocurrency mining. At the same time, a small commission will be charged for using the resource, which is cheaper than buying professional bitcoin mining hardware.

Among the most reliable servers are:

1. Coinmix.biz is a new option with a $1 minimum deposit. The average return on investment is from 50 to 100 days.
2. Cloudmy - for registration they provide a bonus of $ 2 (20 GH / s). There is a system of profitability levels from 0 to 9. Payback from 25 to 100 days.
3. Apextop - $1 Bonus, 10 Yield Levels. You can return the funds in 25-50 days.

You can find better options depending on your investment.

Nuances and possible difficulties

To start mining bitcoins, you need to choose a mining method:

• solo - on personal equipment, where it is possible to spend more money on electricity and buying hardware than make a profit;
• pool - using a remote server: the biggest difficulty is to choose the right one with the most convenient interface and the minimum commission for withdrawal;
• cloud servers - the whole process lies in the amount of investment you make and the payback period.

The best option with a lot of nuances, but with a high probability of earning is a pool. To choose the right one, look at 3 main characteristics:

• commission size from 1 to 10%;
• withdrawal methods;
• convenience of the interface.

Beginners should not take on new cryptocurrencies, but it is quite possible to try your hand with a standard set of Bitcoin mining software.

The process of creating bitcoin (the only one of its kind) is called mining. This unique method is based on the fact that computers solve computational problems. This is not controlled by a single issuing center. By watching the video below, you can understand how bitcoins are made and what kind exists.

How to make bitcoins yourself

Bitcoin mining began back in 2009, at a time when the cryptocurrency had just been put into circulation by Satoshi Nakamoto. Bitcoin, being a virtual currency, does not belong to any state. The advantage of this cryptocurrency is that it is distinguished by the absolute anonymity of each wallet, as well as reliability (steal your money almost impossible, because the data chain is constantly changing).

Each transaction is recorded in the transaction log, which is available to all users. Then they get to the miners, whose work is as follows: selection among millions of combinations of only one single hash that fits absolutely every new transaction, as well as the secret key.

Thanks to the key, the miner will be able to receive a reward of 25 bitcoins at a time (given that the number of bitcoins in the world is 21 million). At the same time, there is a struggle to be the first to guess the hash of a large number of miners. After the hash is guessed, the block with all transactions is closed, and the miners move on to the next one. In other words, when obtaining the hash of the next block of the blockchain cryptocurrency network, the hash function is used - . Blockchain (chain of blocks) is a public ledger on which the entire Bitcoin network is based.

Bitcoin mining

The process of mining cryptocurrency becomes possible using a mining farm. A mining farm is an ordinary computer with video cards connected to it. Now there is quite a lot of news in the world about unique bitcoin farms (the largest of them is located in Hong Kong. It is capable of producing up to 26 bitcoins per day.

Bitcoin mining on a home computer

Few people know that bitcoins can be mined without leaving home. Then the next question arises: “How to make bitcoins yourself?” We will tell you how to make bitcoins on your own computer.

• First of all, you need to have a bitcoin wallet where you can store virtual money.
• It will not be superfluous to save a file with your personal data on a flash card, it is advisable to have it at hand in paper form.
• No one is immune from technical failures, and this will save you from losing your accumulated bitcoins.

If you want to really earn money, a mining pool (coin mining by joint efforts) will be a profitable business. In the pool, you will not work alone, but with a group of other miners. When choosing a pool, it is worth remembering that in pools with a small number of miners, it will be more difficult to make bitcoins (in this case, they will be mined more slowly), but in pools with a large number of miners, the payout is several times smaller. After creating an account in the pool, you should "add an employee". Thus, you will need to obtain a separate ID for each computer that will be used.

By earning bitcoins, you will be able to easy to exchange them to any other virtual currency. You also have the opportunity to transfer cryptocurrency to various title units Yandex.Money, WebMoney and use it for various purposes.

Video: Cloud mining

Bitcoin is on the rise again! So the issue of creating a bitcoin wallet is now relevant for many, and today we will understand it. Very, very carefully. Moreover, wallets for all other cryptocurrencies work in the same way. Why - read here!

How to register a Bitcoin wallet and replenish its balance. See video instruction.

• Wallet registration link: https://www.blockchain.com
• Link to the electronic exchanger: https://www.bestchange.net/?p=20887

What are Bitcoin wallets and how do they work (in simple terms)

In fact, the wallet is just a mechanism for storing the private key to your bitcoin address.(this is how an analogue of an account is called in the blockchain).

• The fact is that the private key is, roughly speaking, "password", which allows you to manage the funds in your bitcoin address. The loss of a private key means the loss of funds in the address, without any hope of restoring access to them.
• The private key is used to generate a public key (there may be many for each address), which is attached to the transaction as confirmation of the right to own the transferred funds. At the same time, the reverse operation - calculating the private key from the public one - is impossible even theoretically.
• So the task of the wallet is to securely and conveniently store the private key and provide access to it, as well as generate public keys.

Types of Bitcoin wallets

IMPORTANT! Today, the market offers a huge variety of different BTC wallets for every taste. It is very useful to know what the year is. The most important thing, however, that a beginner needs to learn is the difference between "cold" And hot wallets.

1. “Hot” wallets require a constant (if possible), of course, an Internet connection. Most wallets: desktop programs, smartphone apps, and web versions are hot wallets. These wallets are convenient and allow you to quickly make a transaction at any time, but they are less secure than cold wallets, since infecting your device with viruses can give attackers access to your funds.
2. “Cold” wallets do not have an Internet connection and are connected only when it becomes necessary to conduct a transaction. Most often they refer to the so-called hardware wallets - devices specially designed for storing keys - but there are also more “exotic” solutions: from a piece of paper with a printed QR code of a key to a computer disconnected from the Internet with a “regular” wallet installed. “Cold” wallets are much more secure (they do not have a physical connection to the Internet), but are less convenient than “hot” ones.

How to open any of the most popular bitcoin wallet options:

• paper wallet
• Hardware Wallet
• BTC wallet online
• Mobile app
• Desktop Wallet

We will not cover “creating a wallet” on one of the . Whatever the owners of trading platforms say, an account on the exchange is not a bitcoin wallet - you do not receive either a private or public key, and all the coins on your balance de facto belong to the exchange.

Creating a paper bitcoin wallet (instruction)

Despite all the “archaism” of paper media in the digital age, creating a paper bitcoin wallet is almost easier than any other. For this you need;

1. Go to the website of one of the services offering a program for creating paper wallets. For example, walletgenerator.net.
2. Download the archive offered by the service. Online generation, despite its convenience, is better not to use for security reasons.
3. Disconnect from the Internet, unzip the archive and run the html file from it.
4. Click on the “Get New Address” button and randomly move the mouse around the screen while the random number generator is running.
5. Print the received document with two QR codes. On the left is the public key, on the right is the private key.

Using a hardware wallet

The first step, of course, purchasing the hardware wallet itself. There are a great many of them on the market today, but all of them, in general, outwardly resemble the usual “flash drive”, albeit with a small screen. The interface of all wallets is also similar and the differences are purely cosmetic.

As an example, we are using one of the most popular hardware wallets on the market, the Trezor Model T. Here it is:

1. 1. To create a wallet, you need to connect it with a USB cable to a computer or smartphone and go to the web page trezor.io/start.
   2. Next, you need to select your wallet model.
   3. And your operating system - the site will offer you to download a driver that provides work with the wallet.
   4. After that, the wallet will download the latest firmware version from the site. This ensures that you are the first user of the wallet and that the wallet itself is running the most advanced and authentic version of the software.
   5. After installing the firmware, you will be prompted to restore the old wallet from the seed phrase or create a new one. Of course, we are interested in the second option. Next, you need to create a backup copy (backup) of the wallet.
   6. A backup is a randomly generated mnemonic phrase (aka seed phrase) of 12 words, in which a 128-bit number is encrypted, used to generate all private keys for all currencies in a given wallet. With this phrase, you can “transfer” all your funds to any other wallet that supports the BIP39 standard.
   7. The phrase will be shown on the wallet screen in 3 “chunks” of 4 words. Write it down (the wallet comes with special cards made of waterproof paper, but you can use anything) and keep it in a safe place. This phrase will be shown only once and there is no way to restore it. However, to make sure that you wrote down the seed phrase correctly, immediately after it is generated, the device will ask you to enter 2 random words from it (for example, the third and seventh).
   8. After that, all that remains is to give your wallet a name and protect it with a PIN code from outsiders. The maximum length of the code is 9 digits, and keep in mind that the buttons with numbers are randomly shuffled each time so that no one can see what you are entering:

BTC wallet online

Web versions of bitcoin wallets are perhaps the most popular of all the others combined due to their convenience. At the same time, an online wallet is the least secure of all options. Strictly speaking, in most cases you will receive only the public key, and the private key will remain with the service. However, if you need a wallet for a one-time transaction or using small amounts, why not?

In RuNet, the most popular web wallet is blockchain.info.

• To create a new wallet, just go to this page and click the "Register" button.
• Next, you need to enter your email address and password.
• This box will receive a link that you need to follow in order to confirm the registration, as well as your ID, which you need to save in a safe place - it is used to enter the wallet.
• After that, the wallet, in general, is ready for work, but it would be better to go to the security center in your personal account and use it.
• At a minimum, it is worth generating a seed phrase and enabling two-factor authentication.

The seed phrase is created similarly to hardware wallets, even though the words are displayed directly on the browser screen. Upon completion of the generation, you will be asked to enter four randomly selected words for confirmation.

• For two-factor authentication, you need to link your mobile number to your wallet by selecting the appropriate item in your personal account:
• This number will receive an SMS with a code that you need to enter for confirmation. Then you can go to the next item - “Activate two-step verification” and select the option “Use mobile phone number”. After that, each time you log into your account, you will receive an SMS with a code that will need to be entered in addition to the password.

Alternative option is Google Authenticator app or Yubikey, which must be installed on your smartphone. The wallet will generate a QR code for the app, which you can scan for a 6-digit verification code.

After these manipulations, the wallet can be safely considered ready for work.

Mobile applications

The vast majority of mobile wallets completely duplicate their web versions in terms of interface. For example, the registration procedure in the Blockchain.info apps for iOS and Android does not differ from the web version. Except that the empty fields at the edges of the form are much smaller. So you can safely use the instructions for the bitcoin wallet online.

Desktop Wallet

The most “classic” option - it all started with desktop wallets. We will not consider the “full client” of Bitcoin Core with synchronization and downloading hundreds of gigabytes of the bitcoin blockchain. After all, we just want to have a BTC wallet, so the functionality of Bitcoin Core will be redundant. It is much more reasonable to use another popular wallet - Electrum.

• To install, go to Electrum website and download the required distribution. In our case, the installation file for Windows.
• The wallet is installed in the same way as any other program. Everything interesting begins when you first start the program:
• Here we give the wallet a name and click “Next”, since we need to create a wallet. After that, the program will offer us 4 options for creating a wallet.
• Standard is the best option for the first wallet.

1. Wallet with two-factor authentication - it would be good if it were not for the mandatory use of the TrustedCoin service, which does not allow changing the number to which the wallet is linked, and also charges an additional commission on each transaction.
2. Multi-signature wallet - a wallet with multi-signatures is relevant primarily in a situation where there is collective money on the wallet (for example, company funds).
3. “Watch bitcoin addresses” does not allow you to fully manage coins, so it is not interesting for us.
4. On the next screen, select “Create a new seed”:
5. We write down the 12-word phrase shown to us. Copying does not work, so we take a piece of paper and write it down “manually”. As usual, the mnemonic phrase is shown only once and is not restored if it is lost. On the next screen, we will be asked to enter a seed phrase to make sure it is written correctly. Again, you need to do this manually - the "Paste" function does not work.

After that, it remains only to come up with a password that will protect and encrypt the wallet file on the computer. The minimum requirement is 13 characters.This password can be lost (but not necessary) - you can restore access to the wallet using a mnemonic phrase.After confirming the password in the next window, the wallet will close. We launch it again, go to your account using the name of the wallet and password and use it.

Conclusion

As you can see, everyone can create a Bitcoin wallet - no special knowledge and skills are required for this. Just care and attention.

Of course, since the number of wallets on the market is incalculable, the interfaces of different products may vary slightly, but the instructions provided give you a good “base”, based on which you can handle any BTC wallet.

Overview