How to open a Bitcoin wallet and fill it with Bitcoins - this question worries today, if not all, then many users global network.

Cryptocurrency - what is it?

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

Cryptocurrency is now legalized in many countries around the world, but there are states where the use of this category of electronic money is prohibited by law. Not a single serious bank allows withdrawal virtual money.

How to top up a Bitcoin wallet? Using payment systems Qiwi, WebMoney, Yandex.Money and other “payments”.

Where do bitcoins come from?

The procedure for obtaining any type of cryptocurrency is called mining. Payment for simple actions taken is credited to the miner's account. As mining develops, it becomes more and more difficult to mine cryptocurrency, so many Internet entrepreneurs compare this type of activity to 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 subtype 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 open a Bitcoin wallet using the Blockchain service? The procedure is very simple.

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

By specifying the address email and having come up with a password, the potential wallet holder continues registering the Bitcoin wallet by clicking 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.

By clicking “Continue” again, 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 complete after successful authorization on the site after clicking on the “Open wallet” button.

At the end of the procedure, the user must go to a page where all the information regarding received and spent bitcoins is written down. The address to receive this type of cryptocurrency is listed at the bottom of the page.

How to create Bitcoin Wallet (bitcoin wallet) for Android

Before creating 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 phone’s settings. Then a Bitcoin wallet downloaded from the Internet and installed on a smartphone will work autonomously.

If the wallet is installed correctly, the phone owner will be able to use the built-in Bitcoin Wallet applications - a calculator and 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 phone owner has the opportunity to block access to the created wallet.dat wallet with a password.

How to create a Bitcoin wallet in the WebMoney system. Instructions for a beginner

Users of the popular payment system WebMoney and issued a formal certificate. To do this, you need to provide the site with your passport details and number mobile phone.

You are prompted to provide a mobile phone number immediately after registering 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 transferred to new page, where in the window that opens he will have to enter digital code, sent to a mobile phone number.

By clicking on the “Continue” button again and finding yourself on the next registration page, the newly created owner of the wallet 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 create the remaining wallets later.

Bitcoins in the WebMoney system are designated by the abbreviation WMX.

using the WM Keeper program

After opening the klassic program ("WebMoney Keeper Classic"), go to the tab with the list of wallets, then in top menu find the “Create” button, 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 number of the created wallet is the account in which the bitcoins will be stored.

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

It is necessary to understand 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 end up in the WMX wallet, the holder of the electronic wallet must first obtain a Bitcoin address from WebMoney and then link it to the Bitcoin wallet.

By logging into 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 downloaded and activated.

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

If you decide to purchase Bitcoin, then most likely you already know that the first thing you need to do is create a Bitcoin wallet. Today, there are several options for Bitcoin “storages”. You can study them on the website Bitcoin.org. There is a kind of catalog of popular wallets. This is what 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.

Types of Bitcoin wallets

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

Below we can see a table of compatibility of all Bitcoin wallets with various 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 make installation as simple as possible.

Device or hardware wallets

The most popular, but at the same time affordable and reliable hardware wallet– . 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 - the wallet is not connected to the Internet. You can put such a wallet in your pocket, or better yet, hide it in a safe place.

Multi-platform wallets

This category includes wallets for which mobile, desktop and web versions are available simultaneously. This is very convenient if you often use cryptocurrency payments. The risks are that it is easier to hack such wallets simply by exploiting the carelessness 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 (Bitcoin-Core, Armory) and vested (Electrum and Bither). The first subtype of wallets involves downloading the complete Bitcoin blockchain. Electrum and Bither use partial synchronization, so they “weigh” 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, as of 2017, is more than 100 gigabytes. If you are not ready to download such an array of data to your computer, use lightweight (light) versions of wallets.

All software is free. You download 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 restrictions in physical memory, they cannot download all blocks. So Bitcoin-Core’s mobile version is called Bitcoin Wallet. There are programs for all popular platforms (Android, iOS, Windows Phone, Blackberry). The operating principle is reminiscent of lightweight PC wallets.

Web (online) wallets

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

A reliable online wallet-exchanger in Russian is ideal for beginners and advanced users. The service has existed since 2014 and has been working stably and without failures all these years. The main advantage is that you can buy Bitcoin or use it for payment in 1 click directly 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 operates without commissions and offers a favorable Bitcoin exchange rate for its users.

Another wallet implemented in online format is WestWallet. The wallet supports 18+ major cryptocurrencies, and you can create it in just two clicks. WestWallet also operates a P2P exchanger where other service users can sell and buy cryptocurrency. Also implemented is the ability to make transfers between 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 being damaged for any reason. Please note that some wallets charge a minimum fee for servicing. There is a small risk associated with phishing sites and the unreliability of the administrators of such projects. The possibility of your wallet being hacked cannot be ruled out. Therefore, choose only proven services. The most famous foreign online service for storing Bitcoin - this is Blockchain.info.

We see how diverse the selection 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 your 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 similar to a flash drive, often equipped with a screen for convenience. The system is password protected against hacking. Today, the most popular options are Trezor Wallet and KeepKey.

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

Installing a desktop wallet

Let's try to open a wallet for ourselves and look at an example of installing a desktop wallet. To do this, let's go to the website 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 are immediately taken to the official website of the wallet. Scrolling a little lower, we will find the inscription Download Electrum.

Select a wallet option:

After downloading, run the exe file. Installation takes no more than 1 minute. Now let's launch Electrum. Click here on the first item:

The program will generate a record for you, with 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. Keep it in a safe 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 top up your Bitcoin wallet (read detailed material on how to buy Bitcoin).

To send cryptocurrency, go to the Send tab. In the Pay to field, the recipient's address is indicated:

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

Mobile wallets

Let's look at installing a mobile wallet using the BRD application as an example (before 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 money circulation dates back to 2009 and was created by Japanese programmer Satoshi Nakamoto with a group of like-minded people. Among all the options, one of the popular ways to earn 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 previous ones. These chains are called bitcoins. 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 functionality of the entire network. The essence of this process is solving complex mathematical problems using 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! From a profit point of view, it is no longer profitable to mine Bitcoins at home, since the power of standard computer equipment is not enough.

How to start mining bitcoins

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

• purchase local storage to accumulate funds on your 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 separate server storage, but it has greater performance and costs personal funds Only their owner is responsible.

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 launch the program, the process of downloading Bitcoin blocks starts. This takes some time, but the process cannot be paused. Wait for complete synchronization and proceed further.

Fork selection

Fork 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’s also worth paying attention to liquidity – the ability to transfer virtual money into all possible “live” ones.

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

You can calculate profitability using 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

A mining pool is a server that distributes tasks across subscriptions among all connected participants. The contribution of each pool is valued as Share, the higher it is, the greater the chance of receiving an expensive signature. As soon as such a “Ball” hits the target, the pool says the block is ready and distributes a reward.

They select a pool based on the 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 features viewing worker statistics and monitoring them.

Note: Worker is a program that runs from your computer. The number of units of equipment you have, the number of “robots” you can launch. Each of them must be registered on the selected pool.

Miner's choice

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

Typically, the selected pool will indicate which miner is best suited to perform all functions, and detailed instructions by setting it up. Look for the “Get started” section.

Start of mining

Startup instructions are also included in the pool documentation. Usually the process occurs through 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 specified in the documents in the pool, including for starting the earning process in the absence of a video card.

Withdrawal to your wallet

From the official fork website, follow the links provided and create your wallet. You need to include an address in it so that you can receive the funds you earn. Then transfer the resulting line to the “Payments” section of your account.

You can send your withdrawal directly to a cryptocurrency exchange. And also do not forget that you will pay commissions for each transaction, so you should not pay out small amounts.

Advice: if you haven’t figured out how to configure the miner at all, there is special programs, who go through all the steps step by step for you. But you will 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 PC. Among the software, there are several of the most suitable and proven options:

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

It’s also worth paying attention to BTCMiner, Poclbm, DiabloMiner.

Bitcoin mining wallets

WITH technical side The wallets themselves (BTC) are not stored anywhere - it is a digital code recorded in a database using Blockchain technology. There are 4 groups of such cryptocurrency storage facilities:

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

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

The best hardware for mining bitcoins

To mine cryptocurrency that 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 equipment.

Video cards

The video card must have sufficient memory and GPU frequency so that the mining process takes place 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 ones are suitable for mining modern computers with enough RAM and a good video card. TO the best options can be attributed:

• CyberPowerPC Gamer Ultra 2235 – 8 GB RAM, hard drive 1 TB, AMD RX 480 graphics card;
• Acer Aspire T AT3-715A-UR11 – AMD video card RX 480, processor Intel Core i7-6700;
• CybertronPC RHODIUM – 8 GB RAM, AMD RX 580 video 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 miners for bitcoins, you should take a closer look at AntMiner U2, BPMC Red Fury USB, Avalon Nano 3.

Pools

Pools differ in interfaces, information content, power, types of currency, reward distribution system and commissions. There are the “Chinese Four” of the most popular and reliable pools:

1. F2Pool or “aquarium fish”. About 20% of the hashrate is retained in 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 pool ranking.
3. BW pool – 7-9% of capacity, there is a partial translation into Russian. The PPLNS accrual system operates without commission.
4. AntPool – mining capacity is about 18%, works via PPLNS without commission, there is a PPS option with a retention of 2.5%. Suitable for those who like to play solo.

Choose a pool based on 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 an average-power home PC, you can only mine little-known and new cryptocurrencies. Bitcoin requires a minimum of 4 GB of RAM and 2 GB of video card memory.

Operating systems

There are no requirements for the operating system; you can select 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 even more than 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. At correct setting equipment and pool selection, 10 kb/s Internet speed with a standard Dial-Up connection is sufficient. It must be wired, without failures or breaks. Therefore, choose your traffic provider carefully.

If it is not possible to ensure a stable connection, 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 on which you can work without purchasing your own equipment for mining cryptocurrency. At the same time, a small commission will be charged for using the resource, which is cheaper than buying professional hardware for mining Bitcoins.

Among the most reliable servers are:

1. Coinmix.biz – new option with a minimum deposit of 1 US dollar. The average return on investment is from 50 to 100 days.
2. Cloudmy – for registration they provide a bonus of 2 dollars (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 levels of return. You can return 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 purchasing hardware than to make a profit;
• pool - using a remote server: the biggest difficulty is choosing the right one with the most convenient interface and minimum withdrawal fee;
• cloud servers - the whole process lies in the number of investments you make and the payback period.

The best option with a large number of nuances, but a high probability of earning money, is considered to be a pool. To choose the right one, look at 3 main characteristics:

• commission size from 1 to 10%;
• withdrawal methods;
• user-friendliness of the interface.

Beginners should not take on new cryptocurrencies, but it is quite possible to try your hand at 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 computational problems are solved using computers. This is not controlled by a single issuing center. By watching the video below, you can understand how bitcoins are made and what kind they exist.

How to make Bitcoins yourself

Bitcoin mining began back in 2009, at a time when the cryptocurrency was just introduced 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 characterized by the absolute anonymity of each wallet, as well as its reliability (steal your money almost impossible, since the data chain is constantly changing).

Each transaction is recorded in a transaction log, which is available to all users. Then they go to miners, whose job is the following: selecting, among millions of combinations, only one 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 (considering 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 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. The 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 your 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 would be a good idea to save a file with your personal data on a flash card; it is advisable to have it on 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 make money, a mining pool (mining cryptocurrency through joint efforts) will be a profitable business. In a pool you will not work alone, but with a group of other miners. When choosing a pool, it is worth remembering that in pools where there are 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 For miners, the payment amount is several times less. 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.

Having earned 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 of 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 people, and today we will look into it. Very, very carefully. Moreover, wallets for all other cryptocurrencies work exactly the same. Why - read here!

How to register a Bitcoin wallet and top up its balance. Watch the video instructions.

• Link to register a wallet: https://www.blockchain.com
• Link to electronic exchanger: https://www.bestchange.net/?p=20887

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

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

• The fact is that a private key is, roughly speaking, "password", allowing you to manage funds in your Bitcoin address. Losing a private key means losing funds in the address, without any hope of restoring access to them.
• The private key is used to generate a public key (there can be many of them for each address), which is attached to the transaction as confirmation of ownership of the transferred funds. At the same time, the reverse operation - calculating a private key from a public one - is impossible even theoretically.
• So the task of the wallet comes down to securely and conveniently storing the private key and providing access to it, as well as generating 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 year there are. The most important thing, however, that a beginner needs to learn is the differences between “cold” And “hot” wallets.

1. “Hot” wallets require a constant (if possible), of course, connection to the Internet. Most wallets: programs installed on a computer, applications for smartphones and web versions are “hot”. Such wallets are convenient and allow you to quickly carry out a transaction at any time, but they are less secure than “cold” wallets, since infecting the device with viruses can give attackers access to your funds.
2. “Cold” wallets do not have a connection to the Internet and connect only when there is a need to conduct a transaction. Most often they refer to 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 for the key to a computer disconnected from the Internet with a “regular” wallet installed. “Cold” wallets are significantly more secure (they do not have a physical connection to the Internet), but are less convenient than “hot” ones.

How to create any of the most popular Bitcoin wallet options:

• Paper wallet
• Hardware wallet
• BTC wallet online
• Mobile application
• Desktop wallet

We will not consider “creating a wallet” on one of the. No matter what the owners say trading platforms, an account on an exchange is not a Bitcoin wallet - you do not receive either a private or public key, and all the coins on your balance sheet de facto belong to the exchange.

Creating a paper Bitcoin wallet (instructions)

Despite all the “archaism” paper media In the digital age, creating a paper Bitcoin wallet is almost easier than any other. To do this you need;

1. Go to the website of one of the services that offers a program for creating paper wallets. For example, Walletgenerator.net.
2. Download the archive offered by the service. Online generation, despite its convenience, is best not to use for security reasons.
3. Disconnect from the Internet, unpack the archive and run the html file from it.
4. Click on the “Get New Address” button and randomly move the mouse across 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, is 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 use one of the most popular hardware wallets on the market - Trezor Model T. Here's one:

1. 1. To create a wallet, you need to connect it using a USB cable to your computer or smartphone and go to the web page trezor.io/start.
   2. Next, you need to select your wallet model.
   3. And yours operating system— the site will offer you to download a driver that allows you to work with the wallet.
   4. After this, the wallet will download from the site latest version firmware. This ensures that you are the first user of the wallet, and that the wallet itself uses the most advanced and authentic version of the software.
   5. After installing the firmware, you will be offered to restore the old wallet from the seed phrase or create a new one. We are, of course, interested in the second option. Next you need to create backup copy(backup) wallet.
   6. A backup is a randomly created mnemonic phrase (aka seed phrase) of 12 words, which encrypts a 128-bit number used to generate all private keys for all currencies in this wallet. With this phrase, you can “move” all your funds to any other wallet that supports the BIP39 standard.
   7. The phrase will be shown on the wallet screen in 3 “portions” of 4 words each. 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 generating it, the device will ask you to enter 2 random words from it (for example, the third and seventh).
   8. After this, all that remains is to give your wallet a name and protect it with a PIN code from strangers. The maximum code length is 9 digits, and keep in mind that the buttons with numbers are randomly shuffled each time so that no one can spy on what you enter:

BTC wallet online

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

The most popular web wallet in RuNet is blockchain.info.

• To create a new wallet, just go to this page and click the “Registration” button.
• Next, you need to enter your email address and password.
• This mailbox will receive a link that you need to follow in order to confirm registration, as well as your ID, which you need to save in a safe place - it is used to log into your wallet.
• After this, the wallet is, in general, ready for use, but it would still be better to go to the security center in 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, although the words are displayed directly on the browser screen. Once the generation is complete, 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:
• An SMS will be sent to this number with a code that must be entered for confirmation. Then you can go to the next item - “Activate two-step verification” and select the “Use mobile phone number” option. After this, every time you log into your account, you will receive an SMS with a code that you will need to enter in addition to the password.

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

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

Mobile applications

The vast majority of mobile wallets, in terms of interface, completely duplicate their web versions. For example, the registration procedure in the Blockchain.info applications for iOS and Android is no different from the web version. Except that the empty fields around the edges of the form are much smaller. So you can safely use the instructions for a 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. In the end, we just want to have a wallet for BTC, so the Bitcoin Core functionality will be redundant. It is much wiser to use another popular wallet - Electrum.

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

1. Wallet with two-factor authentication — would be good if it were not for the mandatory use of the TrustedCoin service, which does not allow you to change the number to which the wallet is linked, and also charges an additional commission for each transaction.
2. Multi-signature wallet — a multi-signature wallet is relevant primarily in a situation where the wallet contains collective money (for example, company funds).
3. “Watch Bitcoin addresses” It doesn’t allow you to fully manage coins, so it’s 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 doesn’t work, so we take a piece of paper and write it down “by hand.” As usual, the mnemonic phrase is shown only once and is not restored if lost. On the next screen we will be asked to enter the seed phrase to ensure that it is entered correctly. Again, you need to do this manually - the “Insert” function does not work.

After this, all that remains is to come up with a password that will protect and encrypt the wallet file on your computer. Minimum requirement— 13 characters.You can lose this password (but you don’t need to) - you can restore access to your wallet using a mnemonic phrase.After confirming the password in the next window, the wallet will close. We launch it again, log into your account using the wallet name and password and use it.

Conclusion

As you can see, anyone can create a Bitcoin wallet—no special knowledge or skills are required. Only attentiveness and accuracy.

Of course, since the number of wallets on the market cannot be counted, the interfaces may differ slightly between products, but the instructions provided give you a high-quality “base” from which you can cope with any BTC wallet.

Review