If your brand new to Bitcoin this guide will help you create your first Bitcoin wallet and an accompanying Bitcoin wallet address, more commonly referred to simply as a Bitcoin address.
With your Bitcoin wallet you'll be able to send, receive and secure your bitcoin.
By the end of this guide you will have:
- Your first Bitcoin wallet
- A Bitcoin address
Before you begin, please note that creating a Bitcoin wallet is a new concept, but it's not hard. You can think of it like creating an email, but instead of sending and receiving messages, you'll be able to send and receive bitcoins. A different analogy is that a Bitcoin wallet is similar to a bank account.
| If you're keen, simply download the BlueWallet app on your mobile phone, create a Bitcoin wallet, write down your 12 word backup phrase using pen and paper, then jump to step 8. |
If you prefer a more step-by-step approach, we've got you covered below.
Let's begin.
1. The Bitcoin wallet we recommend is BlueWallet. You can download the BlueWallet app for iOS, Android or Mac desktop using the links below.
2. Once you've installed and opened the app, you'll see a Wallets screen. From here, select 'Add Now'.
3. Give your wallet a name (eg, Bitcoin Savings) > under Type select Bitcoin > then select 'Create'.
4. Congratulations. Your Bitcoin wallet has been created.
5. It's now very important that you write down your 12 word backup phrase using a pen and paper.
- Do not take a screenshot of your 12 word backup phrase and do not type them out in your notes app.
- It is imperative that your 12 word backup phrase is not stored on any device that is connected to the internet.
- Once written down, store your 12 word backup phrase in a safe place. If you ever lose the device with your Bitcoin wallet (eg, your phone or laptop) you can use this 12 word backup phrase to restore your wallet on a new device.
6. Once you've written down your 12 word backup phrase, select the button, 'OK, I wrote it down'.
7. You'll now be back at the Wallets screen. Select your newly created Bitcoin wallet.
8. This is your Bitcoin wallet. Displayed is your bitcoin balance (currently zero) and a feed where all of your transactions will appear.
9. Also displayed near the bottom of the screen are two buttons labelled 'Receive' and 'Send'. Select the 'Receive' button to view your Bitcoin wallet address.
10. You'll see another confirmation popup asking you to confirm that you have written down your 12 word backup phrase. Select 'Yes, I have', if you have written them down.
11. On this screen is a big QR code. This can be used by others to scan your public Bitcoin address when sending you bitcoin. Underneath the QR code is a string of text containing letters and numbers. This string of text is also your public Bitcoin address.
12. Simply tap the text string to copy your Bitcoin address to your clipboard. In general, the best practice when sharing your Bitcoin address is to copy and paste it. We strongly advise against typing it by hand, since your are very likely to make an error.
Congratulations. You've created your first Bitcoin wallet.
Bonus step:
If you're creating an account with Beaver Bitcoin, we require you to provide us with a Bitcoin address of your own. Copy and paste your Bitcoin address from the step 12 above into the Bitcoin address field during your Beaver account setup.
TIP: If you've signed up for Beaver Bitcoin using your desktop computer, but have created your BlueWallet on your mobile device, it is best to send yourself an email containing your Bitcoin address (using your phone) to an email which you can access from your computer. We provide a few more ways to do this easily here.
As always, if you get stuck or need more help, please don't hesitate to reach out to us via this contact form or via email at hello@beaverbitcoin.com.