How to create a Bitcoin wallet
Get your very own Bitcoin wallet address in minutes. With it, you will be able to send, receive, buy, swap and sell Bitcoin from your phone.
5 minutes|Yann Gerardi|Published 2020-04-17|Updated 2024-12-05
Get your very own Bitcoin wallet address in minutes. With it, you will be able to send, receive, buy, swap and sell Bitcoin from your phone.
5 minutes|Yann Gerardi|Published 2020-04-17|Updated 2024-12-05
A Bitcoin wallet is a type of application that allows you to create a Bitcoin address, store the private key that controls it, and use it to make Bitcoin transactions.
In this tutorial we guide you through the easiest and fastest way to create a Bitcoin wallet, which is with a mobile wallet (although there are different types of Bitcoin wallets).
For this example, we will create a new Bitcoin wallet using Bridge Wallet, the free mobile app that we have made to easily get started with Bitcoin. It only takes a few minutes!
Enter your phone number below, and click on the link that you will receive by SMS to install the app, and then launch it.
If you don't receive the SMS, you can also download the app directly from Google Play or from the App Store.
The first step after launching the app is to create a password to secure the access to the app on your device.
Choose here the "Create a new wallet" option. The other option is to access an existing address in case you already have one.
These few screens introduce you to basic safety practices regarding the management of your secret phrase and wallet.
We strongly advise you to read them, even if it's not the first time you create a crypto wallet. A safety refresher never hurts!
This screen displays your secret phrase, which is the only way to access and restore your wallet and all its content.
Never share your secret phrase, make sure you write it down now and store it somewhere safe.
If someone else gets access to your secret phrase, you will lose your wallet's content.
You will also find on our blog a detailed guide that explains you how to store crypto-assets safely.
Let's verify here that you have backed up your secret phrase. If you haven't, you can still click "Back" and back it up. It's really important to do it properly now, so you'll be all set from now on.
That's it, you're done creating a new Bitcoin wallet!
You can now start using your brand new Bitcoin wallet. To see and share your public Bitcoin address, switch to the Bitcoin network via the icon on the top left of the app screen and go in the "Address book" tab of the app. Your address is the string of numbers and letters displayed under "This wallet".
If you click on it you can also share it in the form of a QR code, which is easier.
A Bitcoin wallet is a software that contains a secret phrase in an encrypted way. The wallet gives you an interface to use that secret phrase to make Bitcoin transactions (send Bitcoin, receive Bitcoin, etc.).
You can buy Bitcoin here by bank transfer or by card on any self-custodial Bitcoin wallet. For more information, have a look at our step-by-step tutorial on how to buy Bitcoin.
Sending and receiving bitcoin is done through Bitcoin wallet applications, such as Bridge Wallet. You will find more info about them in our article on the different types of crypto wallets.
Bitcoin wallets have a receiving as well as a sending button. When you click on the "Send" button, the wallet will ask you to provide the recipient address, either by pasting it or by scanning it QR code. It will also ask you the amount to send, and if your Bitcoin balance is sufficient you will be able to send the transaction.
Most wallets will also offer advanced settings, where you can manually modify the price you are willing to pay for the transaction. If you don't know how to choose that amount, don't modify it and keep the wallet's default value.
When you click on the "Receive" button of your Bitcoin wallet, it will show you the Bitcoin address that you can share with people wanting to send you Bitcoin.
You can either share your written address, usually a string of 26 to 35 characters long consisting of numbers and letters, or share the address in the form of a QR code.
You never store Bitcoin in itself. Instead, you store the private key giving you access and control over a Bitcoin address. That key is stored in a wallet, which provides an interface to use it. To learn more, read our in-depth guide on storing crypto assets.
You can use a mobile Bitcoin wallet (like Bridge Wallet) to spend your coins at any business that accepts Bitcoin as a payment method. You can find such merchants on btcmap.org.
About the author
Yann is the head of marketing of Mt Pelerin. He fell down the rabbit hole of crypto at the end of 2017, when he joined the assembling team that would give birth to Mt Pelerin.
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