Bitcoin Forum

Hello. i need help with safely storing btc. Is it safe to delete the wallet.dat file after the private key code has been stored somewhere else? I can not find information on this





Thank You

Yes. Although it isn't readable without decoding, it only stores your private key. To spend your coin, you need your private key. Do verify if you have copied down your private key properly as you won't be able to spend your coins unless every single of your letters and numbers in the private key are correct.

Yes, however, I would rename it after you close down bitcoin core.  Then open bitcoin core again and try to import your keys.    This way, once you import your keys you can be sure you have everything.   Then it is safe to delete your wallet.dat.

ok i will see if i can import the keys before deleting the wallet.dat file. thank you for the help.


i will quadruple check to make sure the private key codes are correct. thank you for the answer

Be aware that if you have ever sent any bitcoin transactions from your Bitcoin Core wallet, then the wallet created hidden addresses that it didn't tell you about, and stored some of your bitcoins in those new hidden addresses.

If you want access to all of your bitcoins in the future, you will need ALL of your private keys (including the keys for the hidden addresses).

Every time you send a new transaction, the wallet will create another hidden address with another hidden private key.  Therefore, if you write down ALL your private keys, and then send a transaction after that, you will no longer have ALL the private keys.

to be safe from the issu mentioned above you need to dump all your private keys with listaddressgroupings in the console, under debug window

but it's a pain in the ass if you've done plenty of transactions, it is always advisable to save the whole wallet.dat, and i see no point in doing the contrary, unless you are doing it because your wallet is corrupted, but even then it's better to transfer your btc to another wallet

Yes, provided that you listed or copied every single character/letter/number of your privkey then you are good to go. But to be sure, just keep a backup of your wallet somewhere safe so that you won't be having some serious trouble in case some things get fucked up.

Not really, I have never deleted wallet.dats, when I need a backup I first rename it.. i mean its not like the take any space. I put the old ones in a zip just in case. Call me paranoid.

Yes it is, but empty all your addresses before deleting the wallet.dat, or you might lose your balance if you just save your private keys

You mean you need the private keys to all addresses that contain bitcoins. Otherwise they are lost.

But shouldn't a backup of the private keys create private keys for the change addresses too? If not then this sounds like a security risk.

no he mean that when you send a transaction the client create another address for the rest, it is something that it was done for the pseudo anonimity of bitcoin

so you need to dump ALL the private keys before you want to delete your wallet, and not just those that are associate with your addresses