Bitcoin Forum

Well with the price keep rising Iam worrying that I might loose my coins cause they arent kept in a safe place. Currently they are at a internet market, but iam thinking of moving them to Bitstamp. What are the safest places to keep them? On your computer, but then you can loose them if your computer crashes right? On a internet bank?

put them on paper wallet and in a safe under your bed

Incoming fail.

Why do you keep the bitcoins there? You think you must keep them in a "bank"?

Safest storage is, as syn999 said, having them on one of YOUR addresses, offline and on a paperwallet/some usb keys

wut how do i print out bitcoins on paper? and how do i get them back in the computer when i want to spend them?

there are sites out there offer this and it is easy just like the online transfer. transfer from address to address

Because so you have the key printed on paper, wich is a good way to store information and not lose it.

Very easy, most clients have a option to import the private keys.

You're not printing out bitcoins, you're printing out the keys to your bitcoins.

Think of the bitcoin system as a large vault filled with safety deposit boxes.  Each safety deposit box has an address; that's your bitcoin address (also known as public key).  Each safety deposit box also has an entry code: that's your private key.

When you create a paper wallet all you're doing is taking your public and private keys and writing them down.  The bitcoins stay where they've always been.

What about a bitcoin wallet? or is it better to keep them off the computer period?

I think people make too much of an issue out of this. If you get Malware constantly then you probably shouldn't be involved in bitcoins to begin with lol

If you have not come across this information in the meantime, check out Armory (bitcoinarmory.com). It should help you start storing your bitcoins in the safest possible way according to you IT skills..

I would agree that paper is the best form of cold storage.  You can put on flash drive and keep off the grid, but I've had those corrupted before and then your wallet is gone.  Best to print out QR code (or better yet private key string in case you can't find QR reader) and drop in a fireproof safe  -- assuming you have enough to worry about.

https://blockchain.info/wallet/

Keep your coins offline in a USB wallet or on paper in a safe.

cf. for instance https://en.bitcoin.it/wiki/Paper_wallet

I see that blockchain.info has a feature to backup your wallet to google drive and places like that. Is this backup method really safe?

I think any place that is accessible online isn't safe.  If anyone hacks your Gmail password or GMail starts handing over wallet.dat files to authorities there is no point in it.

I have been using blockchain wallet for 6 months now. Pretty solid if you get two level password and authenitcator. It lets you backup on dropbox/google drive or email directly.

Of course its no where safe as a offline wallet.

I read that the Armory client is pretty robust. It lets you run armory offline and create a wallet totally isolated from the internet. And when you wish to pull money from it, you can get an online armory client to put a request file onto a usb key. Then you take the usb key go to your offline computer and verify the transaction with your offline wallet. Finally, go back to your online computer and plug in the usb and the transaction goes through.

Two options: paper wallet, or redundantly backed up wallet with super-strong password (preferably in Truecrypt).

Cold storage as a USB key or paper wallet.

encrypt it

<Irony>
I find humor in the advice to store bitcoins printed in ink on arbitrary bits paper! Isn't that the kind of money we're all trying to get away from? (Sarcasm)

I recommend you have your private key engraved onto a bar of gold. Only then will your value truly be safe!
</Irony>

lol yeah. back to past

The real answer depends on how much you're trying to protect. If you're an adult with any substantial portion of your wealth in bitcoin, keep your keys in cold storage in different physical places. A fireproof safe is not good enough. Put it there, and then also store it in a safe deposit box in a bank in a different town from you.

Make a tattoo of your private key on your penis, and tattoo of blockchain on your ass. All of us will be safe.  ;D

Is it possible to find out one's private key with the Qt wallet?

Good advice.  Plus the hard copy will last a lot longer in a fire in a safe than the flash...though at that point it may be the least of your concerns...

Since this is a noob thread let me reinforce this one very important concept.

Transfer the coins you want to store into a NEW address. Then print out the private key to that new address and store it ONLY offline. Delete it COMPLETELY from your online computer. If anyone suspect has ever had access to a particular private key (wallet), never again consider it safe. Move the coins to a new address to be sure.

Don't presume that having an offline backup means your coins are safe. That only keeps them safe from your system crashing. That doesn't keep your coins safe from theft, hackers, viruses, trojans, etc.

If you want to keep some coins safe and some available for purchases or trading make sure you have them at different addresses. Keep one private key ONLY OFFLINE. Keep the other on your computer but print out a backup copy ALSO.

Paper wallet or cold storage on some USB.

Thanks!

So you're suggesting that we split our coins? Have one private key that is only offline (presumably backed up physically in at least two secure locations) that we store the bulk of our bitcoins there? And then have another private key that does reside on our computer (along with a print-out backup) where we store any balance that we want to trade with or actually buy things with?

YES! Exactly correct!

Very helpful, thanks much!

Write down each character of your private key on a sticky note and place them around your house. Create puzzles and clues to help you put them in the right order.

that's funny but it won't work for us gals

Paper wallet...no debate

Backups. So many backups.

Anyone interested in knowing more about wallet security should check out this thread:

https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=17240.0 (https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=17240.0)

~richgene

The safest and simplest solution is to simply get an accout at The Bank of Bitcoin thebankofbitcoin.com (http://thebankofbitcoin.com) and store them in "Paper Vaults."  They are essentially the same as a paper wallet, but they are super-easy to create and the bank's Paper Vault interface makes it easy to spend directly from your Paper Vault from any internet connected device.  It's the only service I use

I found a video walkthrough of making a Paper Wallet on YouTube here: http://youtu.be/wfMHsLXx_qM (http://youtu.be/wfMHsLXx_qM)

Papar wallets are good.
Brain wallet backed up with http://passguardian.com/ are good too.
I would use the both.

I would split my bulk bitcoin in several paper wallets and some brain wallet.

The safest place for Bitcoin is spend it. Paper can be burn, USB,CD,DVD medium will stop work in 10+ years

There was just a big 108 BTC hack of that site (me affected as well). If you use it, it is imperative that you enable 2 factor authentication of any sort.

USB key

Which is great until it becomes corrupted, which will eventually happen to any USB key.

Agreed, Easy and Safe, I hope...  ???

Bitcoin wallet is good. USB is better. Paper wallet/writing it down on paper is by far the best.
I don't have too many bitcoin but hopefully in the future they will grow in value so much that I will have no choice but to put the private keys in a physical safe.
Here's to hoping.

Thanks for the referral to the armory!