Bitcoin Forum

Data is very costly in my country and i have always run my favorite crypto wallets on Linux OS, the problem I am having now is my Linux OS device is not working well anymore because it is very old and sluggish, so now someone sent me a brand new laptop as a gift but since it a windows 11 pc can I move the same nodes data from the old Linux pc HDD to Windows 11? Will it work?

Are node data for crypto wallets  on linux and Windows the same? I am trying as much as possible to avoid downloading the whole data from the beginning, it will cost me alot.

It will work.
If your HDD isn't affected, your Bitcoin folder where your node data(blocks, chainstate, wallets and some other files) will remain intact. You can copy the folder to your new windows laptop.


All node store the same data, the same blocks. This is what you should do; copy the Bitcoin folder from your old HDD to your windows, then download a new Bitcoin core, verify the file and install.

However, during the installation make sure to use a custom data directory so the node will be able to locate the file. The node may take some while to fully sync to the latest block if it's been a while since you last downloaded the last block on your old laptop.

Data is one the major problem in most of the countries today because data has been at a high volume that data is so costly that even poor are finding it difficult to afford a data that last for months or weeks, and the way that data do expire or finish this days is what marvel me, so someone to be freely while using data one needs to subscribe a bigger amount of money in form of data that you can be able to stay a longer bit without being disconnected, so the poor masses are the one suffering from the high value of data in the some of the countries and i don't know the way forward than to keep watching and pray for a better tomorrow were data will not be costly again.

Not just the datadir, don't forget your configs.
In some setups, it wont be automatically copied over like if it's set via GUI or in a bitcoin.conf file saved elsewhere.
Some of those are essential on making the copied bitcoin datadir compatible, specially if you're using "prune" settings.
Just remember how you initially set your configs and you'll be fine.

If done correctly, it should be plug and play as if it continued over the last time you opened it in your linux machine.

This is all I need to hear, I will work on it and see if it will work, thanks

Yes, you can usually move large blockchain data files on your old Linux computer to your new Windows 11 computer to save on costly internet data, since main data files are most often same. This should however be done with care you should shut down your wallet software and then only move the main blockchain folders to right place on new windows computer, but not old config or log files. However, first and foremost, you must never move actual wallet file rather, you need to install program and set up your wallet again on new windows laptop with your seed phrase to ensure safety of your funds.