How to generate new addresses if you use electrum as cold storage?

[cellard]

If you use Electrum in an offline machine that never goes online, and you have already used all generated-by-default addresses and you need a new bulk, how do I make it generate new ones?

As far as I know, Electrum needs to connect online to verify that an X amount of addresses contain funds in order to automatically generate another batch, but like I said before, I don't want to ever be online otherwise it wouldn't be cold storage... so how do I get new ones within the same wallet?

[jackg]

Change the gap limit variable in the console by running:

Code:

wallet.change_gap_limit(100) 
wallet.storage.write()

Run:

Code:

wallet.gap_limit

To get the current gap limit.

Reference

You could probably try:

Code:

wallet.change_gap_limit(wallet gap_limit+100) 
wallet.storage.write()

And see if that works.

[EcuaMobi]

You can also export your xpub key (Wallet > Information) and use that to create a new read-only wallet on an online computer.
On the other computer create a new wallet and choose Standard Wallet > Use public or private key and enter your xpub key.

It will have the same addresses, without any private keys, and with Internet available to see which addresses are used.
You could do that on your Android device if that's more useful for you.

[Abdussamad]

jackg has covered how to generate new addresses but I thought I would cover possible reasons why you are asking this question:

- If this is about offline signing then you don't have to manually generate new addresses. The unsigned transaction contains instructions for offline electrum to generate the necessary addresses to sign the transaction.

- Otherwise if this is a simply a general question about addresses then please note that addresses don't have to be registered or broadcast before use. There is no registry of addresses or any central authority whose permission you need to get. An address is simply a really large number.

[pooya87]

~ I thought I would cover possible reasons why you are asking this question:~

- it can be for getting the private key to import elsewhere and claim forked coins for example. in which case there is a command for it:

Code:

getprivatekeys('address_goes_here')

- it can be for signing a message with the key. in which case there is a command for that too:

Code:

signmessage('address_goes_here','message_goes_here')