Apologies in advance if the message here is ignorant of possible other threads but I tried looking here and did not quite find it.
Is there a Dummy's guide to generating new addresses and importing private keys using Electrum? It's my first btc wallet and I do like its lightweight feel. But I'm not sure I am doing things right as there is no step-by-step Dummy Guide and I don't want to lose my balances or corrupt any keys.
I have found one in the help but it is still too technical for me. Appreciate any assistance I can get.
If you are creating a new wallet, generate a HD wallet instead. HD wallets triumph over standard wallet as they are comparatively more convenient to use. Just select new wallet and standard wallet at the start.
Alternatively, you can try generating an address on a generator such as bitaddress.org. Electrum do not allow the importing of addresses when the wallet has HD keys so you need to create a separate wallet for that. Just select Import addresses and standard wallet.
Thanks for the help... how would I know if I had an HD wallet? I don't recall what I selected when I first installed and used Electrum. Basically the reason I was asking how to import is that I don't see the option to Import. (I am using version 2.6.4). Is there absolutely no way then to import addresses if mine is a HD wallet? Hate to lose old addresses.
Did the wallet ask you to save any seeds? If yes, then it is an HD wallet. Alternatively, go to wallet>private key. If the option to import is not present, it is probably a HD wallet.
Go to file>new and create a new wallet. Select standard wallet> Use public or private keys. Paste your private key into the box. Your new wallet should be loaded. To switch between wallets, select file>open and select your other wallet.
As documented above, Electrum 2.7.2 has a bug and you need to upgrade to the newer version.