Frequency of back ups...?

[Zenone]

Could anyone tell me how frequently the Bitcoin Core wallet requires backing up...?.
If the last back up was carried out say a year ago and in the meantime some transactions had been made would that back up still be able to be used in the event of pc failure to create an accurate new wallet ?.

[MadGamer]

You did not mention which version you are using , old wallets comes with 100 pre-generated private keys which makes it obligatory to make regular backup based on how often you use your wallet , while with the new bitcoin core , I believe 0.13.0 and above the wallet became HD so taking one backup should do the job.

[achow101]

Could anyone tell me how frequently the Bitcoin Core wallet requires backing up...?.

Every one hundred addresses. This usually is every 100 transactions as you use one change address when sending and one address when receiving.

Even with the new HD wallets, you should still backup every 100 addresses so that you keep any metadata and not miss any addresses that you have previously used.

If the last back up was carried out say a year ago and in the meantime some transactions had been made would that back up still be able to be used in the event of pc failure to create an accurate new wallet ?.

If you made more than one hundred addresses, with the old wallets, you will lose some Bitcoin from the addresses after 100. With the HD wallets, you will have to extend the keypool and possibly rescan so that you get all of the transactions.

[Zenone]

Ah that's good news thank you for the replies....
I'm using the latest version of Core and have been backing up after *every* transaction which is obviously taking the ''back up regularly'' mantra a bit too far...!!.
Thanks again.

[cr1776]

Ah that's good news thank you for the replies....
I'm using the latest version of Core and have been backing up after *every* transaction which is obviously taking the ''back up regularly'' mantra a bit too far...!!.
Thanks again.

Did you create the wallet with the latest version of Bitcoin Core or a previous version?

Be aware that if you created the wallet with, say, 0.10.x or 0.11.x or whatever, just updating to 0.13.x won't change your wallet to a HD wallet.

You are right though, backing up after every transaction is probably overkill.

[Zenone]

Ah that's good news thank you for the replies....
I'm using the latest version of Core and have been backing up after *every* transaction which is obviously taking the ''back up regularly'' mantra a bit too far...!!.
Thanks again.

Did you create the wallet with the latest version of Bitcoin Core or a previous version?

Be aware that if you created the wallet with, say, 0.10.x or 0.11.x or whatever, just updating to 0.13.x won't change your wallet to a HD wallet.

You are right though, backing up after every transaction is probably overkill.

I'm sorry I'm afraid I'm a bit confused ...the Bitcoin Core wallet I have is... V 0.13.1 ...  and I have been updating this for the last few years whenever a new version comes out.
So do I need to change to a HD wallet..?...and if so where do I obtain one from please ?.

[cr1776]

Ah that's good news thank you for the replies....
I'm using the latest version of Core and have been backing up after *every* transaction which is obviously taking the ''back up regularly'' mantra a bit too far...!!.
Thanks again.

Did you create the wallet with the latest version of Bitcoin Core or a previous version?

Be aware that if you created the wallet with, say, 0.10.x or 0.11.x or whatever, just updating to 0.13.x won't change your wallet to a HD wallet.

You are right though, backing up after every transaction is probably overkill.

I'm sorry I'm afraid I'm a bit confused ...the Bitcoin Core wallet I have is... V 0.13.1 ...  and I have been updating this for the last few years whenever a new version comes out.
So do I need to change to a HD wallet..?...and if so where do I obtain one from please ?.

If you created the wallet with something below 0.13.x just updating to 0.13.x won't change your wallet to a HD wallet.  It will remain the old wallet without the HD component.  If you want to use a HD wallet, Bitcoin Core 0.13.x and higher will provide one, but you have to move to the one.  There are some instructions here: 
https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=1610647.msg16176943#msg16176943

If you wait until 0.14.0 then the process for migrating to the HD wallet *may* be simpler.
 

[Zenone]

Thank you for your quick reply.....I think I'll wait for the next version to see if moving to HD is any easier...:-)

[cr1776]

Thank you for your quick reply.....I think I'll wait for the next version to see if moving to HD is any easier...:-)

Makes sense. Just keep backing up. 😀

[DannyHamilton]

Note that, if you add a password to your wallet (or change your password), you should backup immediately afterwards (before sending or receiving any bitcoins). I think Bitcoin Core generates a new pool of 100 addresses when you change your password, and that new set of addresses won't be in any of your old backups.

Also note that, any old backups that you keep from before the password change will still use the old password if you recover them, so you'll need to continue to be able to remember or access the old password for as long as you keep the old backup copies around.  If you forget the old password, the old backups will be useless.