How to import bitcoin core wallet in other client(s)?

[william3489]

Are there any good "light" (read: doesn't require downloading the blockchain and the space and time associated with that) wallets for mobile or desktop (or both)? That I can quickly and easily import a bitcoin core wallet into?  

If not, how can I most easily get a file or even a piece of paper that's storing the data I need to be able to quickly spend or trade bitcoins?

I want to store bitcoins offline, but if something happens in the market I want to be able to move them, spend them, trade them, etc. quickly.  Having to install a fresh bitcoin core client and wait for it to sync is not an option.

Thanks.

[ranochigo]

Are there any good "light" (read: doesn't require downloading the blockchain and the space and time associated with that) wallets for mobile or desktop (or both)?

Electrum is a great wallet IMHO.

That I can quickly and easily import a bitcoin core wallet into?  

No, the way Bitcoin Core stores the wallet file makes it incompatible with every light wallet that I know of.

If not, how can I most easily get a file or even a piece of paper that's storing the data I need to be able to quickly spend or trade bitcoins?

If your Bitcoin Core client has a HD seed that is generated with it, 0.13.0 onwards, you can dump the xpriv key out and store it safely. You can use the xpriv in various wallets. The main downside being that you cannot change the password of the wallet. Anything below 0.13.0, you have to backup the wallet.dat every 100 transactions.

If you are worried about the synchronization time, I would recommend you to just use Electrum. The seed is easy and it offers a rather good security for day to day use. I've trusted it with all my Bitcoins.
If you're in an emergency, you can still spend the coins before it synchronizes fully. You have to create a raw unsigned transaction and sign it using the client.

[william3489]

If your Bitcoin Core client has a HD seed that is generated with it, 0.13.0 onwards, you can dump the xpriv key out and store it safely. You can use the xpriv in various wallets. The main downside being that you cannot change the password of the wallet. Anything below 0.13.0, you have to backup the wallet.dat every 100 transactions.

So I can import the xpriv key into Electrum?

Thanks.

[AGD]

launch your bitcoin client
click on 'help' in the menu bar (top right)
click on 'debug window'
select the 'console' tab
type: walletpassphrase "your walletpassphrase here" 600
type: dumpprivkey [your public key here]
this will return the private key, you can copy it now; ensure you clear your clipboard/history afterwards
type: walletlock

This private key is easy to import in Electrum

[william3489]

launch your bitcoin client
click on 'help' in the menu bar (top right)
click on 'debug window'
select the 'console' tab
type: walletpassphrase "your walletpassphrase here" 600
type: dumpprivkey [your public key here]
this will return the private key, you can copy it now; ensure you clear your clipboard/history afterwards
type: walletlock

This private key is easy to import in Electrum

You have to do this individually for each address?  How do I list all the addresses?   "Your public key" is the same as your bitcoin payment address right?   What does the 600 stand for? The timeout in seconds? 10 min?

Thanks.

[ranochigo]

You have to do this individually for each address?

Yes.

How do I list all the addresses?

In the console, you have to type

Code:

listaddressgroupings

. The command will list all your addresses, including the change address.

"Your public key" is the same as your bitcoin payment address right?

Yes. The address should start with 1 or 3.

What does the 600 stand for? The timeout in seconds? 10 min?

Thanks.

Yes. The amount of time the wallet will be unlocked for.
Even though this method will work, it can be rather tedious if you have hundred of addresses. You can try importing the xpriv into Electrum. I haven't done it myself however but I'm confident that it will work.

[kfj984f]

I have a similar problem. I was using Bitcoin Core, but somehow a little while ago the chain got corrupted, and I then deleted it. I ain't downloading 100GB (I don't have the space for one).

I recently managed to use pywallet https://github.com/jackjack-jj/pywallet to export /something/ (JSON?), which includes private keys. The only trouble is, there are maybe hundreds of them? Many of them without associated bitcoin, but I've no way of telling which have bitcoin, and which don't.

Is there any software that I can import hundreds of private keys in at one time? (Preferably in the format that pywallet has exported.)

Format of the file that pywallet created looks similar to (with the xxxxxxx replaced by whatever the actual numbers are), and repeated lots of times:
    "bestblock": "xxxxxx",
    "ckey": [],
    "defaultkey": "xxxxxxx",
    "keys": [
        {
            "addr": "xxxxxxx",
            "compressed": true,
            "hexsec": "xxxxxxx",
            "private": "xxxxxxx",
            "pubkey": "xxxxxxx",
            "reserve": 1,
            "sec": "xxxxxxx",
            "secret": "xxxxxxx"
        }

[kfj984f]

And to answer my own question, if one has a list of private keys only, then one can use Electrum.
http://docs.electrum.org/en/latest/faq.html#can-i-import-private-keys-from-other-bitcoin-clients

One should thus use another script to get just the private keys from the JSON file that pywallet generated, and then paste them into Electrum.

OK...