How to search wallet balance?

[Doubleflip7]

When I search for any of my wallet balances on CoinTracker or Blockstream, it says there's zero bitcoin and zero transactions have occurred on this wallet. Why is that? I'm copying the address from my Ledger app and Coldcard so I know it's correct, yet no balance according to Blockstream and Cointracker. What am I missing?

[Charles-Tim]

Likely you track just the address that you have not funded before would likely be the reason. On wallets, several addresses are generated, track the ones you used in transactions.

There is no other reasons blockchain explorer indicates your address not to be funded other than not being funded. On wallets, all the addresses generated by the wallet (that are funded) would display the total sum of the bitcoin of the funded addresses in its balance.

[Doubleflip7]

Thank you that was helpful. Instead of going to "Receive" and copying that address, I went to a past transaction and pulled that address like you said. A balance DOES show up now but it's around half the balance in my wallet. Very confused.

[sheenshane]

Thank you that was helpful. Instead of going to "Receive" and copying that address, I went to a past transaction and pulled that address like you said. A balance DOES show up now but it's around half the balance in my wallet. Very confused.

Because this is how it works.
It will generate a new Bitcoin address per transaction successfully made.  So possible, you've copied a newly generated address that doesn't have transactions.  This features the same on the Electrum software wallet which is really safe if you'll change your Bitcoin address per transaction.  It will mislead possible scammers who will track your transaction.

You need to learn more about how Bitcoin works especially Bitcoin wallets.

[Doubleflip7]

Thank you. I'm familiar with the fact that new addresses are generated each time but I thought they were all underneath a single umbrella address (same private key) and would therefore show as a single balance.

After my original post, I searched for the wallets that I received funds to and the sum of them all add up to what I expected.

Rookie question... When Glassnode says there's x number of wallets with at least 1 bitcoin, is that analytic only accounting for wallets that made a whole BTC transfer into them? Or is it grouping all wallets together that are underneath one seed phrase?

[decodx]

Thank you that was helpful. Instead of going to "Receive" and copying that address, I went to a past transaction and pulled that address like you said. A balance DOES show up now but it's around half the balance in my wallet. Very confused.

Most likely, your wallet generates a new receiving address every time you want to receive some coins. At least that's how most of today's crypto wallets work. Your total balance is likely spread across multiple addresses, so to see the total amount of coins in your wallet via blockchain explorer, you'll need to check each individual address one by one. Alternatively, if you want to explore all balances and transitions at once, you can try the xPub key method, as described here: How to analyze a Bitcoin (BTC) extended public key (xPub) using a block explorer.

Rookie question... When Glassnode says there's x number of wallets with at least 1 bitcoin, is that analytic only accounting for wallets that made a whole BTC transfer into them? Or is it grouping all wallets together that are underneath one seed phrase?

I don't think anyone can know which addresses are derived from the same seed phrase except the wallet owner. However, there are various methods by which individual addresses can be linked to the same wallet. For example, if you spend coins from multiple addresses in a single transaction, it leads to the conclusion that all addresses that share input in the transaction are from the same wallet.

[Charles-Tim]

Thank you that was helpful. Instead of going to "Receive" and copying that address, I went to a past transaction and pulled that address like you said. A balance DOES show up now but it's around half the balance in my wallet. Very confused.

I do not know how it works on Ledger Live, but it supposed to be in a way that your transactions on blockchain can be easily accessed, like through the history tab (how it is on Electrum). You can be able to know the coins you received on certain addresses and the ones that you have sent from there.

Rookie question... When Glassnode says there's x number of wallets with at least 1 bitcoin, is that analytic only accounting for wallets that made a whole BTC transfer into them? Or is it grouping all wallets together that are underneath one seed phrase?

Glassnode only group the wallet together, not by linking any to seed phrase. You can not know all the addresses that belong to the same seed phrase or wallet.

[Doubleflip7]

xpub is exactly what I was looking for. This shows my entire balance. I remember reading about xpubs but it didn't click until now. Thank you all!

[Charles-Tim]

xpub is exactly what I was looking for. This shows my entire balance. I remember reading about xpubs but it didn't click until now. Thank you all!

You can use master public key to know your total balance, but not on blockchain explorer. Best to just import the master public key on a wallet like Electrum and be used as a watch-only wallet.

Edit:
Know that public key do not give you access to your coin, you can not spend using it.

[franky1]

xpub is exactly what I was looking for. This shows my entire balance. I remember reading about xpubs but it didn't click until now. Thank you all!

when you have a private key seed. its a master private key
with a master publickey.

from that you can theb make child keys(new addresses). which for every receipt of funds goes to a new child public address

your funds are on the child public addresses. not the wallets master key address

analogy (online bank accounts)
think of the master public key not as a real balance total seen publicly.. but just a name of a particular bank services login username

which you use yourname and password to gain access to your funds. but those funds sent to individual account numbers(addresses)

thus you can tell and see those individual bank account numbers to see individual balances without revealing your bank username and password to get access to move those funds

privately via your bank access using the username and password your bank system totals up a total balance. but thats the benefit/feature of the bank software at your private view end. not the public view.. as the public view can only see account numbers

[Mate2237]

I thought when you login to your wallet, you can see your balance in the wallet, is there any other way to check balance apart from that? The amount shows on the history in the wallet is the total amount of coins left in the wallet. If there is any other way of checking the balance, can you drop the link here so others who not familiar with that can also follow the steps.

[PrivacyG]

Thank you. I'm familiar with the fact that new addresses are generated each time but I thought they were all underneath a single umbrella address (same private key) and would therefore show as a single balance.

No.  A new address is generated every time you want to receive Bitcoin and each address has its own Private Key.  You can use the same address multiple times.  But that is bad for your privacy.

-----

I advise against using xPub on Block Explorers.  This gives them the information you are the owner of all these addresses.  If you are using Electrum SPV (light) mode and importing the xPub, you are now giving this information to one server.  You are already giving this information to Ledger's servers and I suggest you give it to fewest amount of Block Explorers possible.

-
Regards,
PrivacyG

[o_e_l_e_o]

I thought when you login to your wallet, you can see your balance in the wallet, is there any other way to check balance apart from that?

Not without looking up every address individually on a block explorer and adding up all the totals. A better way would be to run your own node, download the full blockchain, and then scan the blockchain yourself for transactions involving your addresses. Both more secure and more private.

I advise against using xPub on Block Explorers.

Which block explorers support xpubs or other extended public keys? The only site I am aware of which will scan xpubs is https://blockpath.com/wallets/new?action=appxpub, but that's more for locating coins when you've forgotten the derivation path, as opposed to being a blockchain explorer.

But I agree, ideally you shouldn't be entering any of your addresses, let alone extended public keys, in to online services, since you lose all privacy as soon as you do.

[decodx]

xpub is exactly what I was looking for. This shows my entire balance. I remember reading about xpubs but it didn't click until now. Thank you all!

You can use master public key to know your total balance, but not on blockchain explorer. Best to just import the master public key on a wallet like Electrum and be used as a watch-only wallet.

Just a small correction: There are some blockchain explorers that can work with Extended Public Key (xPub, yPub, zPub), for example Blockpath (https://blockpath.com). But I agree with you that a watch-only wallet is a better option for watching your address balance.

[o_e_l_e_o]

But I agree with you that a watch-only wallet is a better option for watching your address balance.

It's certainly an easier option, but the privacy loss will be the same for the vast majority of people unfortunately. Unless your watch only wallet is in Bitcoin Core, or in a light wallet pointed exclusively at your own node or server (such as Sparrow pointed at your own node or Electrum pointed at your own Electrum server), then either way you are handing over your xpub to a third party who can then link all your addresses, balances, and transactions, and potentially link that against your IP, device fingerprint, and other unique data.

Given that most people don't run their own node and instead rely on someone else's node via light wallets, their watch only wallets give them zero privacy.

[BitDane]

Thank you that was helpful. Instead of going to "Receive" and copying that address, I went to a past transaction and pulled that address like you said. A balance DOES show up now but it's around half the balance in my wallet. Very confused.

As far as understand, every time you made a transaction, (sending out), if you are just sending part of the bitcoin holdings, the excess Bitcoin will go to another address created by the wallet. You can avoid this from happening by getting the private key of the  address holding the balance and import it as solo address, this time every time you send part of the Bitcoin of the existing balance, the excess will return back to the same address because it is the only address available in the imported wallet address.

Though this might compromise privacy but then you will always see the whole balance in the same address when using a blockchain explorer.

[Charles-Tim]

You can avoid this from happening by getting the private key of the  address holding the balance and import it as solo address, this time every time you send part of the Bitcoin of the existing balance, the excess will return back to the same address because it is the only address available in the imported wallet address.

Not necessary.

It depends on the wallet that you're using, example is Electrum wallet, on the GUI, click on tools -> preferences -> transactions  and uncheck 'use change addresses'.

Though this might compromise privacy but then you will always see the whole balance in the same address when using a blockchain explorer.

It is not necessary, wallet will always estimate the total amount of bitcoin you have on the addresses that your wallet generates.

[OcTradism]

As far as understand, every time you made a transaction, (sending out), if you are just sending part of the bitcoin holdings, the excess Bitcoin will go to another address created by the wallet.

It is called changed address that you can use it or not use it. It depends on you but by default, wallet will allow you to use change addresses.

Change address is for internal movement of your bitcoins in a same wallet from one address of yours to another address of yours. Coin analogy has better explanation for you.

Using change address is better than reuse your previous address so wallet softwares choose that option for you by their defaults.