Why can't regular flash drives store Bitcoin

[Magic-Money]

Bitcoin storage has many ways to store in difference wallet, which is Trust wallet App is good to store your Bitcoin, because using flash drive can be clash or corrupt, but Trust wallet can not be corrupt, but as long the phase code is saved, the wallet and assets is saved, and avoid online Dex connecting Wallet, so that the wallet will not be compromised.

[MIner1448]

Regular flash drives cannot store bitcoins because bitcoins are a digital currency that is stored in the form of cryptographic keys. Cryptographic keys are used to sign transactions and verify ownership of funds. These keys are very important to the security and privacy of Bitcoin, and if they fall into the wrong hands, your funds could be stolen.
Regular flash drives are not secure enough to store cryptographic keys and can be compromised by virus attacks or physical damage. To store bitcoins in a secure way, you need to use special hardware wallets that provide a high level of security and key protection.

[teosanru]

In most part of Africa hardware wallets are not only difficult but expensive to get apart form using custodian wallets like trust wallet and metamask is there an alternative software that can help hodl Bitcoin in a flash drive. or otherwise

I think the hardware wallets don't have any rocket science, it's just that it contains your private key which makes your wallet accessible when the hardware wallet is attached. If you keep the private key in the pendrive and attach it only while making your transaction and remove it after transaction it's as good as a hardware wallet only. But yes that automatic mechanism you won't get using a flash drive.

[Rruchi man]

In most part of Africa hardware wallets are not only difficult but expensive to get apart form using custodian wallets like trust wallet and metamask is there an alternative software that can help hodl Bitcoin in a flash drive. or otherwise

Everything has a purpose and a particular functions that they were created for, flash drives were never created to store bitcoins, so it not something possible for it to do. The purpose and idea behind the creation of flash drives was conceived without any knowledge of something called cryptocurrency or bitcoins in particular. Flash drives have their history as far back as year 2000 so you can understand why bitcoin storage was not considered as a function for them.

[zasad@]

In most part of Africa hardware wallets are not only difficult but expensive to get apart form using custodian wallets like trust wallet and metamask is there an alternative software that can help hodl Bitcoin in a flash drive. or otherwise

If the amounts are small, then you need to download the mobile version of the Electrum wallet and the Veracrypt program.
Your encrypted container can be disguised on a USB flash drive as any file that you save on a few. It's safe if your computer is free of viruses, but it's fast and convenient.

[darkv0rt3x]

In fact every solution comes with risks. If we go to the extreme, hardware wallets can also be hacked, can get damaged (harware damage leading to corrupted data). Paper can burn and can vanish if it goes in water. Metal plates can be lost if not properly stored. Encrypted containers can get corrupted also by hardware failure, etc, etc, etc. There is an infinite number of possibilities to get screwed. So, in the end, the best, but yet not risk free, is to have redundancy, meaning to store/save your keys/data in multiple places in different forms and have someone of your absolute trust to know about those places and ways of getting the data in case the owner passes away or is incapacitated of managing its data!

[SmartGold01]

In most part of Africa hardware wallets are not only difficult but expensive to get apart form using custodian wallets like trust wallet and metamask is there an alternative software that can help hodl Bitcoin in a flash drive. or otherwise

The flash doesn't only holds bitcoin but their seed phrase can be stored inside the flash drive maybe as a backup but is not trusted to use because whenever you have those seed phrase stored inside, and slot in your flash drive to any computer that has virus it might get corrupted this may lead for you not have access to the wallet again which would results in loosing the funds stored in that address since you don't have access to the private keys again.
This is not advisable imo.

[Bushdark]

it's important to remember that using a software wallet, even on a flash drive, can come with security risks. So, it's important to take precautions like using a strong password and keeping backups of your private keys.

There are many ways we can keep our private keys from intruders but we need to ask ourselves this question that what will happen to our Bitcoin after we have kept it from anyone seeing it and we finally passed away maybe through accident or illness. I have tried as much to inform my family of me owning Bitcoin with some clue of how they can manipulate my portfolio if in case I accidentally passed away. We should not hide assets from the family of close people around us.

There had been billions dollar worth of Bitcoin that was lost due to try to keep our Bitcoin portfolio from our families or loved ones. We need to let people around us have some clue about our crypto portfolio so Incase anything strange happen to us.

[Cryptomultiplier]

As the name sounds regular, so are the functions regular to the reason why it was built in the first place. Hard ware wallets need hard ware device to carry their data. Software had even thier own devices or ways to keep its data safe.
When I see a topic like this asking why a regular flash drive doesn't store Bitcoin, I worry the level of exposure such a one has had as regards methods used to keep cryptocurrencies safe from hackers, scammers or even loss or corrupt storage spaces.  
Flash drives are of different sort, and the kind of data it stores is dependent on programmed software built into it already.

[Z-tight]

Bitcoin storage has many ways to store in difference wallet, which is Trust wallet App is good to store your Bitcoin, because using flash drive can be clash or corrupt, but Trust wallet can not be corrupt, but as long the phase code is saved, the wallet and assets is saved

Bad recommendation. Trust wallet is a closed source wallet and it is also owned by Binance, two read flags, their codes and seed phrase cannot be verified, and CZ is a shady person, so we don't know what he is doing behind the scenes. Recently a vulnerability was also exploited in Trust wallet and people lost their funds. Electrum is a good recommendation, it is a self custody wallet and open source, so if you were using Trust wallet to hold your BTC's, you should create a new wallet in Electrum and send all your BTC's there.

[wxa7115]

In most part of Africa hardware wallets are not only difficult but expensive to get apart form using custodian wallets like trust wallet and metamask is there an alternative software that can help hodl Bitcoin in a flash drive. or otherwise

You can store your coins in any way you want, it is just that a hardware wallet is a very safe way to do it, however if the supply of those hardware wallets is on the low side where you live or their cost is prohibitive for you then you can choose several other alternatives.

Since you are posting in this forum then this means that you have access to electricity, the internet and a computer or a smartphone, meaning that you already have all what you need in order to store bitcoin securely, now you can store a backup on a flash drive if you want, just remember that those flash drives have the tendency to die down after a few years, so do not use them as your main way to store your coins.

[death69]

Flash drive, really? Might as well jot your secrets on a coaster and pray, right?

Kidding aside, though hardware wallets are the bee's knees of safety, there's no shortage of methods to stash your Bitcoin sans worry.

One plan is to harness a USB drive, tucking your private keys into an encrypted fortress. Sure, it's not Fort Knox like a hardware wallet, but it keeps your digital gold away from nosy Nellies.

Remember to roll with trusted software like Electrum to conjure your keys and wrap your file in digital armor. And, naturally, don't space on cloning backups and hiding them like buried treasure. Nobody wants to be that schmuck who waved bye-bye to Bitcoin over a java mishap.

[Assface16678]

In most part of Africa hardware wallets are not only difficult but expensive to get apart form using custodian wallets like trust wallet and metamask is there an alternative software that can help hodl Bitcoin in a flash drive. or otherwise

you can store bitcoin and any other stuff life your private keys. If you're flashdrive can't store bitcoin, i think there's a problem with that. Hard wallet is the one I trusted and it's going pretty well.

[BlackHatCoiner]

[...]

Papers and metal plates were never portrait as the absolute solution. Everything corrupts in the extreme, but there is an order of magnitudes difference between that and a flash drive, security speaking. 

just remember that those flash drives have the tendency to die down after a few years, so do not use them as your main way to store your coins

Or avoid them altogether when there is paper and pencil. Not to mention that someone who compromises your device can trivially notice private keys in your device.

[NeilLostBitCoin]

you can store bitcoin and any other stuff life your private keys. If you're flashdrive can't store bitcoin, i think there's a problem with that. Hard wallet is the one I trusted and it's going pretty well.

I think OP is a newbie. Op wants to have the feature of a hardware wallet but can't afford to buy it. But OP, you can hold Bitcoin or any other asset without using any hardware wallet. You'll need a piece of paper and a pen. That's it. Hide it until you are satisfied with the price of it. There's a tremendous advantage to holding it on paper, unlike in a hardware wallet. Some people who don't know Bitcoin or other crypto-currency will see your seed phrase and think it is just a useless paper with weird words, unlike in a hardware wallet they can search about and can cost you your life if they knew you have crypto-currency.

[vapourminer]

there is no way i would trust a usb flash drive for wallet data, seeds, anything. they are no where near reliable enough to trust a decent amount money with. even good flash drives fail.. i have a pile of corrupted flash drives from my dads estate. like 20 % bad and they were top line drives at the time.

just (hand) print the seeds out and use a passphrase on top of that.

[cydrix]

Flash drives without built-in security mechanisms are particularly vulnerable to hacking, data breaches, and limited lifespans that can quickly result in data damage or loss, which is the fundamental reason why conventional flash drives cannot contain bitcoins.

It is better to keep quiet about your wallet because there is no need for someone to come into your room to look for something unless you are the one who sparked their curiosity. I prefer writing the seeds down somewhere safe because I am a very private person and use my room alone.

[ringgo96]

right now I'm not sure about saving crypto on a flash drive because of security which in my opinion can't be relied on to the maximum, so many investors prefer other wallets to store their current crypto assets, but for African countries maybe they should have a special flash drive that can store bitcoins so they can use it at the moment, and most importantly for us the security key to the wallet that we currently have is stored properly and all the domoets that have many users we can probably rely on.

[benalexis12]

In most part of Africa hardware wallets are not only difficult but expensive to get apart form using custodian wallets like trust wallet and metamask is there an alternative software that can help hodl Bitcoin in a flash drive. or otherwise

Because what I do using a USB flash drive is that I just put it in the File is electrum account, including password, private key, and seed phrase, even the wallets I made in metamask on the USB flash drive.
But even though I don't have hardware wallets yet, I don't just keep it in one USB flash drive, but in three USBs so that in case of loss or damage, I have another USB flash drive reserved.

[JayTrain]

It's understandable that hardware wallets may be difficult and expensive to obtain in some parts of Africa. However, there are software wallet options that can help secure your Bitcoin, such as  Additionally, creating an offline wallet with a paper wallet or using a USB flash drive with a trusted software wallet can also provide added security for holding Bitcoin. It's important to do thorough research and understand the risks associated with any wallet before storing your funds.