>>>SIMPLE GUIDE FOR NEW PEOPLE<<< How To "Back Up & Restore" Your "wallet.dat"

[mincointeam]

How To "Back Up & Restore" Your "wallet.dat"

This guide is for newer members to the crypto community

It's the easiest method of keeping a wallet backup

(This simple guide also works for all QT wallets)

Make sure your wallet is updated to the current block
To create your 'back up' file:

1: Click 'Backup Wallet' from the 'file menu'
 
2: Choose a file name for the 'Backup file':
(Any name is fine mncwallet.dat, mnc.dat....  etc. as long as you rename the file wallet.dat when/if you need to restore it)
 
3: Save the file in any file location:
(for this guide i'm showing you how to save to desktop,  a flashdrive or two is safer than a pc thats online)

STEP: 1

https://i.imgur.com/wiUJ8zg.png

STEP: 2

https://i.imgur.com/lRcQUUy.png

Step: 3

https://i.imgur.com/FHWcz7K.png

Restoring the backup file

Step: 1

https://i.imgur.com/cb0O2cY.png

Step: 2

https://i.imgur.com/aN5wwWM.png

Step: 3

https://i.imgur.com/8TyU9Ky.png

Step: 4

https://i.imgur.com/2JottFa.png

There are more advanced ways to back up your wallet

like paper wallet's and importing/exporting your private keys

But this is the method I've been using for a while now

and has yet to fail me and even SAVED my butt!!!

In a couple situations with the Bitcoin-QT where I thought all was lost!!! 

NOTE:
You can make a backup of the wallet.dat file by copying and pasting it from it's folder location
but I've read from numerous dev's that it's not 100% safe compared to saving through the wallet GUI.
 
Keeping a backup file updated often is the only way to ensure 99.999% of it usefuleness
in the rare occasion you may need it.

Wallet.dat Back-up & Restore Guide

[1715348684]

1715348684

[SuperTramp]

GREAT job putting this essential wallet.dat back-up guide together!

 

[lda1000]

you can backup your wallet from a command line too using

bitcoind backupwallet <path-to-the-file.dat>

[MTJ151]

thanks for the guide.... I have a question.

How often do you have to take a backup? Should it be done when you create new addresses or are they somehow already in the wallet.dat file?

Cheers!

[mrcashking]

+1 Thanks, very helpful!

[ranlo]

This is an awesome guide! I'd also point people to the fact that you can use autobackup programs (like Mozy) to keep backing up your wallet remotely as well.

[mincointeam]

thanks for the guide.... I have a question.

How often do you have to take a backup? Should it be done when you create new addresses or are they somehow already in the wallet.dat file?

Cheers!

I do a backup every time I make a transaction to or from the wallet.  Yes if you create a new wallet address the wallet.dat will contain that address so if you had somebody send coins to that address I would back it up.

Thnx for the input guys
Yes I know there are plenty of other ways to make a backup as I mentioned this is for new people into crypto coins that don't want to have to get too technical or use the command prompt which is something most computer users don't really do anyway.
Trying to make this so simple that my grandmother would understand it if need be 

[ranlo]

thanks for the guide.... I have a question.

How often do you have to take a backup? Should it be done when you create new addresses or are they somehow already in the wallet.dat file?

Cheers!

I do a backup every time I make a transaction to or from the wallet.  Yes if you create a new wallet address the wallet.dat will contain that address so if you had somebody send coins to that address I would back it up.

Thnx for the input guys
Yes I know there are plenty of other ways to make a backup as I mentioned this is for new people into crypto coins that don't want to have to get too technical or use the command prompt which is something most computer users don't really do anyway.
Trying to make this so simple that my grandmother would understand it if need be 

You really don't need to back up every time you send a transaction, either. You just need to do it every 100 times IIRC (there is a pool of 100 that is created, and that is increased as needed). To help illustrate my understanding:

1-100 - Starting
Send a transaction, now you have 1-101
Send another, 1-102

So as long as you back up after 100 sends, you're still safe.