To add bitcoin to your wallet, you first need to send bitcoin to an address that your wallet creates. You might already possess bitcoin in another wallet, and if so, you can transfer it from the wallet to your new one. Alternatively, you could purchase bitcoin from an exchange, a Bitcoin ATM, or peer-to-peer from someone you know personally.
Regardless of the source, they will request a Bitcoin address to send to. Within seconds of the sender broadcasting it, your wallet shows the incoming transaction. You can further confirm the safe arrival of the funds when your wallet displays the transaction as having received "confirmations." The security and irreversibility of a transaction increase with the number of confirmations it has received. Transactions that have received a minimum of six confirmations are generally considered to be final and highly secure.
Key facts
- Adding bitcoin to a wallet means receiving it to a Bitcoin address that the wallet generates for you.
- Three common sources: transferring from another wallet you control, buying from an exchange or Bitcoin ATM, or earning bitcoin directly.
- You do not need to buy a whole bitcoin. Each bitcoin divides into 100 million sats, so any amount works.
- A self-custodial wallet such as the Blockstream app generates addresses on your device, so only you control the funds that arrive.
- Incoming bitcoin appears as pending within seconds and is generally treated as final after six confirmations.
What a Bitcoin Receiving Address Is
A receiving address is a string of letters and numbers, also shown as a QR code, that tells the network where to deliver bitcoin. Wallets create a fresh address for each payment to improve privacy, so the address you see today may differ from the last one you used. Older addresses you have already shared still work and continue to credit the same wallet.
To receive funds, you share this address with whoever is sending. They paste it into their wallet or exchange withdrawal form, or scan the QR code. Always confirm the address is shown on your own device before sharing it, and double-check the first and last characters when copying, since an incorrect address can send bitcoin to the wrong place.
Receiving Bitcoin in the Blockstream App
In a self-custodial wallet, the receive flow is the same regardless of where the bitcoin comes from. Open the wallet, select the option to receive, and the app displays your current address and its QR code. Share that address with the sender, and the wallet monitors the network for the incoming transaction. The pending amount shows up almost immediately, and the balance becomes spendable once the transaction confirms in a block.
Because the Blockstream app holds your recovery phrase on your device rather than on a company server, bitcoin sent to its addresses is in your sole custody from the moment it arrives.
Transferring Bitcoin You Already Own
If you hold bitcoin in another wallet or on an exchange, you can move it into your wallet by sending it to your receiving address. Generate the address in the destination wallet, paste it into the send or withdrawal screen of the source, enter the amount, and confirm. The bitcoin leaves the sending wallet, broadcasts to the network, and lands in your wallet once the transaction confirms. Network fees apply to the sender, and more urgent transactions generally pay higher fees for faster confirmation. The fee depends on the transaction's data size and fee rate, not on the amount of bitcoin sent.
Buying or Earning Bitcoin to Fund a Wallet
You can also fund a wallet with newly acquired bitcoin. Exchanges, Bitcoin ATMs, and peer-to-peer trades all let you obtain bitcoin and then withdraw it to your own address. Some people earn bitcoin instead, for example by being paid for work or receiving it as a reward, and direct those payments to their wallet address. Whichever path you choose, the final step is the same: the sender or service delivers the bitcoin to the address your wallet provides.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need to buy a whole bitcoin to add it to my wallet?
No. A bitcoin divides into 100 million sats, so you can receive and hold any fraction. Wallets display small balances in either bitcoin or sats, and you can add to a wallet in as many small amounts as you like over time.
How long does it take for bitcoin to arrive in my wallet?
The transaction appears as pending within seconds of being broadcast. It becomes confirmed when a miner includes it in a block, which takes around ten minutes on average. Six confirmations, roughly an hour, is the common threshold for treating a transaction as final.
Why does my wallet show a new address each time?
Generating a fresh address per payment makes it harder to link your transactions together, which improves privacy. Every address your wallet has created still belongs to you, so any address you previously shared will continue to credit the same wallet.
Is it safe to reuse the same receiving address?
Reusing an address works and the funds will arrive, but it reduces privacy because anyone who knows the address can see its full history on the blockchain. Letting the wallet issue a new address for each payment is the recommended practice.
What happens if I send bitcoin to a wrong or mistyped address?
Bitcoin transactions are irreversible once confirmed. If the address is invalid, most wallets reject it before sending. If it is valid but belongs to someone else, the funds cannot be recovered without that person's cooperation, so verifying the address before confirming is essential.