# How to keep your Bitcoin private

**Short answer:** Install Wasabi, set a community coordinator, let it coinjoin, connect it to your Umbrel node over Tor, and spend one private coin at a time.

> Break the trail between where you got your bitcoin and where you spend it.

Every bitcoin payment is public forever. Coinjoin hides your coins in a crowd. Wasabi does it on its own while it's open.

- Level: Intermediate
- Time: 1 hour to set up, then hours to days of mixing
- Web version: https://few.guide/guides/wasabi-coinjoin.html

## What you need

- **A computer**: Windows 10 or 11, macOS 14 or newer, or Linux. Wasabi is desktop only. There is no phone app.
- **The bitcoin you want to mix**: Each coin needs at least 5,000 sats plus fees. Auto start kicks in from 0.005 BTC by default.
- **Your Umbrel with Bitcoin Node synced**: Optional, but it's how you stop trusting anyone else's node. See the [Umbrel guide](https://few.guide/guides/umbrel-bitcoin-node.html).
- **Paper and a pen**: For the 12 words and the passphrase. You need both to recover.
- **Time with the computer awake**: Wasabi only mixes while it's open and online.

## Step 1. What coinjoin does

Every bitcoin payment sits on a public ledger forever. If an exchange has your name, it can follow your coins to wherever you spend them. So can anyone who learns one of your addresses.

A **coinjoin** is one transaction built by many people at once. Everyone puts coins in and gets coins back in the same standard sizes. From the outside you can't tell which coin out belongs to which coin in.

**Wasabi Wallet** is a free, open-source desktop wallet that does this for you. It also sends everything over Tor and syncs without telling a server which addresses are yours.

**Coordinator** A server that gathers people into a round. With Wasabi's WabiSabi protocol it can't take your coins, and it can't see which coin out is yours.

On BTC Sessions, Max Hillebrand called Wasabi the set-and-forget option: Tor, private sync and coinjoin in one app.

## Step 2. Download and verify Wasabi

1. Go to [wasabiwallet.io](https://wasabiwallet.io/) or the [Wasabi releases on GitHub](https://github.com/WalletWasabi/WalletWasabi/releases). The current version is **2.8.4**, from 13 October 2026.
2. Download the file for your computer, plus the .asc signature file with the same name.
3. Check the signature before you install. Pick your computer below.

### Mac

1. Install [GPG Suite](https://gpgtools.org/) (free).
2. Download Wasabi-2.8.4-arm64.dmg for Apple silicon (M1 or newer), or Wasabi-2.8.4.dmg for Intel. Also download the matching .asc file.
3. Open Terminal. Type cd Downloads and press Enter. Then paste these lines one at a time:

```
curl -sL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/WalletWasabi/WalletWasabi/master/PGP.txt | gpg --import
gpg --fingerprint zkSNACKs
gpg --verify Wasabi-2.8.4-arm64.dmg.asc Wasabi-2.8.4-arm64.dmg
```

1. The fingerprint must read **6FB3 872B 5D42 292F 5992 0797 8563 4832 8949 861E**.
2. The last line must say **Good signature from "zkSNACKs <zksnacks@gmail.com>"**.
3. Open the .dmg and drag Wasabi to Applications.

### Windows

1. Install [Gpg4win](https://www.gpg4win.org/) (free). Keep the default options.
2. Download Wasabi-2.8.4.msi and Wasabi-2.8.4.msi.asc.
3. Open your Downloads folder. Click the address bar, type cmd and press Enter. Paste these lines one at a time:

```
curl -sL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/WalletWasabi/WalletWasabi/master/PGP.txt | gpg --import
gpg --fingerprint zkSNACKs
gpg --verify Wasabi-2.8.4.msi.asc Wasabi-2.8.4.msi
```

1. The fingerprint must read **6FB3 872B 5D42 292F 5992 0797 8563 4832 8949 861E**.
2. Look for **Good signature from "zkSNACKs"**. Then run the .msi.

### Linux

1. GPG is already installed. Download Wasabi-2.8.4.deb (Ubuntu, Debian) or Wasabi-2.8.4-linux-x64.tar.gz, plus the matching .asc.
2. Open a terminal in your Downloads folder and run:

```
curl -sL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/WalletWasabi/WalletWasabi/master/PGP.txt | gpg --import
gpg --fingerprint zkSNACKs
gpg --verify Wasabi-2.8.4.deb.asc Wasabi-2.8.4.deb
sudo apt install ./Wasabi-2.8.4.deb
```

1. Same checks: the fingerprint above, and **Good signature from "zkSNACKs"** before you install.

The signing key is still called zkSNACKs, after the company that started Wasabi. The 2.8.4 files are signed with it.

**Good signature is the line that matters.** The warning "This key is not certified with a trusted signature" is normal. "BAD signature" or a different fingerprint means delete the file and don't install it.

## Step 3. Create your wallet

1. Open Wasabi. The Add Wallet screen opens. Click Create a new wallet and give it a name. The name stays on your computer.
2. Pick Recovery Words Backup. You get 12 words.
3. Write the words on paper, in order. Confirm them when Wasabi asks.
4. Set a long passphrase. Write it down too, and keep it apart from the words.

**You need both.** Wasabi uses your passphrase as part of the wallet. The 12 words alone won't bring your coins back.

**Hot wallet** The keys live on your computer. Coinjoin needs that, because every round has to be signed within seconds. Keep only what you're mixing here.

Multi-share Backup splits the backup into several sets of 20 words. Skip it unless you already know SLIP 39.

## Step 4. Connect Wasabi to your Umbrel node

Without a node, Wasabi fetches block data from random peers over Tor. That's already private. With your own node, Wasabi gets blocks and block filters from a computer you own, and sends your transactions through it.

Wasabi talks to the node over Bitcoin Core's RPC. It doesn't need Electrs.

1. On Umbrel, open the Bitcoin Node app. Wait until it's fully synced.
2. Click Connect at the top. Open the RPC Details tab. Leave the switch on Tor.
3. You see Username, Password, Host (a long .onion address) and Port (8332).
4. In Wasabi, open Settings, then the Bitcoin tab.
5. In Bitcoin RPC Endpoint, type http://, then the .onion host, then :8332.
6. In Bitcoin RPC Credential String, type the username, a colon, then the password.
7. Click Verify connection. It should say **Connected successfully**.
8. Restart Wasabi. Settings only apply after a restart.

```
# what the two fields look like (yours will differ)
Bitcoin RPC Endpoint           http://abcd…wxyz.onion:8332
Bitcoin RPC Credential String  umbrel:YOUR-RPC-PASSWORD
```

After the restart, Bitcoin RPC shows in the status bar at the bottom right. A warning triangle there means Wasabi lost your node. It falls back to random peers until the node is back.

Umbrel's Bitcoin Node has Peer Block Filters and Block Filter Index on by default, under Settings, Peers. Leave them on. Wasabi uses those filters.

Why Tor and not the local address

Umbrel's Connect screen warns that the Local option sends the RPC password unencrypted over your network. It also says you must first allow your computer's IP in the node's RPC settings. The Tor address works out of the box, at home or away. It's a bit slower, that's all.

If you still want local: add a line such as rpcallowip=192.168.1.0/24 (your home network's range) in the Bitcoin Node app's Custom bitcoin.conf overrides, save, then use http://umbrel.local:8332 as the endpoint. Only on a home network you trust.

**The RPC password controls your node.** Paste it into Wasabi and nowhere else.

## Step 5. Pick a coordinator

Wasabi ships with no coordinator set. zkSNACKs, the company that ran the old default one, shut it down on 1 June 2024. Coordinators are now run by the community, and you pick one.

1. Open [liquisabi.com](https://liquisabi.com/). It lists public coordinators and their rounds over the last 30 days.
2. Compare the number of rounds and the inputs per round. Bigger rounds mean a bigger crowd to hide in.
3. Copy the Coordinator URI of the one you choose.
4. In Wasabi, open Settings, then the Coordinator tab. Paste it into Coordinator URI.
5. Restart Wasabi.

When I checked in October 2026, one coordinator ran nearly all the big rounds, with 200 to 270 inputs each. The others ran a few dozen inputs or fewer. Check again yourself. It changes.

Coordinators also announce themselves on Nostr. Wasabi's docs point to a tool called Wasabi Nostr that reads those announcements.

**Do your own checking.** Liquisabi is a community site, and Wasabi's docs say to use such lists with care. Never take a coordinator URI from a stranger's DM.

## Step 6. Set your fee limits

The coordinator sets the mining fee rate for each round. Your limits decide which rounds you join. Both are in Settings, Coordinator tab.

**Max Coinjoin Mining Fee Rate** (Default 50 sat/vB): Wasabi skips any round above this rate. When fees are low, a lower cap saves money. Rounds just wait if fees rise past it.

**Min Input Count** (Default 21): Wasabi skips rounds with fewer inputs. Small rounds cost the same fee for less privacy. Leave it, or raise it.

**Coordinator fee** (None): Wasabi refuses rounds that charge one. You pay only the mining fee for your share of the transaction.

Sometimes a few sats don't fit any standard size. Up to 10,000 sats per coinjoin can go to the coordinator as leftovers. Wasabi does that when a tiny extra coin would cost more and hurt your privacy.

**Trust** The coordinator can't steal your coins or link your coins in to your coins out. It can refuse your coins, run small rounds, or keep leftovers. Your two limits cover the money side.

## Step 7. Choose a coinjoin strategy

Open your wallet. Click the three dots at the top right, choose Wallet Settings, then the Coinjoin tab.

**Enhance Privacy** (Most privacy): Anonymity score target is random between 30 and 50. More rounds, more fees.

**Default Strategy** (Fine for most people): Target of 10. Non-private coin isolation is on.

**Reduce Costs** (Fewest rounds): Target of 5. Non-private coin isolation is off.

**Anonymity score** Wasabi's careful guess of how many others your coin hides among. It guesses low on purpose. Once a coin reaches your target, Wasabi counts it as private.

1. Turn on Automatically start coinjoin if you want it to mix whenever it's open. It's off by default.
2. Stop coinjoin threshold is 0.005 BTC by default. Below that balance, auto start won't run. Press Play to mix smaller amounts.

Keep Non-private coin isolation on. It lets only one non-private coin of yours into each round, so nobody can guess two coins came in together.

## Step 8. Fund it and let it mix

1. Click Receive. Wasabi asks who knows this address is yours. Type it in, like the exchange or person sending to you.
2. Send the bitcoin you want to mix. Wait for one confirmation. Rounds only take confirmed coins.
3. Press Play in the box at the bottom of the wallet, or let auto start do it.
4. Leave Wasabi open and the computer awake.

A green glow at the bottom means it's coinjoining. Orange means the round has reached the critical part. Don't close Wasabi then. It will ask you to wait anyway.

The Privacy Progress tile shows how far along you are. The bar of segments shows your coins: green is private, light green is semi-private, grey is not private yet.

Expect hours to days. It depends on your strategy, your amount and how busy the coordinator is. Many rounds fail and restart. That's normal.

**A failed round can't lose your coins.** A coinjoin either completes or doesn't happen. If your computer drops out mid-round, the coordinator may ban those coins from mixing for a while. You can still send them.

## Step 9. Labels and coin control

Your wallet is a pile of separate coins, and each one has its own history. Labels are how you remember that history.

1. Every time you receive, label who knows the address is yours. Separate names with a comma, like Exchange, Alice.
2. Wasabi uses those labels when it picks coins to send. It warns you when a payment would link them.

Never spend a private coin together with a non-private one. Say you send 0.65 BTC from Bob and 2.1 BTC from an exchange in one transaction. Now Bob can see the exchange coins, and the exchange can see Bob's. The coinjoin on those coins is wasted.

Wasabi picks coins for you, private ones first. That's the right default. Send, then Manual Control, lets you pick coins by hand. Wasabi calls it an advanced feature, so use it only to keep coins apart.

To keep a coin out of coinjoin, open the menu on the box at the bottom and choose Exclude Coins.

## Step 10. Spend privately

1. Spend only what shows as PRIVATE in the Privacy Progress tile. Wasabi picks private coins first.
2. Use one coin per payment where you can. Fewer coins in means less to link.
3. Read the privacy suggestions on the Preview Transaction screen. Nudging the amount a little can avoid change.
4. Use a new address every time you receive. Wasabi hides used addresses so you don't reuse one.
5. Leave Tor on. It's Network anonymization (Tor) under Settings, Connections, and it's on by default.

**Change** The leftover from a payment, sent back to you. It's tied to that payment. Let Wasabi coinjoin it again before you spend it somewhere else.

You can also pay inside a coinjoin. Open the menu on the box at the bottom and schedule a payment. The receiver can't see your change or how long you held the coins. Turn on Only use private funds for coinjoin payments in the Coinjoin tab. Queued payments are cleared when Wasabi restarts.

## Step 11. Move it to cold storage

Coinjoin needs hot keys. A [SeedSigner](https://few.guide/guides/seedsigner-sparrow.html) or any hardware wallet can't take part in a round. So you mix in Wasabi and save on your signer.

1. In Sparrow, open your SeedSigner wallet. Check that Sparrow is connected to your own node, not a public server.
2. Get a fresh receive address. Label it private, from Wasabi.
3. In Wasabi, send private coins only. Send one or a few coins per address, each to a new address.
4. Repeat until the private balance is moved.

The coins show up in Sparrow with no privacy history. That's normal. Your label is what remembers they were mixed.

**Use your own node in Sparrow.** If Sparrow asks someone else's server about your addresses, that server can tie your mixed coins together. Use your [Umbrel node](https://few.guide/guides/umbrel-bitcoin-node.html).

## Step 12. Exchanges, records and tax

Regulated exchanges screen deposits with chain-analysis tools, and those tools flag coinjoins. A deposit with a coinjoin in its history can be held, sent back, or followed by a source-of-funds questionnaire. Some accounts have been frozen over it.

1. Don't send mixed coins to a KYC exchange. Keep them for saving and spending.
2. If you need to sell on an exchange, use coins you didn't mix, or expect questions.
3. Keep your own records of where you bought your coins and what you mixed. Your labels help. Store the records offline.

**Tax depends on where you live.** How coinjoin and its fees are treated for tax depends on your country. Check yours before you mix large amounts.

Next: spend bitcoin without a bank in the middle with the [Freedomia card](https://few.guide/guides/freedomia-card.html).

## Sources

- [Wasabi on GitHub: v2.8.4 release notes and files](https://github.com/WalletWasabi/WalletWasabi/releases/tag/v2.8.4)
- [Wasabi docs: install and verify signatures](https://docs.wasabiwallet.io/using-wasabi/InstallPackage.html)
- [Wasabi on GitHub: signing key (PGP.txt)](https://github.com/WalletWasabi/WalletWasabi/blob/master/PGP.txt)
- [Wasabi docs: wallet generation](https://docs.wasabiwallet.io/using-wasabi/WalletGeneration.html)
- [Wasabi docs: coinjoin, fees and settings](https://docs.wasabiwallet.io/using-wasabi/CoinJoin.html)
- [Wasabi docs: FAQ: coordinators, strategies, labels, coin control, full node](https://docs.wasabiwallet.io/FAQ/FAQ-UseWasabi.html)
- [Wasabi docs: what a coordinator can and can't do](https://docs.wasabiwallet.io/FAQ/FAQ-Introduction.html#can-the-coordinator-attack-me)
- [Wasabi docs: using your own full node](https://docs.wasabiwallet.io/using-wasabi/BitcoinFullNode.html)
- [Wasabi docs: history: zkSNACKs coordinator shutdown, 1 June 2024](https://docs.wasabiwallet.io/FAQ/FAQ-Introduction.html#what-is-the-history-of-wasabi)
- [Wasabi on GitHub: v2.0.8: coordinator selection in settings](https://github.com/WalletWasabi/WalletWasabi/releases/tag/v2.0.8)
- [Liquisabi: public coordinator list and round stats](https://liquisabi.com/)
- [Umbrel Bitcoin Node: app source: Connect screen and settings](https://github.com/getumbrel/umbrel-bitcoin)
- [Umbrel App Store: Bitcoin Node](https://apps.umbrel.com/app/bitcoin)
- [BTC Sessions: Mentor Sessions EP105 with Max Hillebrand](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GYyHcPEaS3Y)

Checked against Wasabi 2.8.4 (13 October 2026), the Wasabi docs and the Umbrel Bitcoin Node 1.4.0 source, October 2026.