Start here
Own your bitcoin. One calm step at a time.
No experience needed. Read this first, then follow the steps in order. Stop wherever you feel safe.
Why hold it yourself
Most money today is a promise someone else keeps for you. A bank can freeze it. A company holding your coins can be hacked, fail or stop withdrawals, and then you wait in line with everyone else.
Bitcoin works differently. Whoever holds the keys controls the coins, with no bank and no permission needed. Holding the keys yourself is called self-custody.
It is a small change with a big meaning: your savings stop depending on someone else’s promise. The trade-off is responsibility. If you lose your keys and your backup, nobody can get them back for you. The steps below make that simple.
Three words to know
Key. The secret that lets you spend your bitcoin.
Seed words. 12 or 24 ordinary words that back up your keys. Lose them and you can lose the coins. Share them and you give the coins away.
Wallet. The app or device that uses your keys. Your bitcoin itself lives on the Bitcoin network, not in the app.
The path
- First steps
1. Practise with a small amount
Install a wallet where you hold the keys. Receive a small amount, then send some back. Learn how it feels before it matters.
Nunchuk wallet guide Free · one key on your phone - First steps
2. Write down your seed words
Your wallet shows you 12 or 24 seed words. They can rebuild your wallet on any compatible app. Write them on paper, in order, and keep them offline and safe.
Never type them into a website and never take a photo of them. Anyone who has these words can take your bitcoin.
Full backup guide coming soon - Simple setup
3. Keep your savings offline
Keep only spending money on your phone, like cash in a wallet. For savings, keep the keys on a small device that never goes online. Your phone or computer prepares a payment, and the offline device signs it.
Build a SeedSigner and use it with Sparrow Optional: make your seed with dice Choosing a hardware wallet: coming soon - Stronger setup
4. Remove the single point of failure
With one key, losing it or having it stolen is enough to lose everything. With multisig, a payment needs several keys. In a 2-of-3, any two of three keys can move the coins, so losing one isn’t a disaster and a thief with one gets nothing. It is also a clear way to plan for your family.
- Stronger setup
5. Check the rules yourself
Run your own Bitcoin node: a small home computer that checks every payment against Bitcoin’s rules. Your wallet then asks your node, not a company’s server.
- Any time
6. Protect your privacy
Your bitcoin is only as private as the phone and the habits around it.
Paying with bitcoin, and private AI
What we cover today.
Sources
- bitcoin.org: Securing your wallet (online services can be hacked, fail or freeze funds; small amounts on phones; offline wallets for savings; multisig; plan for heirs)
- Bitcoin: A Peer-to-Peer Electronic Cash System (payments without a financial institution)
- BIP39 (seed words)
- The few.guide guides linked above, each checked against official docs.