To send Bitcoin to a wallet, copy the receiving address from the destination wallet, paste it or scan its QR code in the Send screen of the wallet holding your Bitcoin, check the whole address and the Bitcoin network, choose a fee and confirm. Bitcoin transactions cannot be reversed, so consider sending a small test amount first.
Sending Bitcoin moves it from a wallet you control to another Bitcoin address. Your crypto wallet holds the keys that approve the transfer, and the network records it on the blockchain.
This guide covers each step: getting the right address, matching the network, choosing a fee and tracking the transfer. It is about sending Bitcoin you already hold. If you want to buy Bitcoin first, see the Bitcoin price and payment options, and read how to add money to a Bitcoin wallet.
What do you need before you send Bitcoin?
You need three things: Bitcoin in a wallet or account you can send from, the receiving address, and enough Bitcoin to pay the network fee.
- Bitcoin you can send. It can sit in a software wallet, a hardware wallet or an account with a service that allows withdrawals.
- The receiving address. This is a string of letters and numbers that works like an account number for the destination wallet.
- Enough for the network fee. The fee is paid in bitcoin to the miners who add transactions to the blockchain.
Still choosing where to keep your coins? Compare hot and cold wallets first.
How do you get a receiving address?
Open the wallet that will receive the Bitcoin and choose Receive. It shows an address and a QR code that contains the same address.
Many wallets show a new address each time. bitcoin.org explains that older addresses stay valid and still belong to the same wallet, so coins sent to them are not lost.
A receiving address is safe to share. Your recovery phrase and private keys are not: anyone who has them can move your coins. Read what happens if you lose your private keys before you move larger amounts.
Which Bitcoin address formats will you see?
You will see four main formats, and you can tell them apart by their first characters. All four are addresses on the Bitcoin network.
| Format | Starts with | What to know |
|---|---|---|
| Legacy (P2PKH) | 1 | The original format. Still valid. |
| Script (P2SH) | 3 | Often used by multisignature wallets and older “nested” SegWit wallets. |
| Native SegWit (Bech32) | bc1q | Widely supported by wallets and services. |
| Taproot (Bech32m) | bc1p | The newest format. Some older wallets and services cannot send to it. |
An up-to-date wallet can usually send to any of these formats. As of September 2026, the Bitcoin Wiki still lists wallets and services that cannot send to bc1p addresses. If your wallet rejects one, check the wallet’s help pages rather than trying a workaround.
Why must the network match?
Bitcoin (BTC) must travel on the Bitcoin network to a Bitcoin address. If you choose another network, the coins may never reach the wallet you meant, and getting them back can be hard or impossible.
Some apps and exchanges offer to withdraw “BTC” on other blockchains. What arrives there is a token that represents bitcoin, not bitcoin itself. Wrapped Bitcoin (WBTC) is one example. Its issuer says each token is backed 1:1 by bitcoin in custody, and as of September 2026 it lists Ethereum, Solana, Tron, BNB Chain and Base among its networks. It is still a different asset on a different blockchain, and a Bitcoin wallet cannot see it.
The Lightning Network is a payment layer built on top of Bitcoin. It uses payment requests called invoices, which start with “lnbc”, instead of regular addresses. Use it only when both wallets support Lightning.
Ethereum addresses start with “0x” followed by 40 characters. They belong to a different network, so never paste one into a Bitcoin send screen.
How do you send Bitcoin step by step?
The steps are much the same in every wallet: get the address, paste or scan it, check it, set the amount and fee, then confirm. Button names vary, so follow your wallet’s own help pages if a screen looks different.
- Get the address. In the receiving wallet, choose Receive and copy the address, or leave its QR code on screen.
- Start a send. In the sending wallet, choose Send (Withdraw on some exchanges). Pick Bitcoin (BTC) and, if you are asked, the Bitcoin network.
- Paste or scan the address. Paste it, or scan the QR code shown by the receiving wallet. Never scan codes from emails, flyers or websites you do not know.
- Check the whole address. Compare it with the receiving wallet, character by character (see the next section).
- Enter the amount. Many wallets switch between BTC, satoshis (sats, the smallest unit of bitcoin) and your local currency, so check which unit is shown.
- Choose the fee. Then review the amount, the address and the fee together.
- Confirm. Approve with your PIN, password, fingerprint or the button on your hardware wallet. Then save the transaction ID (TXID).
Why should you check the whole address?
Because an attacker can swap the address without you noticing. bitcoin.org notes that Bitcoin can usually detect a typo and refuse an invalid address, but no wallet can tell whether a valid address belongs to the right person.
Two common tricks:
- Clipboard malware (“clippers”). It watches what you copy and swaps a Bitcoin address for the attacker’s own when you paste. In June 2026, Microsoft described one such malware family that replaces all four Bitcoin address formats.
- Address poisoning. An attacker sends tiny or zero-value transactions from lookalike addresses that share the first and last few characters of addresses you use. The aim is that you copy the wrong one from your transaction history.
To protect yourself:
- Compare the whole address, not only the start and the end. Lookalike addresses can match at both ends.
- Copy addresses fresh from the receiving wallet or a saved address book, not from your transaction history.
- With a hardware wallet, check the address on the device’s own screen before you approve.
For more on fake emails and websites that try to steal your details, read Coinmama’s guide to phishing attacks.
Should you send a small test amount first?
Yes, for a first send to a new address it is a sensible habit. Send a small amount, wait until it shows in the receiving wallet, then send the rest.
The test costs an extra network fee. bitcoin.org suggests a small test transaction before a large transfer, because a mistake with the full amount cannot be undone.
How are Bitcoin network fees calculated?
The fee depends on the size of your transaction in bytes and on demand for space in blocks. According to bitcoin.org, it is not related to the amount you send, so sending 0.001 BTC can cost the same as sending 1 BTC.
A transaction gets bigger when it spends many small amounts you received earlier, or when it comes from a multisignature wallet. Wallets measure size in virtual bytes (vB), a unit defined in the SegWit rules, and usually suggest a fee in satoshis per virtual byte (sat/vB). Many show slow, normal and fast options.
While it waits to be confirmed, your transaction sits in the mempool, a waiting area for unconfirmed transactions. Read more about network fees.
A network fee is not the same as the fee a service may charge when you buy crypto. For purchases on Coinmama, see the section on buying below.
How do you track a Bitcoin transaction?
Look up its transaction ID in a block explorer. A block explorer is a public website that shows the transactions recorded on a blockchain.
- Copy the TXID from your sending wallet.
- Paste it into the search box of a Bitcoin block explorer.
- Check the status: “unconfirmed”, or the number of confirmations. You can also see the fee paid and the receiving address.
A confirmation means your transaction is in a block, and each later block adds one more. New blocks arrive about every 10 minutes on average. bitcoin.org notes that this is not fixed: a confirmation can come much sooner or much later, and a fee below what the network is prioritising can delay the first one.
The receiving wallet or service decides how many confirmations it waits for. bitcoin.org says six confirmations are often considered as safe as waiting six months on a credit card transaction.
What if your Bitcoin transaction is stuck?
A transaction usually stays unconfirmed because its fee is low for how busy the network is. What you can do depends on your wallet:
- Wait. Many transactions with small fees confirm once demand falls.
- Replace-by-Fee (RBF). Some wallets let you “bump” the fee by replacing the transaction with a copy that pays more. Bitcoin Core describes RBF as a way for the sender to raise the fee.
- Child-Pays-For-Parent (CPFP). The receiver (or you, if change came back to your wallet) spends the unconfirmed coins in a new transaction with a higher fee. Miners then have a reason to confirm both. Bitcoin Core describes CPFP as a way for the recipient to add fees.
Ignore anyone who contacts you offering to “speed up” or “recover” a transaction for a fee. bitcoin.org lists fake support staff and paid recovery services among common scams, and genuine support staff never ask for your recovery phrase or private keys. Learn how to spot Coinmama employee impersonators.
Can you reverse a Bitcoin transaction?
No. Once a Bitcoin transaction is confirmed, only the person who received the coins can send them back. If nobody controls the receiving address, nobody can send them back.
bitcoin.org explains that a Bitcoin transaction cannot be reversed and can only be refunded by the person receiving the funds. The U.S. Federal Trade Commission also warns that if you send crypto to the wrong person, you are likely to find that no one can help you recover it. Read more in can blockchain transactions be reversed?
Sources
- bitcoin.org: Frequently Asked Questions (checked September 2026)
- bitcoin.org: Some things you need to know (checked September 2026)
- bitcoin.org: Avoid scams (checked September 2026)
- Bitcoin Wiki: List of address prefixes (checked September 2026)
- BIP 350: Bech32m format for v1+ witness addresses (checked September 2026)
- BIP 341: Taproot, SegWit version 1 spending rules (checked September 2026)
- Bitcoin Wiki: Bech32 adoption (checked September 2026)
- BIP 141: Segregated Witness (virtual transaction size) (checked September 2026)
- WBTC: Wrapped Bitcoin (checked September 2026)
- BOLT 11: Invoice protocol for Lightning payments (checked September 2026)
- ethereum.org: Ethereum accounts (checked September 2026)
- Microsoft Security Blog: Crypto Clipper uses Tor and worm-like propagation for persistence and control (17 June 2026) (checked September 2026)
- Bitcoin Core: Opt-in RBF FAQ (checked September 2026)
- U.S. Federal Trade Commission: What To Know About Cryptocurrency and Scams (checked September 2026)
