Windows 10 Installation
Windows 10
Last updated
Windows 10
Last updated
Go to the and verify you have made a secure connection to the server.
Click the large blue Download Bitcoin Core button to download the Bitcoin Core installer to your desktop.
Optional: Verify the release signatures
Even earlier releases were signed by Gavin Andresen’s key. His primary key’s fingerprint is:
You should verify these keys belong to their owners using the web of trust or other trustworthy means. Then use PGP to verify the signature on the release signatures file. Finally, use PGP or another utility to compute the SHA256 hash of the archive you downloaded, and ensure the computed hash matches the hash listed in the verified release signatures file.
After downloading the file to your desktop or your Downloads folder (C:\Users\<YOUR USER NAME>\Downloads), run it by double-clicking its icon. Windows will ask you to confirm that you want to run it. Click Yes and the Bitcoin installer will start. It’s a typical Windows installer, and it will guide you through the decisions you need to make about where to install Bitcoin Core.
To continue, choose one of the following options
Bitcoin Core GUI
Press the Windows key (⊞ Win) and start typing “bitcoin”. When the Bitcoin Core icon appears (as shown below), click on it.
You will be prompted to choose a directory to store the Bitcoin block chain and your wallet. Unless you have a separate partition or drive you want to use, click Ok to use the default.
Bitcoin Core GUI will begin to download the block chain. This step will take at least several days, and it may take much more time on a slow Internet connection or with a slow computer. During the download, Bitcoin Core will use a significant part of your connection bandwidth. You can stop Bitcoin Core at any time by closing it; it will resume from the point where it stopped the next time you start it.
After download is complete, you may use Bitcoin Core as your wallet or you can just let it run to help support the Bitcoin network.
Optional: Start Your Node At Login
Starting your node automatically each time you login to your computer makes it easy for you to contribute to the network. The easiest way to do this is to tell Bitcoin Core GUI to start at login.
While running Bitcoin Core GUI, open the Settings menu and choose Options. On the Main tab, click Start Bitcoin on system login. Click the Ok button to save the new settings.
The next time you login to your desktop, Bitcoin Core GUI will be automatically started minimized in the task bar.
Warning: to prevent data corruption, do not force shutdown of your computer from the Windows shutdown screen when you have Bitcoin Core running.
Bitcoin Core Daemon
To start Bitcoin Core daemon, first open a command window: press the Windows key (⊞ Win) and type “cmd”. Choose the option labeled “Command Prompt”.
If you installed Bitcoin Core into the default directory, type the following at the command prompt:
Bitcoin Core daemon should start. To interact with Bitcoin Core daemon, you will use the command bitcoin-cli (Bitcoin command line interface). If you installed Bitcoin Core into the default location, type the following at the command prompt to see whether it works:
Note: it may take up to several minutes for Bitcoin Core to start, during which it will display the following message whenever you use bitcoin-cli:
For example, to safely stop your node, run the following command:
When Bitcoin Core daemon first starts, it will begin to download the block chain. This step will take at least several days, and it may take much more time on a slow Internet connection or with a slow computer. During the download, Bitcoin Core will use a significant part of your connection bandwidth. You can stop Bitcoin Core at any time using the stop command; it will resume from the point where it stopped the next time you start it.
Optional: Start Your Node At Boot
Starting your node automatically each time your computer boots makes it easy for you to contribute to the network. The easiest way to do this is to start Bitcoin Core daemon when you login to your computer.
Start File Explorer and go to:
Right-click on the File Explorer window and choose New → Text file. Name the file start_bitcoind.bat. Then right-click on it and choose Open in Notepad (or whatever editor you prefer). Copy and paste the following line into the file.
(If you installed Bitcoin Core in a non-default directory, use that directory path instead.)
Save the file. The next time you login to your computer, Bitcoin Core daemon will be automatically started.
Warning: to prevent data corruption, do not force shutdown of your computer from the Windows shutdown screen when you have Bitcoin Core running.
Click the large blue Download Bitcoin Core button to download the Bitcoin Core installer to your desktop.
Optional: Verify the release signatures
Even earlier releases were signed by Gavin Andresen’s key. His primary key’s fingerprint is:
You should verify these keys belong to their owners using the web of trust or other trustworthy means. Then use PGP to verify the signature on the release signatures file. Finally, use PGP or another utility to compute the SHA256 hash of the archive you downloaded, and ensure the computed hash matches the hash listed in the verified release signatures file.
After downloading the file to your desktop or your Downloads folder (C:\Users\<YOUR USER NAME>\Downloads), run it by double-clicking its icon. Windows will ask you to confirm that you want to run it. Click Yes and the Bitcoin installer will start. It’s a typical Windows installer, and it will guide you through the decisions you need to make about where to install Bitcoin Core.
To continue, choose one of the following options
Bitcoin Core GUI
Press the Windows key (⊞ Win) and start typing “bitcoin”. When the Bitcoin Core icon appears (as shown below), click on it.
You will be prompted to choose a directory to store the Bitcoin block chain and your wallet. Unless you have a separate partition or drive you want to use, click Ok to use the default.
Bitcoin Core GUI will begin to download the block chain. This step will take at least several days, and it may take much more time on a slow Internet connection or with a slow computer. During the download, Bitcoin Core will use a significant part of your connection bandwidth. You can stop Bitcoin Core at any time by closing it; it will resume from the point where it stopped the next time you start it.
After download is complete, you may use Bitcoin Core as your wallet or you can just let it run to help support the Bitcoin network.
Optional: Start Your Node At Login
Starting your node automatically each time you login to your computer makes it easy for you to contribute to the network. The easiest way to do this is to tell Bitcoin Core GUI to start at login.
While running Bitcoin Core GUI, open the Settings menu and choose Options. On the Main tab, click Start Bitcoin on system login. Click the Ok button to save the new settings.
The next time you login to your desktop, Bitcoin Core GUI will be automatically started minimized in the task bar.
Warning: to prevent data corruption, do not force shutdown of your computer from the Windows shutdown screen when you have Bitcoin Core running.
Bitcoin Core Daemon
To start Bitcoin Core daemon, first open a command window: press the Windows key (⊞ Win) and type “cmd”. Choose the option labeled “Command Prompt”.
If you installed Bitcoin Core into the default directory, type the following at the command prompt:
Bitcoin Core daemon should start. To interact with Bitcoin Core daemon, you will use the command bitcoin-cli (Bitcoin command line interface). If you installed Bitcoin Core into the default location, type the following at the command prompt to see whether it works:
Note: it may take up to several minutes for Bitcoin Core to start, during which it will display the following message whenever you use bitcoin-cli:
For example, to safely stop your node, run the following command:
When Bitcoin Core daemon first starts, it will begin to download the block chain. This step will take at least several days, and it may take much more time on a slow Internet connection or with a slow computer. During the download, Bitcoin Core will use a significant part of your connection bandwidth. You can stop Bitcoin Core at any time using the stop command; it will resume from the point where it stopped the next time you start it.
Optional: Start Your Node At Boot
Starting your node automatically each time your computer boots makes it easy for you to contribute to the network. The easiest way to do this is to start Bitcoin Core daemon when you login to your computer.
Start File Explorer and go to:
Right-click on the File Explorer window and choose New → Text file. Name the file start_bitcoind.bat. Then right-click on it and choose Open in Notepad (or whatever editor you prefer). Copy and paste the following line into the file.
(If you installed Bitcoin Core in a non-default directory, use that directory path instead.)
Save the file. The next time you login to your computer, Bitcoin Core daemon will be automatically started.
Warning: to prevent data corruption, do not force shutdown of your computer from the Windows shutdown screen when you have Bitcoin Core running.
Click the large blue Download Bitcoin Core button to download the Bitcoin Core installer to your desktop.
Optional: Verify the release signatures
Even earlier releases were signed by Gavin Andresen’s key. His primary key’s fingerprint is:
You should verify these keys belong to their owners using the web of trust or other trustworthy means. Then use PGP to verify the signature on the release signatures file. Finally, use PGP or another utility to compute the SHA256 hash of the archive you downloaded, and ensure the computed hash matches the hash listed in the verified release signatures file.
After downloading the file to your desktop or your Downloads folder (C:\Users\<YOUR USER NAME>\Downloads), run it by double-clicking its icon. Windows will ask you to confirm that you want to run it. Click Yes and the Bitcoin installer will start. It’s a typical Windows installer, and it will guide you through the decisions you need to make about where to install Bitcoin Core.
To continue, choose one of the following options
Bitcoin Core GUI
Open the Start menu, type bitcoin into the search box, and click the Bitcoin Core icon.
You will be prompted to choose a directory to store the Bitcoin block chain and your wallet. Unless you have a separate partition or drive you want to use, click Ok to use the default.
Bitcoin Core GUI will begin to download the block chain. This step will take at least several days, and it may take much more time on a slow Internet connection or with a slow computer. During the download, Bitcoin Core will use a significant part of your connection bandwidth. You can stop Bitcoin Core at any time by closing it; it will resume from the point where it stopped the next time you start it.
After download is complete, you may use Bitcoin Core as your wallet or you can just let it run to help support the Bitcoin network.
Optional: Start Your Node At Login
Starting your node automatically each time you login to your computer makes it easy for you to contribute to the network. The easiest way to do this is to tell Bitcoin Core GUI to start at login.
While running Bitcoin Core GUI, open the Settings menu and choose Options. On the Main tab, click Start Bitcoin on system login. Click the Ok button to save the new settings.
The next time you login to your desktop, Bitcoin Core GUI will be automatically started minimized in the task bar.
Warning: to prevent data corruption, do not force shutdown of your computer from the Windows shutdown screen when you have Bitcoin Core running.
Bitcoin Core Daemon
To start Bitcoin Core daemon, first open a command window: press the Windows key (⊞ Win) and type “cmd”. Choose the program named “cmd.exe”
If you installed the Bitcoin Core into the default directory, type the following at the command prompt :
Bitcoin Core daemon should start. You can now try using Bitcoin Cli Utility.
To interact with Bitcoin Core daemon, you will use the command bitcoin-cli (Bitcoin command line interface). If you installed Bitcoin Core into the default location, type the following at the command prompt to see whether it works:
Note: it may take up to several minutes for Bitcoin Core to start, during which it will display the following message whenever you use bitcoin-cli:
For example, to safely stop your node, run the following command:
When Bitcoin Core daemon first starts, it will begin to download the block chain. This step will take at least several days, and it may take much more time on a slow Internet connection or with a slow computer. During the download, Bitcoin Core will use a significant part of your connection bandwidth. You can stop Bitcoin Core at any time using the stop command; it will resume from the point where it stopped the next time you start it.
Optional: Start Your Node At Boot
Starting your node automatically each time your computer boots makes it easy for you to contribute to the network. The easiest way to do this is to start Bitcoin Core daemon when you login to your computer.
Start File Explorer and go to:
You can also access this folder by executing the following command after reaching the Execute... prompt :
Right-click on the File Explorer window and choose New → Text file. Name the file start_bitcoind.bat. Then right-click on it and choose Open in Notepad (or whatever editor you prefer). Copy and paste the following line into the file.
(If you installed Bitcoin Core in a non-default directory, use that directory path instead.)
Save the file. The next time you login to your computer, Bitcoin Core daemon will be automatically started.
Warning: to prevent data corruption, do not force shutdown of your computer from the Windows shutdown screen when you have Bitcoin Core running.
If you know how to use PGP, you should also click the Verify Release Signatures link on the download page to download a signed list of SHA256 file hashes. The 0.11 and later releases are signed by with the fingerprint:
Earlier releases were signed by . That key’s fingerprint is:
If you want to use the Bitcoin Core Graphical User Interface (GUI), proceed to the section below.
If you want to use the Bitcoin Core daemon (bitcoind), which is useful for programmers and advanced users, proceed to the section below.
If you want to use both the GUI and the daemon, read both the and the . Note that you can’t run both the GUI and the daemon at the same time using the same configuration directory.
Your firewall may block Bitcoin Core from making outbound connections. It’s safe to allow Bitcoin Core to use all networks. (Note: you will still need to configure inbound connections as described later in the section.)
You have now completed installing Bitcoin Core. If you have any questions, please ask in one of Bitcoin’s many , such as , , or the IRC chatroom on Freenode.
To support the Bitcoin network, you also need to allow incoming connections. Please read the section for details.
After it starts, you may find the following commands useful for basic interaction with your node: , , , , , and .
A complete list of commands is available in the .
You have now completed installing Bitcoin Core. If you have any questions, please ask in one of Bitcoin’s many , such as , , or the IRC chatroom on Freenode.
To support the Bitcoin network, you also need to allow incoming connections. Please read the section for details.
Go to the and verify you have made a secure connection to the server.
If you know how to use PGP, you should also click the Verify Release Signatures link on the download page to download a signed list of SHA256 file hashes. The 0.11 and later releases are signed by with the fingerprint:
Earlier releases were signed by . That key’s fingerprint is:
If you want to use the Bitcoin Core Graphical User Interface (GUI), proceed to the section below.
If you want to use the Bitcoin Core daemon (bitcoind), which is useful for programmers and advanced users, proceed to the section below.
If you want to use both the GUI and the daemon, read both the and the . Note that you can’t run both the GUI and the daemon at the same time using the same configuration directory.
Your firewall may block Bitcoin Core from making outbound connections. It’s safe to allow Bitcoin Core to use all networks. (Note: you will still need to configure inbound connections as described later in the section.)
You have now completed installing Bitcoin Core. If you have any questions, please ask in one of Bitcoin’s many , such as , , or the IRC chatroom on Freenode.
To support the Bitcoin network, you also need to allow incoming connections. Please read the section for details.
After it starts, you may find the following commands useful for basic interaction with your node: , , , , , and .
A complete list of commands is available in the .
You have now completed installing Bitcoin Core. If you have any questions, please ask in one of Bitcoin’s many , such as , , or the IRC chatroom on Freenode.
To support the Bitcoin network, you also need to allow incoming connections. Please read the section for details.
Go to the and verify you have made a secure connection to the server.
If you know how to use PGP, you should also click the Verify Release Signatures link on the download page to download a signed list of SHA256 file hashes. The 0.11 and later releases are signed by with the fingerprint:
Earlier releases were signed by . That key’s fingerprint is:
If you want to use the Bitcoin Core Graphical User Interface (GUI), proceed to the section below.
If you want to use the Bitcoin Core daemon (bitcoind), which is useful for programmers and advanced users, proceed to the section below.
If you want to use both the GUI and the daemon, read both the and the . Note that you can’t run both the GUI and the daemon at the same time using the same configuration directory.
Your firewall may block Bitcoin Core from making outbound connections. It’s safe to allow Bitcoin Core to use all networks. (Note: you will still need to configure inbound connections as described later in the section.)
You have now completed installing Bitcoin Core. If you have any questions, please ask in one of Bitcoin’s many , such as , , or the IRC chatroom on Freenode.
To support the Bitcoin network, you also need to allow incoming connections. Please read the section for details.
After it starts, you may find the following commands useful for basic interaction with your node: , , , , , and .
A complete list of commands is available in the .
You have now completed installing Bitcoin Core. If you have any questions, please ask in one of Bitcoin’s many , such as , , or the IRC chatroom on Freenode.
To support the Bitcoin network, you also need to allow incoming connections. Please read the section for details.
