Guides
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Each guide says how long it takes and how much you need to know first.
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What Bitcoin is, and why 21 million matters A plain-English introduction to Bitcoin: what it is, how new coins are made, why the supply is capped at 21 million, and what owning it means. Keys, seeds and self-custody What private keys and seed phrases are, why exchanges are a risk, and what it takes to hold bitcoin yourself without losing it. Hot wallets vs cold storage The difference between hot wallets and cold storage, what 'air-gapped' means, and how to decide how much security your bitcoin needs. Practice on signet before you use real bitcoin Use Bitcoin's free test network to rehearse receiving, signing and restoring a wallet, so your first real mistake costs nothing. How to buy bitcoin and move it to your own wallet Buy bitcoin safely, understand the fees, and withdraw it to a wallet you control, with a test transaction first so nothing goes to the wrong place.
Cold storage
Four ways to build a cold wallet Four complete cold storage builds, from a free one-hour setup to a 2-of-3 multisig vault, with costs, trade-offs and who each one is for. Cold storage without a hardware wallet Build a true cold wallet with free software: Tails on an offline computer, Sparrow Wallet, and offline signing with PSBT files or QR codes. Build a SeedSigner Build an open-source Bitcoin signing device for about $50–70. Parts list, assembly, creating a seed with dice, and signing with Sparrow by QR code. Choosing and preparing an air-gapped laptop How to pick a cheap laptop for offline Bitcoin signing, physically remove its Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, and set it up with Tails and Sparrow. Hardware wallets compared Coldcard, Keystone, Passport, Jade, Trezor and BitBox compared: coins supported, air-gap method, open source status, price and who each one fits. Seed phrase backups: paper, steel and passphrases How to back up a Bitcoin seed phrase so it survives fire, flood and time, where to keep it, and whether to add a passphrase. 2-of-3 multisig: the strongest self-custody setup How a 2-of-3 multisig wallet works, why to use three different devices, how to set it up in Sparrow, and how to back up and test it.
Stay safe
How people actually lose bitcoin The real ways people lose bitcoin, from lost backups and fake support agents to clipboard malware, and the simple habits that prevent each one. A Bitcoin inheritance plan your family can follow How to write a letter of instructions so your family can recover your bitcoin, what to leave out, and how multisig makes inheritance safer.