Documentation

Quick Start

From a blank USB flash drive to your first signed payment, in eight steps. Each step links to the full guide if you want more detail.

Before you start

  • A laptop or desktop — with an Intel or AMD processor and at least 4 GB of memory. Windows and Linux PCs and Intel Macs work; Apple Silicon Macs (M1 and later) don’t.
  • A USB flash drive of 8 GB or more — everything on it will be erased.
  • A webcam — recommended, for passing payments back and forth by QR code. Most laptops have one.
  • A password manager — recommended, to create and keep your vault password.
  • Paper and a pen — for writing down your seed words.

Start small

Your seed words on paper are the only real backup of your bitcoin. Keep them safe and offline, and start with a small amount while you learn the tools.

  1. Choose your vault password

    Create a long random password (20 or more characters) in your password manager. It locks the encrypted vault on your flash drive, and there’s no way to reset it. To avoid typing it each time, you can turn it into a QR code for your phone. No password manager? SafeKeepVault can make a strong one for you during setup.

    Vault password and QR code →

  2. Download it and check it’s genuine

    Download the latest release, check its signature (about two minutes), and unzip it to get the .img file.

    Download and check →

  3. Put it on the flash drive

    Open balenaEtcher, choose the .img file, choose your flash drive, and click Flash.

    Writing the flash drive →

  4. Start your computer from it

    Unplug the network cable. Put in the flash drive, turn the computer on, and press its startup-menu key (often F12, F9, F2 or Esc) to choose the flash drive. On an Intel Mac, hold Option and choose SafeKeep. If the computer refuses it, you may need to turn off Secure Boot; have your BitLocker recovery key handy first if you use Windows.

    Starting from the flash drive →

  5. Create your encrypted vault

    On the first start, SafeKeepVault asks for your vault password. Scan your QR code with the webcam, or type the password twice. Prefer to keep nothing on the flash drive? Choose a Temporary Session instead.

    The encrypted vault →

  6. Create or restore your seed

    On the welcome screen, choose Create a new wallet (you can add dice rolls or a shuffled deck of cards) and write the words on paper. The vault makes you check your paper copy before it saves the seed. Already have a seed? Choose I already have a backup, then Recovery words.

    Generating a seed →

  7. Set up your wallet app

    On the Dashboard, click Connect a wallet app, pick your app (such as BlueWallet, Nunchuk or Sparrow) and follow the steps: the vault shows the QR code that app reads. The app can now show your balance and receive bitcoin, but it can’t spend without the vault. To check an address on the vault’s screen before you receive, use Show an address.

    Wallet app setup guides →

  8. Send a payment

    Create the payment in your wallet app and show its QR code. In the vault, click Sign a transaction, choose Scan Unsigned PSBT, check who gets paid, how much and the fee, then sign. Scan the signed QR code back into your wallet app and send it.

    Signing a transaction →

When you’re done

Lock the vault or shut down: your keys are cleared from memory. Take out the flash drive and your computer starts as normal. To try the steps without a flash drive first, look around the online demo; never type your real seed words into it.

Download Read the full guide