How To Import Wallet Dat

This guide is mainly intended for Bitcoin cadre QT wallet users. Its for old users who wish to securely transfer their Bitcoins from their backup wallet.dat file to an alternate wallet. Specifically electrum wallet. And its for those who do not desire to wait for the wallet initial synchronization which typically takes hours / days depending on the hardware spec.

If you lot are looking to restore your cadre wallet's wallet.dat file and then here is a guide. How to backup core wallet and restore wallet.dat file? However if y'all are looking to import wallet.dat file into electrum or whatever other wallet then the following postal service is for you. Information technology basically explains how to move / transfer coins from Bitcoin core QT wallet to electrum.

Now earlier nosotros run into how to load wallet.dat file and import everything into electrum let's empathize why someone would consider moving their Bitcoin from core wallet to electrum.

Why electrum over core wallet?

Bitcoin core is the official and the original Bitcoin wallet. It is a full node client that validates and relays transactions on the Bitcoin network. This wallet offers you full control over your Bitcoin and it provides the highest level of security. Merely in that location are some drawbacks.

One of the biggest reasons why users adopt Electrum over core wallet is that QT customer is slow. You lot tin't load up the wallet and use it right away. You lot have to look for the wallet to synchronize with the blockchain. The problem is most hodlers exercise not open their wallet for weeks, months or fifty-fifty years. As a result when they open the wallet again they'll take to look for hours or even a whole day before they can employ Bitcoin core.

If your core wallet freezes and if it doesn't sync then here are few guides on how to prepare them.

Core wallet no block source available

Bitcoin QT client crashing – Fix

Fix core wallet synchronization issues

Also you can try re-scanning, re-indexing the wallet. This will set up your wallet.

Merely even afterward fixing the wallet synchronization issues at that place are some worst cases like for example your PC might crash and corrupt the blockchain files on your hard deejay. In such case yous'll have to reinstall core wallet, re download and verify the whole blockchain from scratch which is over 300+ GB.

To speed up the synchronization one can apply bootstrap.dat file. Just then most won't prefer it mainly because this wallet consumes too much deejay space. Well, i could consider pruning the blockchain. Just even in prune mode the whole blockchain needs to be downloaded consuming huge bandwidth. Pruning but decreases the storage size.

Electrum

In comparison with core wallet Electrum has lower security but this wallet is light weight and has a faster startup time.

Some other reason to consider electrum is that it is a HD wallet that offers the possibility to backup / recover all your keys using just a seed phrase. When setting up wallet initially the software volition generate a mnemonic seed phrase for you which is commonly 12 random words. All yous need to do is write this down and go along it safely.

In case if your reckoner crashes or if you wish to migrate y'all can enter those words and restore wallet completely.

Yous don't become this benefit with core wallet every bit core wallet stores all private keys in wallet.dat file and you demand to fill-in this file. The problem is only core wallet supports wallet.dat and and then you cannot utilize this file anywhere other than core wallet.

So how do I import wallet.dat file into electrum and transfer Bitcoins?

How to import wallet.dat file into electrum?

It is not possible to restore your former Bitcoin cadre wallet to Electrum using the .dat file. You cannot import wallet.dat into electrum wallet as electrum does not back up this file type. As we said other than core wallet you cannot import wallet.dat file anywhere else.

So the best way to transfer your Bitcoins from cadre wallet to electrum is by sending your coins to the address on your electrum wallet. This way you'll even have your coins secured with electrum generated seed.

Only the problem is wallet sync event. You cannot ship coins until information technology is finished synchronizing. So how exercise you transfer Bitcoin from wallet.dat file?

While electrum doesn't support wallet.dat files information technology supports private key imports. Using private keys yous can either import or utilize the sweep functioning.

The individual keys are stored in wallet.dat file and you need to obtain the private key to transfer Bitcoin from cadre wallet to electrum.

To export the private keys sadly yous accept to start the Bitcoin core once again using your original wallet.dat file. But the good part is yous don't have to expect for the whole blockchain to download.

Alert:

Before you export private keys from core wallet know that dealing with private keys is dangerous. Private keys are example sensitive and there is a high changes of making mistakes. It could get you into trouble and if this is not handled properly you could end up losing your Bitcoins.

If y'all can wait until the core wallet synchronizes then it is meliorate if you transfer coins on-chain. Yet if you are impatient and if core wallet gives you more trouble then follow the guide below. But do and so more charily as you are dealing with raw individual keys.

Transfer Bitcoin from QT to electrum

The idea is to export private keys from Bitcoin cadre. The private keys can be exported even when the wallet is not synchronized with the blockchain. Y'all can either export individual key of specific address from your core wallet or you lot tin export keys for all the accost.

Using block explorer find the accost that holds coins. Yous can and so import or sweep the private keys of those addresses into your electrum wallet.

Follow the steps below to export private fundamental from your Bitcoin cadre wallet or bitcoin-qt client:

Launch Bitcoin cadre wallet as usual. If your old wallet is corrupt then download a new wallet, setup, run it and and then supercede your original wallet.dat file.
Open debug window console tab. Learn how to use Bitcoin core wallet console commands.
If your Bitcoin-QT wallet is encrypted then type: walletpassphrase "enter your passphrase" 500. This will unlock your wallet. Simply supersede enter your passphrase line with your wallet passphrase. If your wallet is not encrypted and so skip this step.
Once wallet is unlocked type: dumpprivkey "your bitcoin address" and hitting enter.
This will return the individual central of that particular Bitcoin address.
Type: walletlock in console window to lock your wallet back.

private key export

To go individual key of all your accost follow these steps

Exporting all private keys | Dump wallet

Follow the first 3 steps from above. Once you have the wallet unlocked type: dumpwallet "bitcoinkeys" in console window and hit enter.

The wallet will export all the private keys in a single file (WIF format) and it will return the file path.

Get to file location and open that file in text editor or notepad ++. Yous should meet all the address and its associated private keys. Yous can now either import them or sweep them into your electrum wallet.

Notation: Since you've exported private keys from core wallet the keys and the wallet are no longer considered secure. Move the funds immediately to your new electrum wallet either by sweeping or past importing the individual key. Also remember to articulate your clipboard / history once yous copy and use the private keys.

Import /sweep private keys into electrum

Get-go of all brand sure yous download electrum from electrum.org. Then verify electrum. Next create a new wallet and then store your Electrum seed words securely offline.

Now there are two ways to utilise the private keys in electrum wallet. You can either import or sweep the keys.

To import individual keys you need to create a new wallet with no seed. But you tin can sweep keys to a wallet with existing seed. So which i is better?

If you import private keys retrieve that the private keys won't become part of the electrum seed. So y'all'll have to continue the fill-in of those keys separately. For this reason importing keys to electrum is a bad thought as information technology won't exist recoverable using the electrum seed. If you are importing keys and then use it temporarily. Once imported move the coins to some other wallet or substitution account and abandon the temporary wallet. Never use it again.

The way HD wallet works is that all private keys are derived from a single mnemonic seed. If you lot import an external private key then it won't became office of the wallet. The keys cannot be regenerated from seed word.

So the safest and the preferable way to transfer BTC from core to electrum is past sweeping keys.

Previously we've fabricated a guide explaining how to import / sweep private keys into electrum wallet. Become thorough that to safely transfer your Bitcoins from QT wallet to electrum.