What is a Bitcoin address?

A Bitcoin address is a unique identifier that serves as a destination for cryptocurrency payments. Think of it like an email address, but for receiving Bitcoin. Each address is derived from a public key through cryptographic hashing, creating a string of 26-35 alphanumeric characters that can safely be shared with anyone who wants to send you Bitcoin.

Bitcoin addresses use specific encoding formats to prevent transcription errors. The original Base58Check encoding excludes easily confused characters like 0 (zero), O (uppercase o), I (uppercase i), and l (lowercase L). Newer Bech32 addresses use a different character set optimized for QR codes and error detection.

How do Bitcoin address types differ?

Bitcoin has evolved through several address formats, each offering different features:

P2PKH (Pay-to-Public-Key-Hash) addresses start with "1" and are the original Bitcoin address format. They're widely supported but produce larger transactions.

P2SH (Pay-to-Script-Hash) addresses start with "3" and enable more complex transactions like multi-signature wallets. Many SegWit-compatible wallets use this format for backward compatibility.

Bech32 (Native SegWit) addresses start with "bc1q" and offer lower transaction fees and better error detection. They're the recommended format for most users today.

Bech32m (Taproot) addresses start with "bc1p" and represent the latest Bitcoin upgrade, enabling enhanced privacy and smart contract capabilities.

Why validate Bitcoin addresses?

Sending Bitcoin to an invalid address means permanent loss of funds—there's no way to recover cryptocurrency sent to a non-existent address. Address validation catches typos, copy-paste errors, and format mistakes before an irreversible transaction occurs. This simple check can prevent costly mistakes, especially when dealing with large amounts.

Tool description

This Bitcoin address validator instantly checks whether a Bitcoin address is correctly formatted and valid. It supports all major address types including Legacy (P2PKH), SegWit (P2SH), Native SegWit (Bech32), and Taproot (Bech32m) addresses for both mainnet and testnet networks. The tool automatically detects the address type and network, providing detailed information about the validated address.

Features

  • Validates all Bitcoin address formats (P2PKH, P2SH, Bech32, Bech32m)
  • Supports both mainnet and testnet address validation
  • Automatically detects address type and network
  • Instant real-time validation as you type
  • Displays address length for verification

Use cases

  • Before sending Bitcoin: Verify the recipient address is valid before initiating a transaction to prevent permanent loss of funds
  • Wallet development: Test address generation and validation logic during cryptocurrency wallet development
  • Payment integration: Validate customer-provided Bitcoin addresses in e-commerce checkout flows
  • Security audits: Quickly check addresses found in code, configurations, or documentation during security reviews