<p>You can create the backup of the wallet as normally, then use for example bzip2 to compress it. Then you use base64 to make the data printable, then just copy it in openoffice for example to print it (Not to small. Default size should be good). Later you can use OCR software to scan the text again.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-10-14T08:33:17.317Z
An interesting approach. I may give this a shot roundtrip with a dummy wallet and see how it works out.
Robert Karl
CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-12-24T22:54:48.707Z
Tested with 7zip, 240KiB instead of bzip2's 351KiB, used word on windows, letter paper, narrow margins, Calibri 10, 58 pages. Am I missing something or that's about the right amount of pages one would get?
Dan
CC BY-SA 3.0
2013-09-30T17:00:59.857Z
2013-09-30T17:00:59.857Z
Sibbo
<p>No Problem:</p>

<ol>
<li><p>just Export your Privatekey. --> with Bitcoin-QT, go to Console and type:
"dumpprivkey {your Public-Address}"   - Just replace your Public-Address with that one you want to export</p></li>
<li><p>Make a QR-Code from Private-Key &amp; your Public-Address
You can use <a href="http://www.qrcode-monkey.com/#text" rel="nofollow">http://www.qrcode-monkey.com/#text</a>
But remember: It's not very secure to past your Private-key Online !!
Better use some Offline QR Code generator!</p></li>
<li><p>Paste your QR Codes (Public Address &amp; PrivateKey) on your Paperwallet</p></li>
</ol>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2013-07-01T21:56:29.127Z
This is very [KISS](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/KISS_principle), great to know. However you should edit it and warn people about change, as @Pieter said. Specifically tell that the behaviour is the same as paper wallets, and that it doesn't work as a backup.
emi
CC BY-SA 3.0
2013-06-29T09:43:24.387Z
2013-06-29T20:34:17.370Z
2013-06-29T20:34:17.370Z
davidduckwitz
<p>Right now, that's not supported. You can try (see user2194702's answer), but if you don't know the exact workings of the wallet, you're very likely to shoot yourself in the foot.</p>

<p>For example, Bitcoin-Qt will send <a href="https://en.bitcoin.it/wiki/Change" rel="nofollow">change</a> to a new address every time you create a transaction, and in general does not follow the "balance per address" concept but a "balance per wallet". This improves the privacy of the system (for you, but also for others), but complicates backups. In particular, you cannot backup a wallet by just making a backup of a single key.</p>

<p>HD Wallets (hierarchical deterministic wallets, see <a href="https://en.bitcoin.it/wiki/BIP_0032" rel="nofollow">BIP32</a>) are intended to overcome this problem, by making sure you can backup a wallet by only making a backup of a single seed that is used to derive all keys. This is planned to be implemented in Bitcoin-Qt, but not yet available.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-06-02T01:06:55.547Z
Has there been any recent changes to Bitcoin Core that enable backing up to paper wallet or is it still the same?
M.K. Safi
CC BY-SA 3.0
2013-07-01T22:00:56.237Z
Perfect answer! It's a very, very bad idea to make a paper backup of an address then. I've switched to using [Armory](https://bitcoinarmory.com/) instead of bitcoin-qt, which does uses deterministic wallets and solves my problem.
emi
CC BY-SA 3.0
2013-06-29T09:49:05.687Z
2015-06-09T19:05:14.503Z
2015-06-09T19:05:14.503Z
Pieter Wuille
<p>I have a single bitcoin address with all my <em>savings</em> on it. I want to make a paper backup for precaution (as if my hard drive somehow exploded) with that specific address. Is that possible?</p>

<p><em>Keep in mind that I want a <strong>physical backup</strong> but at the same time I want to be <strong>able to manage the wallet</strong> from bitcoin-qt.</em></p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2013-09-04T23:37:26.463Z
Related question: [How to save bitcoins as paper](http://bitcoin.stackexchange.com/questions/1080/how-to-save-bitcoins-as-paper/1082)
Murch
<bitcoin-core><backup><paper-wallet>
Is it possible to make a paper wallet out of a bitcoin-qt wallet?
emi
# Is it possible to make a paper wallet out of a bitcoin-qt wallet?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2013-06-29)

I have a single bitcoin address with all my *savings* on it. I want to make a paper backup for precaution (as if my hard drive somehow exploded) with that specific address. Is that possible?

*Keep in mind that I want a **physical backup** but at the same time I want to be **able to manage the wallet** from bitcoin-qt.*

**Tags:** bitcoin-core, backup, paper-wallet

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: Related question: [How to save bitcoins as paper](http://bitcoin.stackexchange.com/questions/1080/how-to-save-bitcoins-as-paper/1082)  

---

## 3 answers

### Answer by username_6 on 2013-06-29. Score: 7 | Accepted answer

Right now, that's not supported. You can try (see user2194702's answer), but if you don't know the exact workings of the wallet, you're very likely to shoot yourself in the foot.

For example, Bitcoin-Qt will send [change](https://en.bitcoin.it/wiki/Change) to a new address every time you create a transaction, and in general does not follow the "balance per address" concept but a "balance per wallet". This improves the privacy of the system (for you, but also for others), but complicates backups. In particular, you cannot backup a wallet by just making a backup of a single key.

HD Wallets (hierarchical deterministic wallets, see [BIP32](https://en.bitcoin.it/wiki/BIP_0032)) are intended to overcome this problem, by making sure you can backup a wallet by only making a backup of a single seed that is used to derive all keys. This is planned to be implemented in Bitcoin-Qt, but not yet available.

> **Comments:**
> **username_0**: Perfect answer! It's a very, very bad idea to make a paper backup of an address then. I've switched to using [Armory](https://bitcoinarmory.com/) instead of bitcoin-qt, which does uses deterministic wallets and solves my problem.  
> **username_7**: Has there been any recent changes to Bitcoin Core that enable backing up to paper wallet or is it still the same?  

---

### Answer by username_2 on 2013-09-30. Score: 2

You can create the backup of the wallet as normally, then use for example bzip2 to compress it. Then you use base64 to make the data printable, then just copy it in openoffice for example to print it (Not to small. Default size should be good). Later you can use OCR software to scan the text again.

> **Comments:**
> **username_3**: An interesting approach. I may give this a shot roundtrip with a dummy wallet and see how it works out.  
> **username_4**: Tested with 7zip, 240KiB instead of bzip2's 351KiB, used word on windows, letter paper, narrow margins, Calibri 10, 58 pages. Am I missing something or that's about the right amount of pages one would get?  

---

### Answer by username_5 on 2013-06-29. Score: 0

No Problem:

1. just Export your Privatekey. --> with Bitcoin-QT, go to Console and type:
   "dumpprivkey {your Public-Address}" - Just replace your Public-Address with that one you want to export
2. Make a QR-Code from Private-Key & your Public-Address
   You can use <http://www.qrcode-monkey.com/#text>
   But remember: It's not very secure to past your Private-key Online !!
   Better use some Offline QR Code generator!
3. Paste your QR Codes (Public Address & PrivateKey) on your Paperwallet

> **Comments:**
> **username_0**: This is very [KISS](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/KISS_principle), great to know. However you should edit it and warn people about change, as @Pieter said. Specifically tell that the behaviour is the same as paper wallets, and that it doesn't work as a backup.  

---

