<p>A bitcoin address is not the same as a wallet.  If you have the private key for the address, you can import the key into either Bitcoin-Qt or a lightweight wallet such as MultiBit.  You will then be able to send and receive coins using this address.</p>

<p>To import a private key into Bitcoin-Qt, read <a href="https://en.bitcoin.it/wiki/How_to_import_private_keys_v7+" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><strong>this</strong></a></p>

<p>To import a private key into MultiBit, read <a href="https://bitcoin.stackexchange.com/questions/14154/how-do-import-a-paper-private-key-into-multibit"><strong>this</strong></a></p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2013-12-18T08:56:33.183Z
Could you please make a bit clearer what is the difference between a wallet and an address? Thank you for answering.
data
CC BY-SA 3.0
2013-12-18T14:21:17.550Z
@data A wallet is just a collection of bitcoin addresses.  It does not contain any coins - the coins exist only in transactions contained in the blockchain.  So you can delete a wallet with no problems as long as you have exported the private keys associated with your bitcoin addresses.  If you create a new wallet, you can regain access to your coins by importing these private keys.
ScripterRon
CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-06-30T18:00:20.300Z
So when I import my private key, my address is automatically found by the wallet software?
user5155835
CC BY-SA 3.0
2013-12-16T22:52:40.173Z
2013-12-16T22:52:40.173Z
2017-04-13T12:47:33.583Z
ScripterRon
<p>I created a vanity public key (wallet address) and I got the corresponding private key too. Is it possible to somehow "open" that wallet and just used it as a normal bitcoin wallet? No sweeping, no transferring to other account - just send some of the money from that account to some other.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2013-12-16T20:27:34.997Z
you want to add the address to your wallet?
V-X
<wallet><private-key>
How can I turn a private key into a wallet?
data
# How can I turn a private key into a wallet?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2013-12-16)

I created a vanity public key (wallet address) and I got the corresponding private key too. Is it possible to somehow "open" that wallet and just used it as a normal bitcoin wallet? No sweeping, no transferring to other account - just send some of the money from that account to some other.

**Tags:** wallet, private-key

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: you want to add the address to your wallet?  

---

## 1 answers

### Answer by username_2 on 2013-12-16. Score: 3 | Accepted answer

A bitcoin address is not the same as a wallet. If you have the private key for the address, you can import the key into either Bitcoin-Qt or a lightweight wallet such as MultiBit. You will then be able to send and receive coins using this address.

To import a private key into Bitcoin-Qt, read [**this**](https://en.bitcoin.it/wiki/How_to_import_private_keys_v7+)

To import a private key into MultiBit, read [**this**](https://bitcoin.stackexchange.com/questions/14154/how-do-import-a-paper-private-key-into-multibit)

> **Comments:**
> **username_0**: Could you please make a bit clearer what is the difference between a wallet and an address? Thank you for answering.  
> **username_2**: @username_0 A wallet is just a collection of bitcoin addresses.  It does not contain any coins - the coins exist only in transactions contained in the blockchain.  So you can delete a wallet with no problems as long as you have exported the private keys associated with your bitcoin addresses.  If you create a new wallet, you can regain access to your coins by importing these private keys.  
> **username_3**: So when I import my private key, my address is automatically found by the wallet software?  

---

