<p>Yes. A valid private key can be used either on testnet and mainnet. But key reuse is never a good thing, even within the same chain. Just use two different wallets, it's free!</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2022-03-07T00:38:30.830Z
2022-03-07T00:38:30.830Z
Davidson Souza
<p>If I have valid private key to use on Bitcoin mainnet, can I use the same key to generate addresses and spend on testnet? If so, is this encouraged, or should one generally keep separate keys to use on mainnet and testnet?</p>

<private-key><testnet>
Private keys for mainnet vs testnet
sziegler11
# Private keys for mainnet vs testnet

(Asked by: username_0 on 2022-03-05)

If I have valid private key to use on Bitcoin mainnet, can I use the same key to generate addresses and spend on testnet? If so, is this encouraged, or should one generally keep separate keys to use on mainnet and testnet?

**Tags:** private-key, testnet


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## 1 answers

### Answer by username_1 on 2022-03-07. Score: 3 | Accepted answer

Yes. A valid private key can be used either on testnet and mainnet. But key reuse is never a good thing, even within the same chain. Just use two different wallets, it's free!


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