Wallet Security Dos and Don'ts

This article should not be considered as a replacement for the more in-depth articles on best practices, however key points in wallet security:

Do

• DO encrypt your wallet with a strong passphrase
• DO backup your wallet
• DO use recommended software from the list at https://bitcoin.org/en/choose-your-wallet
• DO keep your OS up to date and run a virus scanner
• DO use a paper/hardware wallet for storing significant amounts

Don't

• DO NOT store your wallet on cloud storage (Dropbox, etc.)
• DO NOT re-use addresses (this also applies to paper wallet addresses)
• DO NOT generate cold store keys on Internet-connected machines. If it's for cold storage, it should never be Internet connected

See also

• Securing your wallet
• Hardware wallet
• Brainwallet
• Paper wallet
• How to set up a secure offline savings wallet
• Paper ECDSA private keys