© 2026 Della Group. All Rights Reserved.
Okay, first thing I always do? Right before hitting download on electrum.org - yeah, only there, nowhere else - I grab the GPG signature file too. Why? Scammers love faking Electrum sites with malware laced versions. In my experience, spending 2 minutes verifying saves you from a nightmare. It's like checking the lock on your door before leaving cash inside. Download the .asc file, import the dev's public, and run gpg --verify. If it doesn't match, bail. Sound paranoid? It should be. Saved my ass once.
Head to electrum.org. Pick your OS - Windows installer if you're on that, Mac or Linux otherwise. Don't grab portable unless you know what you're doing. Run the installer. Boom, opens up.
Now, the wallet creation screen hits you. Auto connect? Yeah, for now. Standard wallet. Click next. That's it for basics.
The thing is, standard works fine for most. I've run it for years without issues.
Electrum spits out 12 words. Write 'em down now. Pen, paper, notebook - not your phone notes, idiot. Print it if you can. Store it in a safe, split it across spots if paranoid. Why does this matter? Lose your computer, phone, whatever - those words recover everything. No seed? Gone forever. Brutal truth.
Next screen asks you to type 'em back. Do it. If wrong, start over. Don't skip.
Set a password. Strong one. Mix letters, numbers, symbols - 20+ chars. Use a generator if lazy. This encrypts your wallet file on disk. Someone steals your PC? They need this too. But remember: forget it, and seed saves you anyway.
What's next? Main window pops. Go Tools > Preferences > Appearance. Set base unit to BTC. Defaults to mBTC, which confuses everyone at first. Trust me.
Got some BTC? Receive tab first. Click "Receive" - new address shows. Copy it, QR code ready. Send from exchange or wherever. Watch history tab; syncs quick since it's lightweight - no full blockchain download.
To send: Pay to tab. Paste address. Amount in BTC. Description if you want. Fee slider - low for cheap, high for fast. Default's fine, like 1-5 sat/vB these days. Preview, pay. Done.
Issue? "Insufficient funds." Means UTXO dust or fee too low. Bump fee, try again.
| Fee Level | Sats per vByte | Est. Time | When to Use |
|---|---|---|---|
| Low | 1-2 | Hours | Patient, cheap |
| Medium | 5-10 | 30 mins | Normal |
| High | 20+ | 10 mins | Rush job |
See? Pick based on network. Mempool.space checks congestion free.
Look, Electrum's safe 'cause it's open source, local keys, server trusting but verifiable. But you screw up seed or click phishing? Toast.
In my experience, biggest pitfalls:
Run over TOR? Tools > Preferences > Proxy. Add socks5 tor proxy. Hides your IP. Own server? Advanced, but ultimate.
Wallet won't sync? Server down. Tools > Server, manual select or auto connect. Fixed.
Forgot password? Seed restore new wallet. Old file? Trash it.
Labels missing? Right click history, add. Keeps track of who/what.
And coins not showing? Wrong network? Electrum > Testnet? Switch to mainnet. Rookie move.
Honestly, testnet's gold for practice. Download separate Electrum, pick testnet at start. Free fake BTC from faucets.
Okay, love this for paranoia mode. Create multisig wallet: 2-of-3 say. Generate seeds on separate devices. One offline. Import master pubkeys. Cosign transactions. Hacker needs 2/3. I use it for anything over 0.1 BTC.
Don't reuse addresses. Electrum auto gens new ones. Privacy boost. Receive tab shows history, labels, QR.
Want invoice? Description, max amount - shares link others scan.
Hardware integration? Plug in Trezor, pick hardware wallet on create. Signs offline. Perfect combo.
Wallet file too - File > Save copy. Encrypts with password. But seed's king.
Split seed? Shamir's secret sharing plugins exist. Or metal plates. I got one etched; fireproof.
Cloud? Nah. Encrypted drive maybe, but offline king.
Console freaks you? View > Show Console. Debug stuff.
Watch only wallet: Import xpub. Monitors balances, no spend.
Fees wrong? Replace by fee: Enable in prefs, bump later.
Pretty much set. I've hodled through crashes this way.
New version? Backup first, install over.
Android app exists, official. Scan QR seed to sync. Careful though - mobile riskier.
Lightning? Electrum supports channels now. Separate guide, but Tools > Lightning for setup. Fees like 1-10 sats.
One more: Audit downloads. GPG sigs on site. Trust but verify. That's the vibe.
Here's how I do it. Airgapped laptop - no net ever. Install Electrum there from USB. Create wallet, export xpub to online Electrum watch only. Receive to that. To spend: Create unsigned tx online, save, USB to airgap, sign, USB back, broadcast.
Takes 5 mins. Zero online keys. Bulletproof.
Stuck on something? Console commands help. Like wallet.create_new(). Experiment on testnet.
Popups screaming "wallet compromised"? Fake. Electrum never asks seed online. Close app, scan malware.
Network fees spiking? Winter it's low, bull run? 50+ sat/vB. Plan ahead.
You'll love how fast it is. No blockchain bloat. Servers handle that. Pick trusted ones in prefs.
Lost device? New Electrum, "I already have a seed", enter 12 words. Password optional. Boom, funds there after sync. Happened to a buddy - painless.
But if seed wrong? Partial words? Tools like btcrecover. But don't lose it.
| Wallet Type | Best For | Setup Time | Security Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard | Daily use | 2 min | Good |
| 2FA | Online extra | 5 min | Better |
| Multisig | Groups/funds | 10 min | High |
| Hardware | Max safe | 3 min | God tier |
Pick your poison. Start standard, level up.
Labels: Right click tx, edit. "Mom's gift" or whatever. Organizes chaos.
History tab: Filter sent/received. Export CSV for taxes. Uncle Sam stuff.
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