Topic: Why can't regular flash drives store Bitcoin (Read 648 times)

Exactly. There are plenty of open source alternatives available that totally respect your privacy. With Microsoft spying on users since the release of Windows 10 (using Telemetry), I'd steer clear from anything linked to the company especially when it comes to protecting my utmost sensitive data. TrueCrypt and/or Veracrypt is all you need to encrypt your flash drive without worrying about getting your data exposed to a third-party. Since private keys/seeds take little space, you can save money by buying a flash drive with the lowest storage capacity available. That is if you're planning on using the flash drive as a "hardware wallet". For cold storage options (not planning to use your crypto funds periodically), write or print the keys/seeds instead (paper wallet).

Centralized exchanges have been "messing around" with customers' funds, so it's best to practice self-custody of your coins to safeguard your investment for the long term. As long as you follow the necessary security precautions, there should be nothing to worry about. Just my thoughts

Actually, you can, for the most part especially during bitcoin’s early days, a lot of people use various physical manners in order to store their crypto currencies For instance, you will encounter a lot of people in this forum, talking about using paper wallets which are essentially just your regular old papers with the private key, sad to see the Seed phrase scribbled onto it.  Of course, this is not as secure as current, physical and cold wallet that are for sale. But for the good part of bitcoins early days this did great. Now you can still use your regular old flash drives in USB sticks by just putting your private key and seed phrases on the text file, and then saving it. I personally use this method a couple years ago, but I stopped, because I tend to forget where I placed, and stored my flash drives. As a suggestion, if you are to use your flash drive as a  private key/seed phrase, repository might as well keep a copy of the text file that includes your private keys and seed phrases. Just in case you misplace your flash drive, so you always have a back up.

Why would I want to use a closed source software, namely BitLocker, to encrypt a file in a closed-source OS, which could be written on paper with usage of open-source, secure alternatives?

It's obviously more secure than having your keys exposed to the public, but it is not comparably to setting up a Live OS, in an airgapped machine, and backing up your seed phrase in paper.

https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365-life-hacks/privacy-and-safety/how-and-why-to-encrypt-usb-flash-drive
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b9qWAXH--8A

Try to visit out these links and you would really be seeing the steps or instructions on how an USB drive could possibly be having those passwords
before you could completely to gain access into its files and contents. Im aint saying that this is superior to those Hardware wallets
but its still considerable if we do speak about seed or PK security.

Just be sure that you do have some multiple back ups, because we know that durability and hardware or software malfunctions could occur
on which it would be better to be mindful about certain back up than on being sorry if you do lost it all.

Are you sure you would want to store Bitcoin in flash drives? If you can keep them safe without miss placing them then sure that would work but any flash drive isn’t the most reliable medium to store anything as important as above.

Well, basically, if someone is using a hardware wallet, they don't need to be worried much about security that much if they haven't shared their wallet address or anything related to it with anyone or in a public place, one can barely find an address containing some Bitcoins if they don't know about it already so that makes it difficult for them to brute force.

But, if someone is using hardware storage only to save their private keys and are using an online wallet or a desktop wallet, then they will need to make sure that they are using the best encryptions to safeguard their wallets from attacks.

That's not possible to convert your regular USB to a hard wallet to store BTC with full reliability. As Simple or regular USB is just made up of storage unite and a few resistors etc. which have nothing to do with security, encryption, display, network connectivity, etc. etc. as hardware wallets have in them. So if you really want to make a DIY hardware wallet at home, then my suggestion is to read the following threads.

• Open Source Hardware Wallets--> This thread is full of all the details about wallets and it also contains a section of DIY wallets where you can get an idea to make one.
• DIY Bowser Hardware Wallet
• Krux DIY Hardware Wallet
• Make your own Trezor Hardware wallet for under $40
• low-cost hardware wallet for less than 10 dollars--> This might get your attention as it's the cheapest one you will find to make. Note* he just made a plan to make one but AFAIK he did; it made it actually it's just a plan as till now he doesn't talk about any progress.

but i prefer you to not use DIY wallets to store huge amounts of BTC as the parts you will be buying are open-source and when you will buy them from third parties there could be viruses in them. Such as a YouTuber bought one and lost all of his money (he bought it from a third party and get scammed). ( Never, ever, buy your hardware wallet from a third-party)

Plus if you really want to make one, you should have a basic level of knowledge about, encryption, electronics, and IT, as you can make one by watching YT video too which needs no experience.

I would do some experimenting with the popular Tails OS. I know it comes standard with Electrum wallet and I heard recently that they recently added support for Sparrow wallet. I think that might be a good first step.

You would still need a way to secure your seed phrase because you would need to enter it before you could recover your wallet to receive or send bitcoin. If I ever found myself in an emergency situation and I wanted to use bitcoin, I think I would use Tails running from a USB drive and keep my seed phrase on my person with a passphrase that I memorize.

Besides that this is a flash drive waste, what will happen if all three flash drives die approximately at the same time? It's an existent concern, much more probable than losing three pieces of paper at the same time, if you're cautious at least. And it's even more probable to happen if you have bought all three drives at about the same time, given that they have the same lifespan.

I'm reporting this topic to be moved to the appropriate board because this discussion does not appear to be on the correct board. Or the OP could also move it himself:

Bitcoin Forum > Bitcoin > Development & Technical Discussion


Don't just rely on one way, while several other ways are also suggested. Some will write on paper and make a copy and keep it in a safe place, others will engrave it on some stainless object or something. But it can also be painted and disguised behind a painting that you can attach to the bedroom wall. At least have two different places to minimize the risk of loss, but what's the point of bothering to do it when they only have a few cent in their wallet.

Flash memory loses its data after some years... So even if you don't lose the drive, the drive will lose it for you...

This is why you are told to write seed words by hand in a piece of paper, make a copy of that also by hand and store them securely in two physically separated places (in case one place burns down, you still have the other).

Well said, because others only rely on the hard wallet instead without learning the basic things they need to protect their crypto assets in their wallet, in the end, they will quickly get fooled by some tweets that are scams and fraud. If a person really knows what he is doing in terms of his security against any hacks, he can also use paper wallets if he is not capable of finding any source to get any hard wallet or the like of it. Therefore, it all depends on the person and all he needs to do is to equip himself with knowledge and invest some time to learn the preventive measures to avoid scammers and hackers.

I've seen flash drives with built-in encryption using a numeric keypad that can be used to unlock it wherever you are (hardware encryption). But such drives are expensive compared to ordinary flash drives made by SanDisk and Kingston. Software encryption is cheaper, although not recommended for people who aren't tech-savvy enough to use it properly.

A simple, cost-effective solution would be to either print or write the private key/seed of your Bitcoin wallet (paper wallet). The only downside is you can't use this as a "hot wallet" for paying every once in a while with BTC. It's intended to be used as a "vault" for long-term storage of your coins. Each method has its own advantages/disadvantages, so I'd suggest the OP to do his own research to determine which one is best for him. As long as you don't disclose the location of your keys/seeds, there should be nothing to worry about. Just my thoughts

Don't take it wrong, hardware wallets are incredible and much safer but along with its high security features and other stuffs to protect our most precious stored keys/passwords, means that it's already understandable that owning one of these wallets doesn't come cheap and its hefty price is somehow reasonable enough because what we are storing in it are important.

But if we don't have that much funds to afford one, anything inside our house can be used as a storage for our precious keys. The only thing we need to do is to hide it in a much safer place and away from others to reach because they may use it in other things without knowing that there's an important key stored inside.

It's understandable that hardware wallets may be difficult and expensive to obtain in some parts of Africa. However, there are software wallet options that can help secure your Bitcoin, such as  Additionally, creating an offline wallet with a paper wallet or using a USB flash drive with a trusted software wallet can also provide added security for holding Bitcoin. It's important to do thorough research and understand the risks associated with any wallet before storing your funds.

Because what I do using a USB flash drive is that I just put it in the File is electrum account, including password, private key, and seed phrase, even the wallets I made in metamask on the USB flash drive.
But even though I don't have hardware wallets yet, I don't just keep it in one USB flash drive, but in three USBs so that in case of loss or damage, I have another USB flash drive reserved.

right now I'm not sure about saving crypto on a flash drive because of security which in my opinion can't be relied on to the maximum, so many investors prefer other wallets to store their current crypto assets, but for African countries maybe they should have a special flash drive that can store bitcoins so they can use it at the moment, and most importantly for us the security key to the wallet that we currently have is stored properly and all the domoets that have many users we can probably rely on.

Flash drives without built-in security mechanisms are particularly vulnerable to hacking, data breaches, and limited lifespans that can quickly result in data damage or loss, which is the fundamental reason why conventional flash drives cannot contain bitcoins.

It is better to keep quiet about your wallet because there is no need for someone to come into your room to look for something unless you are the one who sparked their curiosity. I prefer writing the seeds down somewhere safe because I am a very private person and use my room alone.

there is no way i would trust a usb flash drive for wallet data, seeds, anything. they are no where near reliable enough to trust a decent amount money with. even good flash drives fail.. i have a pile of corrupted flash drives from my dads estate. like 20 % bad and they were top line drives at the time.

just (hand) print the seeds out and use a passphrase on top of that.

I think OP is a newbie. Op wants to have the feature of a hardware wallet but can't afford to buy it. But OP, you can hold Bitcoin or any other asset without using any hardware wallet. You'll need a piece of paper and a pen. That's it. Hide it until you are satisfied with the price of it. There's a tremendous advantage to holding it on paper, unlike in a hardware wallet. Some people who don't know Bitcoin or other crypto-currency will see your seed phrase and think it is just a useless paper with weird words, unlike in a hardware wallet they can search about and can cost you your life if they knew you have crypto-currency.

Papers and metal plates were never portrait as the absolute solution. Everything corrupts in the extreme, but there is an order of magnitudes difference between that and a flash drive, security speaking. 

Or avoid them altogether when there is paper and pencil. Not to mention that someone who compromises your device can trivially notice private keys in your device.

you can store bitcoin and any other stuff life your private keys. If you're flashdrive can't store bitcoin, i think there's a problem with that. Hard wallet is the one I trusted and it's going pretty well.

Flash drive, really? Might as well jot your secrets on a coaster and pray, right?

Kidding aside, though hardware wallets are the bee's knees of safety, there's no shortage of methods to stash your Bitcoin sans worry.

One plan is to harness a USB drive, tucking your private keys into an encrypted fortress. Sure, it's not Fort Knox like a hardware wallet, but it keeps your digital gold away from nosy Nellies.

Remember to roll with trusted software like Electrum to conjure your keys and wrap your file in digital armor. And, naturally, don't space on cloning backups and hiding them like buried treasure. Nobody wants to be that schmuck who waved bye-bye to Bitcoin over a java mishap.

You can store your coins in any way you want, it is just that a hardware wallet is a very safe way to do it, however if the supply of those hardware wallets is on the low side where you live or their cost is prohibitive for you then you can choose several other alternatives.

Since you are posting in this forum then this means that you have access to electricity, the internet and a computer or a smartphone, meaning that you already have all what you need in order to store bitcoin securely, now you can store a backup on a flash drive if you want, just remember that those flash drives have the tendency to die down after a few years, so do not use them as your main way to store your coins.

Bad recommendation. Trust wallet is a closed source wallet and it is also owned by Binance, two read flags, their codes and seed phrase cannot be verified, and CZ is a shady person, so we don't know what he is doing behind the scenes. Recently a vulnerability was also exploited in Trust wallet and people lost their funds. Electrum is a good recommendation, it is a self custody wallet and open source, so if you were using Trust wallet to hold your BTC's, you should create a new wallet in Electrum and send all your BTC's there.

As the name sounds regular, so are the functions regular to the reason why it was built in the first place. Hard ware wallets need hard ware device to carry their data. Software had even thier own devices or ways to keep its data safe.
When I see a topic like this asking why a regular flash drive doesn't store Bitcoin, I worry the level of exposure such a one has had as regards methods used to keep cryptocurrencies safe from hackers, scammers or even loss or corrupt storage spaces.  
Flash drives are of different sort, and the kind of data it stores is dependent on programmed software built into it already.

There are many ways we can keep our private keys from intruders but we need to ask ourselves this question that what will happen to our Bitcoin after we have kept it from anyone seeing it and we finally passed away maybe through accident or illness. I have tried as much to inform my family of me owning Bitcoin with some clue of how they can manipulate my portfolio if in case I accidentally passed away. We should not hide assets from the family of close people around us.

There had been billions dollar worth of Bitcoin that was lost due to try to keep our Bitcoin portfolio from our families or loved ones. We need to let people around us have some clue about our crypto portfolio so Incase anything strange happen to us.

The flash doesn't only holds bitcoin but their seed phrase can be stored inside the flash drive maybe as a backup but is not trusted to use because whenever you have those seed phrase stored inside, and slot in your flash drive to any computer that has virus it might get corrupted this may lead for you not have access to the wallet again which would results in loosing the funds stored in that address since you don't have access to the private keys again.
This is not advisable imo.

In fact every solution comes with risks. If we go to the extreme, hardware wallets can also be hacked, can get damaged (harware damage leading to corrupted data). Paper can burn and can vanish if it goes in water. Metal plates can be lost if not properly stored. Encrypted containers can get corrupted also by hardware failure, etc, etc, etc. There is an infinite number of possibilities to get screwed. So, in the end, the best, but yet not risk free, is to have redundancy, meaning to store/save your keys/data in multiple places in different forms and have someone of your absolute trust to know about those places and ways of getting the data in case the owner passes away or is incapacitated of managing its data!

If the amounts are small, then you need to download the mobile version of the Electrum wallet and the Veracrypt program.
Your encrypted container can be disguised on a USB flash drive as any file that you save on a few. It's safe if your computer is free of viruses, but it's fast and convenient.

Everything has a purpose and a particular functions that they were created for, flash drives were never created to store bitcoins, so it not something possible for it to do. The purpose and idea behind the creation of flash drives was conceived without any knowledge of something called cryptocurrency or bitcoins in particular. Flash drives have their history as far back as year 2000 so you can understand why bitcoin storage was not considered as a function for them.

I think the hardware wallets don't have any rocket science, it's just that it contains your private key which makes your wallet accessible when the hardware wallet is attached. If you keep the private key in the pendrive and attach it only while making your transaction and remove it after transaction it's as good as a hardware wallet only. But yes that automatic mechanism you won't get using a flash drive.

Regular flash drives cannot store bitcoins because bitcoins are a digital currency that is stored in the form of cryptographic keys. Cryptographic keys are used to sign transactions and verify ownership of funds. These keys are very important to the security and privacy of Bitcoin, and if they fall into the wrong hands, your funds could be stolen.
Regular flash drives are not secure enough to store cryptographic keys and can be compromised by virus attacks or physical damage. To store bitcoins in a secure way, you need to use special hardware wallets that provide a high level of security and key protection.

Bitcoin storage has many ways to store in difference wallet, which is Trust wallet App is good to store your Bitcoin, because using flash drive can be clash or corrupt, but Trust wallet can not be corrupt, but as long the phase code is saved, the wallet and assets is saved, and avoid online Dex connecting Wallet, so that the wallet will not be compromised.

I will answer the title question: because it is extremely unreliable (due to the design features of the flash drive, which can suddenly fail and practically can't be recovered from lost data) and not safe (viruses can steal your data when connected to a PC).

What's stopping you from using a non-custodian wallet like Electrum? Install the full version or copy the portable version on a flash drive and get what you want - "hodl Bitcoin in a flash drive" (if can call it that). But be aware that this will not be the best solution.

you can use regular flash drive as storage why not? but how you encrypt the data there is up to you. And the second point that you did not take into account, make more than one copy of your private key or the information that you are going to store there, it is more likely that you will save what you need, otherwise, with the loss of the first flag, you lose absolutely everything, there should be more than one reserve .

If you want to invest your funds and coins, it is also a MUST to invest in a wallet that will secure it. Yes, you can use a written program with a custom key to keep your funds but there is no assurance that it is truly secured and be compatible with computer software and programs in the future. Take note that this is your fund and you are the one accountable for its probable loss. So whether you invest in expensive but secured hardware wallet, use custodian wallets, or rescript programs, just make always ensure the security of your own funds.

You can also make it more simple if you can't afford to get a hardware wallet, why not try an electrum wallet, it a multisig bitcoin wallet but can hold your asset well in a safety manner if you can handle well the private keys it generates for you, also know that you could have access to your bitcoin at anytime and on any device only if you can always have your private keys privately secured with you against any third party influence or access.

To be considered as a smart person in are responsible for the file structure for your flash drive. In this article, a lot of flash drive are used.

What happens if you download your flash drive over the Internet with some other software? Then the file will be removed and in turn, you are asked to download some other file into it. You could do this via a web browser and then the file will be stored in the flash drive.

Why do i need to download a flash drive?

If I have already downloaded a flash drive then the software program that will work with the drive is also available. If you download the flash drive using a web browser, then the flash drive will be created in the browser. Or else you would like to have your file removed.

But the flash drive does not have to be installed with you. Also, if you want to start a flash drive without any internet connectivity then you can use a web browser.

If I have already installed a flash drive you would need to find out more about flash drive and download the software that you are already looking for. So if you are running Linux, then it would be good to do it in a non

How to Install Tails OS on USB flash drive for Wallet Purpose
Using mobile phone as a full mobile wallet
Creating a cold storage wallet (Electrum)
Creating a multisig wallet (Electrum)

You can use Tail OS on your flash drives but you must have your wallet backups in other formats, other devices too. Flash drives have shorter lifespan and might have more technical problems than your HDD or SSD. You might sudden lose your flash drive and can not recover it by a serious technical problem.

I only use flash drive if I have other backups on my desktop, laptop and paper.

I think you do not really need it that badly or risk it that way. I mean sure write it down to some notebook you have at your house if you want to, that would be a good idea, but you do not have to keep that notebook at a safe location, just your drawer would be enough, no?

I mean where do you live that someone may look into your room, find the notebook, find the seed, and then cash it out? That seems unlikely, even a burglar wouldn't look at a notebook for Christ sake, it doesn't make sense, they would just steal valuables and leave, not your notebook. In the end we are talking about a bigger deal here and that should be more about how you could make a profit based on crypto, the safety stuff are being overthought and no need for it.

You can store the private key or seed on a flash drive, but I wouldn't recommend it because such storage mediums can be easily lost or stolen. If you're willing to encrypt your drive and make a copy of it on another drive, then I'd say go for it. I usually encrypt my drives with Veracrypt to store all of my crypto seeds and private keys. It's a cost-effective solution that's often better than a traditional hardware wallet. Printing the seed or private key is also an option, but you'd have to be very careful not to lose the paper or let someone else get access to it.

Someone on the forum (krogoth) has been doing some tests by submerging paper wallets on water, so I'd suggest you check that out if you're interested. The great thing about Bitcoin is that you can store millions of dollars in the smallest place you can imagine, making it an extremely-portable asset/commodity. Not like Gold or Fiat where they take up a lot of space (depending on how much of them you have). As long as you have a backup plan to protect your Bitcoin, you'll be able to pass on your wealth for future generations to enjoy. Hope this helps.

My opinion, If a hardware wallet is hard to come by, you can store Bitcoins using a software wallet on a flash drive. However, not all flash drives are secure enough to protect your private key. Bitcoin storage requires high security because the private key is a vital component and if Using an unsecured flash drive can compromise the private key, leading to loss of funds.

An encrypted flash drive with a secure software wallet can help. Nevertheless, it is important to research and check software wallets for safety before use. Traditional flash drives are cost-effective but may not provide the necessary security. My advice, Always prioritize security when storing cryptocurrency assets.

Very Well said mate, I have no complete idea of what you have said
but it is completely explained , and yes depend on our risk tolerance as I only managed to have hardware wallet.
but that Engraving got my attention and yes , I think one of my wallet will be created for that.


Thanks for this tips mate, surely I will use one if not 3 of all you advised here , cant wait to have this one and that door hinges thing lol.

Yes, there are software wallets that can be used to store Bitcoin on a flash drive or other storage device. These wallets are often referred to as "cold wallets" or "offline wallets" because they are not connected to the internet, which provides an additional layer of security against potential hacks or cyber attacks.

One example of a software wallet that can be used to store Bitcoin on a flash drive is Electrum. Electrum is a popular Bitcoin wallet that can be downloaded onto a computer and used to store Bitcoin securely offline. The wallet generates a seed phrase that can be used to recover the wallet in case of loss or theft, and can be encrypted for additional security.

Another option is to use a paper wallet, which involves printing out the private key and Bitcoin address on a piece of paper and storing it in a secure location. However, it's important to note that paper wallets can be vulnerable to damage, loss, or theft, and should be used with caution.

It's important to remember that using any type of wallet, whether hardware or software, comes with its own set of risks and requires careful consideration of security measures. It's recommended that individuals do their research and seek out reputable wallet providers before storing any significant amount of Bitcoin or other cryptocurrencies

I recall some good old myths before that technological devices do have their own set of time where they just don't work at all so that companies would be making you buy more from them. I still have some flash drive here in my stash that I usually just use to store some "low-priority" files that I do not mind losing. They ain't meant to be fool-proof even if you buy those reputated brands like SanDisk. I would never ever rely my access to my own Bitcoin to something that could fail at any time.

Hardware wallets is like another form of investment that I would be willing to risk my money into. Writing in seeds would be the cheapest but quite secured of a way to store my recovery seed just like yours, but floods are kinda ass sometimes. Maybe storing them in a safe in the attic would be the way?

Flash drive is, first and foremost, not an alternative, because it ain't a wallet. Hardware wallets are not "flash drives" specified for Bitcoin. They do more than just storing files. They sign transactions, to be precise. They are considered safe, because you don't leave your private keys in plain sight to your Internet connected computer. Lastly, we shouldn't give him precautionary measures about flash drives, because it's a dumb manner to back up wallets in the first place.

This article must have been written by an amateur. You should not rely on a flash drive which has a very limited lifespan. You should back up seed phrase in paper, and in multiple places. That's enough.

If I am going to use a flash drive to store my private keys it won't be the only one, because I have bought so many USB flash drive in my life and they always get damaged when not in use for a long period of time, the few that still works corrupts the file stored on them, imagine storing your Bitcoin wallet on such USB, some people said I need to buy the original USB flash as there are too many bad products out there but I did and there isn't much difference, I have been mean to ask if not using a USB flash for a long period of time can cause the flash drive to expire or get bad?

I prefer writing recovery seed instead of storing private keys because with private key you will need to copy paste, but with recovery seed you only need to write the words one after the other which seems safer to me.

All you need to do is to keep your private key or seed phrase in a safest ways you can, there are a lot of things you can do to protect it, there are some people who write down their seed phrase in a piece of paper and keep them in a secret place and there are also some people who place it underneatch their house.

Just remember not to store it in any social media platform you have or save it in your computer, that would be the riskiest thing you might do to your wallet, we are always vulnerable from attack when we are using any computer or technology so always keep away your secrets on it.

I wouldn't trust a regular flash drive because sometimes they get corrupted, you may accidentally overwrite it because of forgetting what it's being used for, you might lose it altogether, you might catch viruses on it if you plug it into an infected device.
I think Electrum wallet is reliable enough, to be honest, as long as precautions are taken regarding the storage of the passphrase and the device you're using to access your coins from. It's non-custodial, easy-to-use, no special hardware required.

Any software file can be saved or store in flash drives, however we all know that it can be prone to viruses or in short the security of your Bitcoin is not guaranteed. Most of my usb got viruses that the files in there will be impossible to recover. I think in Africa if they are used to flash drives and they could handle their funds in there then it would be justifiable. It's your own risk but it's still not recommendable you should always rely on the safety of your funds which is the software transactions.

I think there is an important consideration here which seems to be ignored. Bitcoin is a virtual asset, and you can't store it anywhere. The records of your holdings are published publicly on the blockchain. The only thing you need to record is a list of the coiuns you own, and the way you can release thgem in oirder to "spenbd" them. As has been mentioned, there are numerous ways to record addresses, keys and passwords, and the safestr and most effective ways will vary from persoin to person. For example, I could use paper hidden in the van for my records. That would be protected agaiunst theft, but would be usekless in the evenb of a file, and may also be lost in a damp atmosphere. You will also need a method to access thge blockchain if you wish to spend your coins, but not if you just want to receive them. My choice is to use Bitcoin core, but there are many other optiuons that can be used safely and securely.

With hardware wallets, your private keys will not be exposed to the Internet so that it will keep your coins safely from threats which can steal your coins. With hardware wallets, you can broadcast your transaction, sign it without leaking your private key.

This is about other things like wallet backups which are vital for you when you need to recover your wallets. It belongs to a hardware wallet user and his practice. If a user is careless, does not make wallet backups, and lose his coins because of unable to recover his wallets, it is not responsibility of that hardware wallet producer.

If you build up a good lock but the buyer who buys that lock for his house but leaves the key in front of thief eyes, it is not your responsibility if that house is invaded by a thief.

Hardware wallets are not safe in and of themselves, or because there is an in-built security feature that protects its users, hardware wallets are safe because they store the owners keys offline, and when the keys are offline it is impossible for an attacker to steal it. But a hardware wallet isn't just safe on its own, the owner must have great operational security, they must back up the seed phrase generated from the hardware wallet and ensure the physical device is also kept in a safe place and always encrypted with a PIN.

To use a flash drive, it's crucial to ensure the safety of your seed phrase and private keys. When making online transactions using a flash drive, it's equivalent to using a non-custodial wallet software, but it's not as secure as hardware wallets. However, if you're experienced in signing offline transactions and broadcasting them, using a flash drive is acceptable. The key lies in how you secure your device.

The main reason why regular flash drives cannot store bitcoins is that flash drives do not have built-in security measures that make them vulnerable to hacking, data breaches, and limited lifetimes that can easily lead to data corruption or loss.
Hardware wallets, on the other hand, have built-in security that protects the digital assets stored in them safely and securely.

Well you can created a bootable OS on a flash drives, like Linux or Windows.

You can verify the IOS version of trust wallet here: https://github.com/TrustWallet/trust-wallet-ios. But as far as I know it's not fully open source so just be careful on using it.

And we all know that storing private keys in plaint text specially in flash drives is not a save security practices in my opinion.

You dont need to actually and if you do find that Hardware wallets like Trezor and the rest then you could still able to hold up your wallet but not on the same where these HW does.
Honestly, after all the years i've been around on this space which i didnt able to buy one even if im capable on doing so. I do make out some storage on a non-custodial wallet
like Electrum since we are talking on Bitcoin on here and some keys on Trustwallet or Myetherwallet which i do make some list on a notepad and saving up those keys
but of course you should really be that mindful on where you do put up those usb sticks or flash drive because on the time that
it would be exposed to other people and plugged it in, then say goodbye into your funds.

We could be able to differentiate on what are the advantage on having that HW though but since you cant really be able to afford then having that USB storage of keys
would be that sufficient but if you do have the chance on buying one then its better to do so.

Notepad, Words, anything that enable you to write down your passphrase or private key and save it to a flash drive but do take note that it is not as safe as hardware wallets so you need to exercise extra precaution when saving your data in flash drive.


True so we should remind him that such action as keeping the private key to the flash drive isn't as secure as keeping the BTC in hardware wallets.   I think we can give him precautionary measures if ever he can't afford hardware wallets and chose to use a flash disk as an alternative.

This article gives a good alternative in storing BTC privatekey if ever the person don't have hardware wallet yet.


Though the article stated saving your private key in cryptoart, I will not suggest to use any online application in storing your privatekey for security reason.

If you're considering storing your Bitcoin on a flash drive then I recommend acquiring a cold storage wallet to save your keys and keep your seeds safe.

He is just a newbie, who as far as I can tell isn't very much competent around crypto. Instead of guiding him best, and suggesting him the practices experts repeatedly put forward, we have OgNasty suggesting to store private key in text file. OP probably doesn't even know why a hardware wallet is considered secure, but established, decade-old user merely recommended him to back it up on a USB, and equate that with writing down on paper. Ridiculous.

You can use Electrum wallet instead of custodial ones, it is a recommended BTC wallet that is open source and safe to use, just download Electrum and verify it to be sure everything is safe and secure.

Electrum will give you your seed phrase as you set it up, make sure you write it down and have more than one backup in two different locations. If you do everything correctly in a safe enviroment, you don't need a flash drive anymore, you can even delete the software from your device as long as you have your seed phrase backup and you repeat this process again to import your funds with your seed phrase whenever you want to spend, but only do this if you are holding a large amount of BTC and for a very long time. But if you want to be viewing your wallet balance regularly and for the best security, then you have to set up Electrum in an air-gapped device and use another one for watching-only, but this process may be difficult for a newbie.

Well, it's OP who wanted a cheap portable wallet made out of a flash drive so most went along with his scenario. The utility of having an entire working wallet on a flash drive and not just the encrypted seeds you can extract when in need and import into the laptop or computer you would anyhow need to actually use the coins kind of fails to impress me.

But still, I assume most looked at it from the point of having around easy access to spendable coins, not about securing life savings, if the second I would 100% agree with you.

Genuinely surprised by how even some established members of bitcointalk still suggest backing up wallets in digital format, completely ignoring the enormous mountain of incidents with lost coins due to the corresponded security risks of backing up likewise.

We now have seed phrases. Best option in terms of human readability, and if written down in paper eliminates every such concern.

A regular flash drive is not advisable to store Bitcoin because they mostly work for some years before it won't work again and to prevent the lost ones Bitcoin holding it is better not to use a flash drive.
I wonder why you said getting a hardware wallet is expensive for most parts of Africa when the price of Ledger Nano S it around $50-60 and I don't consider that to be expensive if you care about the security of your crypto.

Yes, of course you can use a simple USB stick to install the Linux distribution of Tails which remains the safest to use if you have a PC available, everything stays on the stick and leaves no trace of its use on the PC.  Otherwise you can take a look at this thread.
https://bitcointalksearch.org/topic/m.62169741

I think that you get the idea from the hardware wallets are like USB drives. Actually, you don't think a USB drive for you to store your bitcoin, what you need are the private keys or the seeds that you need to save in text form and that's it, you're all good.
So, you can actually store your text file into a USB/flash drive but I don't recommend that as files are likely not safe if you'll store it into that.
Since you've got access to a PC, just install Electrum and keep the seeds for that wallet of yours and never show it to anyone and store your written seeds on a very safe place where you can only access it or you're the only one that knows that it's your seeds.

Recovery seeds are words, you can write them down in a book, or use a sharp object to carve the words on a silver steel, there is also an OS that you can run on the USB stick and keep your wallet on the OS, I've also seen friends using Linux OS on USB stick to keep their recovery seed and private keys.

I prefer writing the seeds down somewhere safe, I am a very private person and I use my room alone so there is no one coming into my room, also its better to keep quiet about your wallet because there is no need for someone coming into your room to search for something unless you are the one responsible for their curiosity.

They claim to be non custodian, but there is no way we can actually verify whether they are or not since they are closed source. You only have to take them by their word which goes against the principle of verifying and not trusting.

You can only comfortably comment on a wallet or  software, if it is fully open source and you have verified its codes.

Trust wallet is a non-custodian wallet and not a custodian wallet per say, and other good examples of non-custodian wallets include Electrum, Exodus, Ledger Nano X, and Trezor One, while the first two are software wallets and last two hardware wallets. And the reason why regular flash drives can't be used to store Bitcoin is simply because it wasn't designed to do that, of which if you intend to store your BTC on a hardware wallet such as "Ledger Nano X, and Trezor One", all you need to do is to just buy from it's official website, and not buying from a third party site, as it's likely to be a scam, where you could lose your fund.

You can do this, but you're going to need to have to ample knowledge on how to setup an air-gapped device using a secure and privacy OS(like tails, as mentioned above).

If you think you have the knowledge, then go ahead. Just take note that setting one up in a secure manner is definitely not for everyone — hence why hardware wallets are made as to make the process far easier for the masses.

You can store your Bitcoin on a flash drive but it depends on you how you protect your wallet.
There is no problem with storing BTC in a flash drive just make sure that you know how to protect your wallets from any attacks.

Anyway, there is a known OS to secure and protect your BTC wallet that you can install into your USB flash drive. Meaning you will need to make a bootable flash drive with Tails OS then you can install your Bitcoin wallet. There is a guide here that you can follow check this "How to Install Tails OS on USB flash drive for Wallet Purpose"

All you need is a text file containing your private key and you can store it on any medium.  Some people engrave their private keys onto metal slabs and hide them as a way to have an offline and fireproof solution.  Other people write down their private keys on pieces of paper and secure them underneath door hinges or other hiding spots in their house.  It all depends on your risk tolerance and what you're protecting from.  Anywhere you can store text (flash drive, paper, metal, etc.) would all work fine.  There is no need to have any sort of wallet so long as you have your private key.  That string of characters is all you need.

In most part of Africa hardware wallets are not only difficult but expensive to get apart form using custodian wallets like trust wallet and metamask is there an alternative software that can help hodl Bitcoin in a flash drive. or otherwise