what does this bitcoin address validator check?

it decodes the address and verifies its embedded checksum. for legacy 1... and 3... addresses that is a double-sha256 base58check checksum, for bc1... segwit and taproot addresses it is the bech32/bech32m polymod checksum. a failed checksum means the string cannot be a real address.

can a valid checksum still mean a scam address?

yes. anyone can generate a perfectly valid address in seconds. the validator only rules out typos and fabricated strings - always confirm where coins should go through a second channel.

does my address get uploaded anywhere?

no. with javascript on, decoding and checksum math happen inside your browser tab. only if javascript is off does the form post once to our server, where the address is checked in memory for that single request and never stored or logged.

can i paste my bc1 address in uppercase?

yes - bech32 is valid written all-lowercase or all-uppercase. what wallets and this tool reject is mixed case within one address, so pasting BC1Q... works exactly like bc1q...

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bitcoin address validator

checksum check

every bitcoin address carries an internal checksum of its own bytes. paste one below: if the checksum fails, that exact string cannot be a real address - a letter got mistyped, a character was dropped in copy-paste, or someone invented it hoping you'd send coins blind. with javascript on, everything runs right here in your browser.

two ways this runs: with javascript on you get instant feedback as you type - nothing leaves your browser. with javascript blocked the form posts to our server instead, where the checksum runs once in memory and is never stored or logged - but the pasted address does cross the network.

address formats at a glance

legacy 1... (p2pkh): the original format: pay-to-public-key-hash, base58check encoded, starting with 1. still valid everywhere but costs more in fees and leaks more on-chain info than newer formats.
script hash 3... (p2sh): pay-to-script-hash - used by multisig setups and older segwit wrappers. same base58check encoding, different version byte, which is why it starts with 3 instead of 1.
bech32 bc1q... (native segwit v0): the current default in most wallets. lowercase-only charset (no 1, b, i, o) so hand-copying is safer, and the checksum catches up to four character errors automatically.
taproot bc1p... (v1): the newest output type. looks similar to segwit but uses the bech32m checksum variant and is always exactly 62 characters with a 32-byte program.
testnet prefixes: test coins, worthless by design: legacy testnet addresses start with m or n, testnet p2sh with 2, and bech32 ones with tb1. they validate here too - flagged so nobody confuses them with mainnet.
why the checksum matters: a single mistyped character changes the underlying bytes, and the checksum almost certainly no longer matches. your wallet refuses such an address outright instead of sending your coins into the void. this tool does the exact same math before you even open a wallet.

bitcoin address validator

paste the bitcoin address

verdict