What Does a Bitcoin Address Look Like? BTC Address Formats and Examples (2027)

By the SecureShift Team · Updated November 12, 2026

Ask five wallets for a Bitcoin address and you might get three different-looking strings. One starts with bc1, another with 3, an old paper wallet with 1. They're all valid. Bitcoin has added new address types over the years without ever retiring the old ones, so every format from 2009 onward still works.

Here's what each one is, how to recognise it, and the one or two cases where the difference matters to you.

The four Bitcoin address formats

Legacy (P2PKH): starts with 1

The original format, used since Satoshi's first block. Legacy addresses are 26 to 34 characters long and use Base58, which deliberately leaves out characters that look alike (0, O, I and l). The most famous one belongs to the genesis block:

1A1zP1eP5QGefi2DMPTfTL5SLmv7DivfNa

They still work fine, but spending from them costs the most in fees because the transaction data is bulkier.

Nested SegWit (P2SH): starts with 3

Addresses starting with 3 are "pay to script hash". They arrived in 2012 and became popular as a bridge to SegWit in 2017, when many exchanges wanted lower fees but older wallets couldn't yet send to bc1 addresses. Multisig wallets also often use this format. Typically 34 characters:

3J98t1WpEZ73CNmQviecrnyiWrnqRhWNLy

Native SegWit (Bech32): starts with bc1q

This is what most wallets hand you by default today. A standard single-key bc1q address is 42 characters and uses only lowercase letters and numbers, which makes it easier to read out loud and harder to mistype. It also has stronger error detection: a typo is far more likely to be caught before you send. Example from the Bitcoin spec (BIP 173):

bc1qw508d6qejxtdg4y5r3zarvary0c5xw7kv8f3t4

Spending from bc1q addresses is noticeably cheaper than from legacy ones. If you're paying a lot in network fees, this is often the easiest fix. More on that in why crypto fees are so high.

Taproot (Bech32m): starts with bc1p

Taproot went live in November 2021. Its addresses are 62 characters and start with bc1p. They make complex setups like multisig look identical to a normal payment on-chain, and fees are similar to bc1q for everyday sends. Ordinals and many inscription wallets use Taproot by default.

bc1p0xlxvlhemja6c4dqv22uapctqupfhlxm9h8z3k2e72q4k9hcz7vqzk5jj0

Side-by-side comparison

Testnet addresses start with m, n, 2 or tb1. Coins on testnet are worthless, so never accept one as payment.

Which format should you use?

For most people the answer is simple: use bc1q. It's supported almost everywhere, it's cheap to spend from, and typos get caught. Pick Taproot if your wallet defaults to it or you deal with Ordinals.

The only time you need to think harder is when an old service refuses to send to a bc1 address. That's rare now, but if it happens, most wallets let you generate a 3-address for that one deposit.

One thing that trips people up: a single wallet can hold all four types at once. If you restore a seed phrase and your balance shows zero, the wallet may simply be looking at the wrong address type. Check its settings for "derivation path" or "address type" before you panic.

Addresses that look like Bitcoin but aren't

• Bitcoin Cash addresses often start with q or bitcoincash:. Some BCH wallets still show legacy 1-addresses, which is how people end up sending BTC to a BCH wallet by mistake.
• Litecoin uses L, M or ltc1. Its ltc1 addresses look very similar to bc1, so read the prefix carefully.
• Wrapped BTC (WBTC, cbBTC, BTCB) lives on Ethereum, Base or BNB Chain and uses 0x addresses. It's a token, not bitcoin. Sending native BTC to a 0x address isn't possible, and sending wrapped BTC to a bc1 address isn't either.
• Lightning invoices start with lnbc and are much longer. They're payment requests, not addresses, and usually expire.

The same "right coin, wrong network" problem is even more common with stablecoins. If you deal with USDT, our guide on sending USDT on the wrong network is worth five minutes.

A 30-second check before every send

1. Confirm the prefix matches the coin and network you're sending.
2. Compare the first and last five or six characters with the source, not just the start. Clipboard hijackers usually keep the first couple of characters the same.
3. For a first payment to a new address, send a small amount and confirm it arrives.
4. Save the transaction ID. If anything goes wrong, it's the one thing support will ask for. Here's how to track a transaction by TXID.

FAQ

How long is a Bitcoin address?

Between 26 and 62 characters depending on the format. Legacy addresses are 26 to 34, bc1q addresses are 42 and Taproot addresses are 62.

Can I send BTC from a bc1 address to a 1 or 3 address?

Yes. All Bitcoin address types are compatible with each other. The format only changes how the coins are locked and what it costs to spend them later.

Is a Bitcoin address case sensitive?

Legacy (1) and P2SH (3) addresses are case sensitive. Bech32 addresses (bc1q and bc1p) aren't, but wallets display them in lowercase.

Does my Bitcoin address change?

Many wallets show a new address after each payment for privacy. Your old addresses still belong to you and still work.

Can someone steal my bitcoin with my address?

No. An address only lets people send to you. Your seed phrase and private keys are what control the funds, and those should never be shared.