Published By TradeSmith Customer Success
Today, we’ll teach you how to generate your Public Key.
What does a public key look like?
A public key is a string of letters and numbers. Below is an example.
17zhBMGJPMUrUsfgTSxh8YEQQPmfB9UjCR
Now, you do not want to use this as your Public Key. It’s just an example. We’ll show you how to find your Public Key on Coinbase, Binance, and Poloniex. If you use a wallet or exchange other than these three, it’s okay. Most wallets and exchanges have a similar method of generating a Public Key. You can still follow along.
Coinbase
Once you log into Coinbase, you’re brought to your Dashboard. This is where you can see your current cryptocurrency portfolio balance, along with some other information.
You can scroll through this information to see how much Bitcoin, Bitcoin Cash, Ethereum, and Litecoin you own. You can also see your recent activity.
To get your Public Key, you first must click the Accounts tab toward the top of the screen.
This opens your list of cryptocurrency wallets. Your active wallet will have a blue line to the left of the wallet name. To generate your Public Key, click the Receive button.
Make sure that you are on the specific wallet where you want to receive the cryptocurrency. If you send the wrong Public Key, you won’t receive your cryptocurrency.
When you click Receive, it will generate your Public Key. It will have a QR Code (a funny-looking block picture) and a string of letters and numbers.
For our example, we blurred the QR and Public Key, but your QR and Public Key will be visible.
Abra
If you live outside the US, Canada, or the UK, a wallet option for you is Abra. It’s an app-based wallet. We’ll show you how to receive your Bitcoin using the iPhone version.
When you log into the Abra app, you’re brought to the homepage. On this page, you can click Send or Receive.
This displays two options. You’ll want to click Receive to generate your Public Key.
This makes your QR code (a funny block picture) and Public Key appear.
For our example, we blurred the QR and Public Key, but your QR and Public Key will be visible.
Binance
You might prefer to just store your Bitcoin on the exchange. This makes buying altcoins easier and can sometimes be more cost-effective than using a wallet.
So, let’s show you how to find your Public Key on the Binance exchange. It’s a little more complicated than Coinbase, but it becomes easy once you’re used to it.
Here is the screen after you log into your Binance account.
In the upper right-hand corner, you should see funds. Click that, and then click balances.
This will open a list of the cryptocurrencies that you own. You will want to find bitcoin in this list. Once you find it, click Deposit.
This will display the area for your Bitcoin Public Key. Toward the top, it will show that you are in the Bitcoin section of your wallet. You’ll want to double-check that you are on your Bitcoin.
We’ll just need the Public Key, so you can click the button that says Copy Address. Then, you can simply send it.
Poloniex
Poloniex functions much in the same way as Binance. After you log into Poloniex, you should see Balances in the upper right-hand corner of the program. Hover your mouse over that to see the options.
Next, click Deposits and Withdrawals. This will make a list of cryptocurrencies appear — just like on Binance. You’ll want to find Bitcoin in the list, and click Deposit.
After that, you’ll see your Public Key information.