<p>It is basically impossible to identify who (whether it is an exchange or someone else) owns an address unless they announce that they own the address. You will not be able to figure out what exchange the address that you have belongs to by just looking at the address alone.</p>

<p>You will have to look elsewhere, and knowing the address is not really important. Look through your emails and think of the exchanges where you have made an account on. Only through other data that you have (e.g. your emails, saved login info, etc.) can you figure out what exchanges you have used and thus potentially deposited coins to. The address that you have is irrelevant.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-11-07T21:26:23.343Z
It's not impossible. You just have to look at other outputs claimed by the transactions that have claimed payments to that address. If you can match any of those to an exchange, you've got it.
David Schwartz
CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-11-07T21:31:20.167Z
That assumes that the exchange has moved the coins and moved them in a transaction with inputs that are known to belong to the exchange. If they did not (and there is no guarantee that they did) then that method will not work.
Ava Chow
CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-11-07T21:32:22.297Z
It doesn't assume anything. You assumed things by saying it's impossible. My answer, however, makes no assumptions whatsoever. (Notice the "not" and the "if"?)
David Schwartz
CC BY-SA 3.0
2018-04-16T17:55:41.470Z
The person was asking if there is a way. There is no "way".
Could you luck out? Sure.
Is there a set process?
No.
Paul C
CC BY-SA 3.0
2018-04-17T12:37:43.163Z
Although "luck" is technically possible; it is so highly improbable as to be of no practical use.  If you add to your answer showing the required process of luckily determining what exchange and address belongs to, that would help clarify things.
Hannah Vernon
CC BY-SA 3.0
2018-04-19T16:38:02.787Z
The address could be useful if the email confirmation included the address.
Murch
CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-11-02T10:56:59.467Z
One can just try sending a formal request to all exchanges. It would be useful, for example, in law enforcing procedures.
Marco Marsala
CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-11-07T18:52:29.307Z
2017-11-07T18:52:29.307Z
Ava Chow
<p>Generally, it is difficult to impossible to find out whom an address belongs to. However, there are some sites that try to figure out whom addresses belong to by clustering transaction activity of well-known entities in the space. Since exchanges have a lot of transaction activity, it might actually be possible that your address turns up.</p>

<p>I can't vouch for accuracy or completeness of the data, but you might want to try to see whether the address is listed either on <a href="https://oxt.me/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">oxt.me</a> or on <a href="https://www.walletexplorer.com" rel="nofollow noreferrer">walletexplorer.com</a> to jog your memory.</p>

<p>H/T to <a href="https://bitcoin.stackexchange.com/users/93863/user93863">user93863</a> who suggested walletexplorer.com first.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-04-29T06:28:31.197Z
This is the answer!
Siwei
CC BY-SA 4.0
2024-12-21T20:40:22.380Z
Once a user knows one or more addresses from an exchange, they can identify sweep activities on that address which greatly expand the ability to cluster addresses under the control of a given exchange.  Coin analytics companies have tremendous amounts of data (given voluntarily, bought and scraped from web) which can also be used with heuristics to cluster addresses.
Jonathan Cross
CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-04-21T02:25:17.967Z
2019-04-21T02:25:17.967Z
Murch
<p>How do I find the exchange that an address belongs to? I have an address that I have sent Bitcoin to but I forgot what exchange that address was for.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-06-07T22:26:59.713Z
After you deposit it, normally it gets swept into a bigger wallet which I just google to find out. Also all the exchanges know each other's addresses so even if the big address doesn't appear in google, it's possible.
user5389726598465
CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-11-02T10:53:55.223Z
Do you have a source for “all the exchanges know each other's addresses”?
Marco Marsala
<address><exchanges>
How do I find the exchange an address belongs to
Jay
# How do I find the exchange an address belongs to

(Asked by: username_0 on 2017-11-07)

How do I find the exchange that an address belongs to? I have an address that I have sent Bitcoin to but I forgot what exchange that address was for.

**Tags:** address, exchanges

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: After you deposit it, normally it gets swept into a bigger wallet which I just google to find out. Also all the exchanges know each other's addresses so even if the big address doesn't appear in google, it's possible.  
> **username_2**: Do you have a source for “all the exchanges know each other's addresses”?  

---

## 2 answers

### Answer by username_3 on 2017-11-07. Score: 5

It is basically impossible to identify who (whether it is an exchange or someone else) owns an address unless they announce that they own the address. You will not be able to figure out what exchange the address that you have belongs to by just looking at the address alone.

You will have to look elsewhere, and knowing the address is not really important. Look through your emails and think of the exchanges where you have made an account on. Only through other data that you have (e.g. your emails, saved login info, etc.) can you figure out what exchanges you have used and thus potentially deposited coins to. The address that you have is irrelevant.

> **Comments:**
> **username_4**: It's not impossible. You just have to look at other outputs claimed by the transactions that have claimed payments to that address. If you can match any of those to an exchange, you've got it.  
> **username_3**: That assumes that the exchange has moved the coins and moved them in a transaction with inputs that are known to belong to the exchange. If they did not (and there is no guarantee that they did) then that method will not work.  
> **username_4**: It doesn't assume anything. You assumed things by saying it's impossible. My answer, however, makes no assumptions whatsoever. (Notice the "not" and the "if"?)  
> **username_5**: The person was asking if there is a way. There is no "way". Could you luck out? Sure. Is there a set process? No.  
> **username_6**: Although "luck" is technically possible; it is so highly improbable as to be of no practical use.  If you add to your answer showing the required process of luckily determining what exchange and address belongs to, that would help clarify things.  
> **username_7**: The address could be useful if the email confirmation included the address.  
> **username_2**: One can just try sending a formal request to all exchanges. It would be useful, for example, in law enforcing procedures.  

---

### Answer by username_7 on 2019-04-21. Score: 4

Generally, it is difficult to impossible to find out whom an address belongs to. However, there are some sites that try to figure out whom addresses belong to by clustering transaction activity of well-known entities in the space. Since exchanges have a lot of transaction activity, it might actually be possible that your address turns up.

I can't vouch for accuracy or completeness of the data, but you might want to try to see whether the address is listed either on [oxt.me](https://oxt.me/) or on [walletexplorer.com](https://www.walletexplorer.com) to jog your memory.

H/T to [user93863](https://bitcoin.stackexchange.com/users/93863/user93863) who suggested walletexplorer.com first.

> **Comments:**
> **username_8**: This is the answer!  
> **username_9**: Once a user knows one or more addresses from an exchange, they can identify sweep activities on that address which greatly expand the ability to cluster addresses under the control of a given exchange.  Coin analytics companies have tremendous amounts of data (given voluntarily, bought and scraped from web) which can also be used with heuristics to cluster addresses.  

---

