<p>Notice that your private key retrieved from the Satoshi client begins with a K. According to the <a href="https://en.bitcoin.it/wiki/List_of_address_prefixes" rel="nofollow">List of Address Prefixes</a>, that means the key is exported in <em>compressed</em> form.</p>

<p>MultiBit's export file saves private keys in <strong>uncompressed</strong> form. Private keys in uncompressed form begin with a 5. </p>

<p>You can divine the uncompressed key using Bitaddress's wallet details page. Just look for the private key that begins with a 5. It's the private key that has a QR code next to it.</p>

<p>Repeat the latter part of your steps, adding the uncompressed key to the export file and then importing that file.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2013-01-28T12:48:00.743Z
Colin is correct. At the moment MultiBit only supports uncompressed keys for import (the ones beginning with 5). Compressed key support will be going into bitcoinj 0.7 so when that comes out I will improve this. For the moment do as Colin suggests and convert it to uncompressed.
jim618
CC BY-SA 3.0
2013-08-16T09:49:07.073Z
Is there any way to uncompress the private key without sending it to an external service?
kristianp
CC BY-SA 3.0
2013-08-18T19:46:54.450Z
@kristianp: BitAddress runs entirely client-side in JavaScript. If you don't trust that, you could disconnect from the Internet while you uncompress it. Or, you can try using [Sx](http://sx.dyne.org/).
Colin Dean
CC BY-SA 3.0
2013-08-24T09:44:51.710Z
@ColinDean thanks for that info, I didn't realise it was client-side.
kristianp
CC BY-SA 3.0
2013-09-12T12:17:49.420Z
Colin Dean, the javascript could be compromised. To trust that website, you should read and understand the source code before use and every time the web page is changed. Also, you'd have to do the same for the web browser that you're using.
Eyal
CC BY-SA 3.0
2013-09-12T15:36:41.130Z
Eyal, absolutely correct. Thus the recommendation of open source for just about everything interacting with private keys!
Colin Dean
CC BY-SA 3.0
2013-01-28T04:38:00.807Z
2013-01-28T04:38:00.807Z
Colin Dean
<p>I'm trying to take an address from my Satoshi client and transfer it into my new MultiBit client. I have found several questions similar to this, and have tried all their solutions, but to no avail.</p>

<p>This is the basic process I go through: (Note: The address &amp; private key I use in the example are empty; made for this example)</p>

<ol>
<li>On the Satoshi client, I go to the console and type: <code>dumpprivkey 16tTCqoguKk7ZvLXsUyUE5JKJQ2VMDpCQj</code></li>
<li>I get the private key
<code>KzD6eDjxCwPf8YTGiGhNWAyg4HU4H6iWXYEqCyKGhH8Dy9ZKhdui</code></li>
<li>I confirm on <a href="http://www.bitadress.org" rel="nofollow">bitaddress.org</a> that the private key does indeed output the public key above.</li>
<li>I then export the private keys on MultiBit (Version 0.4.19 BTW), and add the private key listed above into the exported file.</li>
<li>Importing the private keys back, the public address <code>1GWqf362pUzGfrZ7K7Thazd27aRBsakGcX</code> is imported, rather than <code>16tTCqoguKk7ZvLXsUyUE5JKJQ2VMDpCQj</code>.</li>
</ol>

<p>I'm not exactly sure if I'm doing something wrong, or the problem is some sort of bug in the software...
Please excuse me if I sound "Bitcoin-Illiterate", I'm kinda new to this stuff.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2013-01-28T03:25:55.483Z
Welcome to Bitcoin.SE! Thanks for putting some effort into writing your question!
Highly Irregular
CC BY-SA 3.0
2013-01-31T02:46:53.497Z
For the benefit of anyone who might not happen to know, never reveal private keys from your wallet as they can be used to spend any funds received at that key's corresponding Bitcoin address now or in the future.
Stephen Gornick
<bitcoin-core><private-key><import><multibit><private-key-export>
How to transfer addresses from Satoshi client to MultiBit?
Jdc1197
# How to transfer addresses from Satoshi client to MultiBit?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2013-01-28)

I'm trying to take an address from my Satoshi client and transfer it into my new MultiBit client. I have found several questions similar to this, and have tried all their solutions, but to no avail.

This is the basic process I go through: (Note: The address & private key I use in the example are empty; made for this example)

1. On the Satoshi client, I go to the console and type: `dumpprivkey 16tTCqoguKk7ZvLXsUyUE5JKJQ2VMDpCQj`
2. I get the private key
   `KzD6eDjxCwPf8YTGiGhNWAyg4HU4H6iWXYEqCyKGhH8Dy9ZKhdui`
3. I confirm on [bitaddress.org](http://www.bitadress.org) that the private key does indeed output the public key above.
4. I then export the private keys on MultiBit (Version 0.4.19 BTW), and add the private key listed above into the exported file.
5. Importing the private keys back, the public address `1GWqf362pUzGfrZ7K7Thazd27aRBsakGcX` is imported, rather than `16tTCqoguKk7ZvLXsUyUE5JKJQ2VMDpCQj`.

I'm not exactly sure if I'm doing something wrong, or the problem is some sort of bug in the software...
Please excuse me if I sound "Bitcoin-Illiterate", I'm kinda new to this stuff.

**Tags:** bitcoin-core, private-key, import, multibit, private-key-export

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: Welcome to Bitcoin.SE! Thanks for putting some effort into writing your question!  
> **username_2**: For the benefit of anyone who might not happen to know, never reveal private keys from your wallet as they can be used to spend any funds received at that key's corresponding Bitcoin address now or in the future.  

---

## 1 answers

### Answer by username_3 on 2013-01-28. Score: 2 | Accepted answer

Notice that your private key retrieved from the Satoshi client begins with a K. According to the [List of Address Prefixes](https://en.bitcoin.it/wiki/List_of_address_prefixes), that means the key is exported in *compressed* form.

MultiBit's export file saves private keys in **uncompressed** form. Private keys in uncompressed form begin with a 5.

You can divine the uncompressed key using Bitaddress's wallet details page. Just look for the private key that begins with a 5. It's the private key that has a QR code next to it.

Repeat the latter part of your steps, adding the uncompressed key to the export file and then importing that file.

> **Comments:**
> **username_4**: username_3 is correct. At the moment MultiBit only supports uncompressed keys for import (the ones beginning with 5). Compressed key support will be going into bitcoinj 0.7 so when that comes out I will improve this. For the moment do as username_3 suggests and convert it to uncompressed.  
> **username_5**: Is there any way to uncompress the private key without sending it to an external service?  
> **username_3**: @username_5: BitAddress runs entirely client-side in JavaScript. If you don't trust that, you could disconnect from the Internet while you uncompress it. Or, you can try using [Sx](http://sx.dyne.org/).  
> **username_5**: @username_3 thanks for that info, I didn't realise it was client-side.  
> **username_6**: username_3 username_3, the javascript could be compromised. To trust that website, you should read and understand the source code before use and every time the web page is changed. Also, you'd have to do the same for the web browser that you're using.  
> **username_3**: username_6, absolutely correct. Thus the recommendation of open source for just about everything interacting with private keys!  

---

