<p>If the transaction in question consumes inputs that were locked to a bitcoin address that has been previously used, then it would be easy to tell that the payment came from the same wallet. After all, the payment came 'from the same address' as a previous payment.</p>
<p>However, re-using addresses is not best practices. Doing so is very bad for your privacy, just consider the premise of this question to understand why! There is no reason to re-use addresses and thus allow someone to see your financial history (ie, all of the other transactions you've made from that address).</p>
<p>Thankfully, modern wallets are built to never re-use addresses. Further, addresses from the same wallet are indistinguishable from random addresses, there is no public information included in the address/transaction that links them together. This is by design: you wouldn't want someone to be able to determine your entire wallet balance, after receiving a single transaction from you.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-07-31T09:59:33.270Z
Hi chytrik. Thank you very much for your answer and explanation. What exactly do you mean in paragraph 1 of your answer? Thank you.
Homer
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-08-03T12:45:21.393Z
[link](https://bitcoin.stackexchange.com/questions/58792/proof-of-address-ownership)
Could that solve my problem?
Homer
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-07-30T19:46:10.823Z
2020-07-30T19:46:10.823Z
chytrik
<p>I wonder how to figure out whether one Bitcoin transaction is from the same wallet (public key) as any previous transaction in order to proof the ownership of a wallet.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-07-30T17:23:45.943Z
Could you be more precise ? Are you looking for a *wallet* footprint or a public key reuse ? Wallet tend to, actually, not reuse publeys.
Antoine Poinsot
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-07-30T17:25:17.580Z
Hi Homer, this sounds like a bit of an [XY-question](https://meta.stackexchange.com/q/66377/232061): you seem to ask about a solution approach for a problem you are trying to solve rather than the problem itself. What are you actually trying to achieve for which you want to know whether the same wallet paid twice?
Murch
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-07-30T18:14:12.770Z
Hi all,
I want to identify a sender by transactions, i.e. to compare two transactions and and find out whether the two transactions are from the same sender (wallet). It is for a proof of ownership to register a wallet and then in the future check if subsequent transactions are from the same sender (wallet).
Homer
<transactions><wallet><address><public-key><ownership>
How to check if one transactions is from the same wallet (public key) as a previous one
Homer
# How to check if one transactions is from the same wallet (public key) as a previous one

(Asked by: username_0 on 2020-07-30)

I wonder how to figure out whether one Bitcoin transaction is from the same wallet (public key) as any previous transaction in order to proof the ownership of a wallet.

**Tags:** transactions, wallet, address, public-key, ownership

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: Could you be more precise ? Are you looking for a *wallet* footprint or a public key reuse ? Wallet tend to, actually, not reuse publeys.  
> **username_2**: Hi username_0, this sounds like a bit of an [XY-question](https://meta.stackexchange.com/q/66377/232061): you seem to ask about a solution approach for a problem you are trying to solve rather than the problem itself. What are you actually trying to achieve for which you want to know whether the same wallet paid twice?  
> **username_0**: Hi all, I want to identify a sender by transactions, i.e. to compare two transactions and and find out whether the two transactions are from the same sender (wallet). It is for a proof of ownership to register a wallet and then in the future check if subsequent transactions are from the same sender (wallet).  

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## 1 answers

### Answer by username_3 on 2020-07-30. Score: 1

If the transaction in question consumes inputs that were locked to a bitcoin address that has been previously used, then it would be easy to tell that the payment came from the same wallet. After all, the payment came 'from the same address' as a previous payment.

However, re-using addresses is not best practices. Doing so is very bad for your privacy, just consider the premise of this question to understand why! There is no reason to re-use addresses and thus allow someone to see your financial history (ie, all of the other transactions you've made from that address).

Thankfully, modern wallets are built to never re-use addresses. Further, addresses from the same wallet are indistinguishable from random addresses, there is no public information included in the address/transaction that links them together. This is by design: you wouldn't want someone to be able to determine your entire wallet balance, after receiving a single transaction from you.

> **Comments:**
> **username_0**: Hi username_3. Thank you very much for your answer and explanation. What exactly do you mean in paragraph 1 of your answer? Thank you.  
> **username_0**: [link](https://bitcoin.stackexchange.com/questions/58792/proof-of-address-ownership) Could that solve my problem?  

---

