4

Say I send 1.0 BTC to a Bitcoin address that is valid but has never been used yet.

  1. Does that 1.0 BTC effectively disappear? Or will the transaction fail?
  2. If the transaction succeeds, could someone eventually start using that address and claim that 1.0 BTC?
Improve this question
2

1 Answer 1

Reset to default
7

If the address is valid, the transaction will succeed. If nobody knows the private key for that address, the money is lost forever. For all practical purposes, it's impossible to guess the key for an address that you made up.

Improve this answer

Your Answer

By clicking “Post Your Answer”, you agree to our terms of service and acknowledge that you have read and understand our privacy policy and code of conduct.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged or ask your own question.