What Is Blockchain Private Key QR Code & How To Use It?

Table of Contents

• What is blockchain private key QR?
• How to create a blockchain private key QR?
• Step 1: Pick a service to generate the QR code
• Step 2: Paste your private key 
• Step 3: Download your QR code
• Step 4: Your QR code is ready to use
• How to use blockchain private key QR?
• The bottom line

 Blockchain private key QR is a “quick response” code that stores the information necessary to retrieve a private key. The code can be created with a QR generator and used to manage digital assets. It is very important not to share the code with anybody, as that can lead to a loss of funds.

QR codes make it very easy to retrieve various types of information. They can be used to navigate to websites, confirm logins, store WiFi credentials, and more. Since they can encode up to 2953 bytes of data (equivalent to 4293 alphanumeric or 7089 numeric characters), they can easily handle private keys, which are just a couple of dozen characters long.

In this article, we will examine what a blockchain private key QR is, how to generate one, and its potential use cases.

What is blockchain private key QR?

Blockchain private key QR is essentially a quick response code that stores private key information. Once the QR code is read by your smartphone or some other device that can scan the QR code, the private key will appear on your screen.

What is a private key?

A private key is a confidential, complex password that proves ownership and allows control over digital assets on the blockchain. It's essential for making secure transactions, like sending or receiving cryptocurrencies. Unlike a regular password, it can't be reset, so keeping it safe and private is crucial.

Here’s an example of how a private key for Bitcoin looks like: E9873D79C6D87DC0FB6A5778633389F4453213303DA61F20BD67FC233AA33262

Blockchain private keys don’t come with a QR by default. That would severely lower the security of digital assets, as anyone who has access to your private keys can manage digital assets that are associated with the given private key.

How to create a blockchain private key QR?

In order to create a blockchain private key QR, you’ll need to install an app that can generate a QR code. There are plenty of options available in the app store on both iOS and Android, as well as on desktop. 

For this guide, we’ll be using the TQRCG website. Please note that you should absolutely 100% trust the service you use to generate the QR code. If the service doesn’t encrypt the data properly or does some other shady stuff with user data, your private key might fall into the wrong hands.

Step 1: Pick a service to generate the QR code

First, you need to choose a service to generate a QR code. For the purposes of this guide, we’ll be using the TQRCG platform, which can turn plain text into a quick response code. From the list of available options, choose the “Plain Text” option.

Step 2: Paste your private key 

We’ll be pasting the private key that was used in the example earlier in the article. Once you’ve pasted your own private key, click “Download” to proceed.

Step 3: Download your QR code

Next, set the name of the QR image you’re going to download. Once that is set, click on “Download.”

Step 4: Your QR code is ready to use

The QR code is now ready to use. You can scan it, and the stored private key will appear. Please remember not to show the QR code to anyone, as that would compromise the safety of your digital assets.

How to use blockchain private key QR?

A blockchain private key QR code is a scannable code representing your private key used for accessing and managing your blockchain assets. It simplifies the process of inputting your private key, especially during transactions, making it less prone to errors.

You can use your smartphone or a QR code scanner to scan the QR code when performing transactions. This automatically inputs the private key. There are many crypto wallets that allow for the scanning of a QR code to import private keys for transactions or management purposes​

The bottom line

Using a QR code to store a blockchain private key is more convenient than manually entering your own private key to confirm transactions. However, using private keys directly to sign transactions is not that common, as most people use crypto wallets, which essentially store your private keys and confirm transactions on the user’s behalf. 

If you want to learn the ins and outs of safeguarding your crypto assets against any potentially malicious actors, we suggest you check out our article on how to secure your crypto.