Step 7 of 7
Why Self-Custody Matters
Download Sparrow
Verify the Download
Install and Configure Sparrow
Create a Bitcoin Wallet and Backup
Test Your Backup
Test Receive & Send
Take custody of your Bitcoin.
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Secure your Bitcoin easily with Sparrow Wallet in just 20 minutes. All you need is a computer and an internet connection.
Step 1 of 7Why Self-Custody Matters
Why Self-Custody Matters
Bitcoin is the most scarce asset known to humanity, and people are catching on.
Countries are accumulating Bitcoin as a strategic reserve, major financial institutions are offering Bitcoin-collateralized products, and Bitcoin ETFs are among the fastest-growing ETFs in history.
Everybody who understands Bitcoin is chasing it relentlessly, and you need to protect what's yours starting with controlling your own Bitcoin.
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Step 2 of 7Download Sparrow
Download Sparrow
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Click the button below to be taken to the Sparrow Wallet downloads page. From there, you need to download 3 files:
1. The Windows Installer (10+) (.msi) file
2. The Manifest file (.txt)
3. The Manifest signature file (.txt.asc)
The first file is the installer, and the other two files are used to verify the installer. Do not install Sparrow until you verify the installer. Once all these files are in your downloads folder, click Continue.
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Step 3 of 7Verify the Download
Check for GPG
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Next, we need to do the actual verification with GPG (GNU Privacy Guard).
First, let's check if you already have GPG installed.
1. Open Command Prompt (press Win + R, type cmd, hit Enter).
2. Type this command and press Enter:
gpg --version
If you see version information, you're good — click Continue.
If nothing shows up or you get an error, you need to install GPG4win first. Use the button below to download it. After installing, close and reopen Command Prompt, then try gpg --version again.
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Step 4 of 7Install and Configure Sparrow
Install Sparrow
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1. Double-click the .msi file you downloaded.
2. Follow the prompts in the installer — the defaults are fine.
3. Once it finishes, launch Sparrow from your Start menu and press "Next" a few times
4. When you get to the screen talking about configuring your Electrum server select "Later or Offline Mode". We will set this up in the next step.
That's it. Sparrow is installed and ready to go.
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Step 5 of 7Create a Bitcoin Wallet and Backup
Create Your Wallet
Fire up Sparrow and go to File > New Wallet. Give it a name — whatever makes sense to you.
You'll see options for Policy Type and Script Type. Leave both on the defaults. For this guide, we're creating a single-signature native SegWit wallet, which is exactly what those defaults give you.
Under Keystore, select "New or Imported Software Wallet."
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Step 6 of 7Test Your Backup
Test Your Backup
Before we move any real bitcoin to this wallet, let's make sure your backup is working.
We will do this by recording our wallet's fingerprint, which is a unique identifier for our wallet. Then, we will delete our wallet, and restore it from our backup.
If we generate the same fingerprint with the backup, then we know our backup is working.
Let's start by recording our wallet's fingerprint. You can find it by clicking the "Settings" button on the bottom left side. Write this down somewhere, you'll need it for the verification step.
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Step 7 of 7Test Receive & Send
Test Receive & Send
This section is coming in a couple of days. We're waiting on a withdrawal to go through so we can show the full test receive and test send flow with real transactions.
In the meantime, you've already built your wallet, backed it up, and verified the backup works. That's the hard part — the rest is just pressing buttons.
🔒 SOVEREIGNTY AWAITS
Complete the steps above to unlock your full potential.
You're 7 steps away from taking full custody of your Bitcoin.
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