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BitBox02

The original USB BitBox, with touch controls and recovery data saved on microSD, for computers and Android phones.

Edition
Check price at BitBox

Choose this edition at the store.

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BitBox02

Approve transactions with

  • Computer: Approve transactions
  • iPhone: Transaction signing not supported
  • Android: Approve transactions

Controls

Touch sensors

Backup

microSD backup and recovery phrase

Power

USB power

Is it right for you?

Is this the right wallet for you?

A good fit if

Choose the original BitBox02 for a compact USB wallet with edge touch controls and a microSD backup, used with a compatible computer or Android phone. Choose the edition for your assets.

Consider another model if

Choose Nova for an iPhone: the original BitBox02 cannot connect to an iPhone or iPad. Choose a larger touchscreen model if you prefer reviewing payments that way; the original has a small screen and edge sensors.

Worth comparing

Phones and computers

Check compatibility with your phone or computer.

Check the app and connection for each device. Setup and transaction signing are confirmed separately.

Edition

Computer

BitBoxApp

USB

  • Windows 10 or later
  • macOS 12 or later
  • Ubuntu 22.04 or later

Not supported: Chromebook

Linux

  • Set up the wallet
  • Approve transactions
Connection requirements

Ethereum requires the Multi edition. A Bitcoin-only hardware edition cannot be converted to Multi.

More wallets for computers

iPhone

  • This hardware wallet cannot be set up with an iPhone.
  • This hardware wallet cannot approve transactions with an iPhone.
More wallets for iPhone

Android

BitBoxApp

USB

  • Android 9 or later
  • Set up the wallet
  • Approve transactions
Connection requirements

Ethereum requires the Multi edition. A Bitcoin-only hardware edition cannot be converted to Multi.

More wallets for Android

USB use and the edge controls

Connect the original BitBox02 to BitBoxApp by USB on a supported computer or Android device. USB supplies power.

  • Tap

    Choose a character or menu item.

    Briefly touch an edge, then lift your finger.

    Manufacturer illustration of a finger poised above the BitBox02 edge.
    Before contact
    Manufacturer source frame showing a finger touching the BitBox02 edge.
    Brief contact

  • Slide

    Read through an address.

    Keep contact while moving your finger along the edge.

    Manufacturer illustration showing the starting finger position beside the BitBox02 edge.
    Start position
    Later manufacturer source frame showing the finger farther along the BitBox02 edge.
    Later position

  • Hold both edges

    Confirm a critical action, such as signing.

    Touch both edges at the same time and keep holding to confirm.

    Manufacturer illustration showing finger and thumb apart, beside the opposite BitBox02 edges.
    Before contact
    Manufacturer source frame showing finger and thumb touching both opposite BitBox02 edges.
    Both edges touched

Gesture illustrations: Shift Crypto AG / BitBox. Source stills and extracted animation frames; simplified device illustrations. Original BitBox02 features · CC BY 4.0. Images were resized and converted to static formats. Read each pair from left to right.

Manufacturer photograph of an original BitBox02 held at its edges, connected to a USB cable. Its screen identifies the Bitcoin-only edition.
BitBox's photograph shows the original USB device held at its edges. The Bitcoin-only startup screen is not a payment.

Use a supported 64-bit desktop system. Windows on ARM is not officially supported; ChromeOS is unsupported. Check the exact Linux distribution and version, including Debian, Fedora and openSUSE, in the requirements.

Android needs USB OTG: the phone’s ability to communicate with a USB device. An app that opens does not establish that connection.

Official guidance

Choose the edition and the app for your assets

Choose Bitcoin-only for Bitcoin alone, or Multi for other supported assets. Both editions are fixed; firmware updates cannot convert either.

Compare what each edition supports
Edition
  • Bitcoin
  • Other supported assets, including Ethereum

Multi → Bitcoin-only. Requires another device; restoring its backup on Bitcoin-only does not add other assets.

Price at BitBox

Choose this edition at the store.

  • Bitcoin
  • No other cryptocurrencies, including Ethereum

Bitcoin-only → Multi. Requires another device.

Price at BitBox

Choose this edition at the store.

Check the exact asset, network and app. Bitcoin and Ethereum use BitBoxApp; Cardano uses AdaLite or NuFi.

Both price actions open the same store page. Select the intended edition there before ordering.

Multi also supports FIDO U2F website sign-in alongside your website password, separately from cryptocurrency approval.

Set up the device and complete its microSD backup

For a new wallet, prepare the official BitBoxApp, your BitBox02, the included microSD and a supported USB host.

Manufacturer image of an original BitBox02 with a microSD card beside its short-end slot, printed face toward the screen side.
BitBox's original-model image shows the printed card face aligned with the screen face. Shift Crypto AG / BitBox; CC BY 4.0, optimized.
  1. Insert the card with its printed side facing the same way as the screen, until it clicks. Connect by USB and confirm screen orientation.
  2. If offered, install the bundled firmware; keep the device connected until it finishes.
  3. Compare the app and device pairing codes. Confirm only a match; otherwise stop and follow the official setup procedure.
  4. Choose Create wallet, name it and confirm on the device. Enter and confirm your device password on the BitBox02.
  5. Complete the backup prompts and confirm the date on the device. Wait until the app confirms setup and backup are complete, then remove the card. Store it privately, separate from the device; normal use does not need it.

Already have the intended wallet on this device? Pair it with the new compatible host and compare codes; do not create another wallet.

For a new wallet (BIP39)
Word count: 24
For a new wallet (BIP39)Advanced setup
Word count: 12

Official guidance

Verify the receiving address on the device

For Bitcoin on a computer, use BitBoxApp with your BitBox02 after completing setup and backup. Check the receiving coin and network.

  1. Connect and unlock the BitBox02 in BitBoxApp. Open the intended Bitcoin account’s receive screen and select Verify address on BitBox.
  2. Slide along the BitBox02’s edge to read the full address and compare it with the app.
  3. Keep verification open. Copy or scan, then compare the complete pasted or scanned address in the withdrawal form or message with the still-visible BitBox02.
  4. After comparing, tap an edge sensor to select the displayed check mark and close verification. Check any message before sharing; the sender must compare their destination before paying.

The BitBox02 can be disconnected while Bitcoin arrives or awaits confirmation. Use the linked small-transfer checks for a new destination.

Official guidance

Review and approve a Bitcoin payment

Prepare Bitcoin payments in BitBoxApp; the connected BitBox02 signs them. Network confirmations come afterwards. Have enough Bitcoin for the amount and fee.

  1. Enter the recipient and amount in your Bitcoin account. Compare the address with trusted receiving details and review the fee in BitBoxApp.
  2. Read the full recipient address and amount on the BitBox02. Touch both edges at once and hold to approve only the intended payment.
  3. BitBoxApp broadcasts the signed payment and shows its status. After sending, you can disconnect the device.

The documented device checks here concern recipient and amount. A pending payment is not a prompt to send again; check its recorded status.

Official guidance

Check the card backup without resetting the wallet

Use Check backup with a working BitBox02, its device password and BitBoxApp on a computer. Keep the wallet configured; this check needs no reset.

  1. Insert the backup card into the BitBox02, connect it and unlock.
  2. Open Settings → Manage device → Manage backups → Check backup in BitBoxApp.
  3. Follow the BitBox02 prompts to confirm the backup name and ID. Wait for Backup valid on the BitBox02 and Successfully verified backup in the app.
  4. Remove the card and return it to secure storage.

If checking fails, create and check another compatible card backup while the device still works.

This checks a readable matching card; it does not demonstrate restoration, verify a separate written backup or recover an optional passphrase.

To check a written backup, display the words on the BitBox02 and compare each word with your written record, including spelling and order. Then complete the device’s word-by-word verification. Never photograph the words or enter them into BitBoxApp.

Official guidance

Recover after a missing device, password or backup

Lost or broken device, or forgotten device password? Restore an existing backup on a compatible device and set a new password; the old device and password are unnecessary.

Only the card is missing, and the device still unlocks? Create and check another backup while access remains.

Treat a missing card as potentially exposed. Another copy does not revoke it; use a wallet with new recovery words if someone may have accessed the backup.

Restore from a microSD backup

  1. Use a new or reset BitBox02 with BitBoxApp on a computer. Compare pairing codes; stop if they differ.
  2. Select Restore from microSD card. Insert the card with its printed side facing the screen side. Choose the intended backup by name, date and ID.
  3. Confirm the device’s restore prompts; set and confirm a new password there. After the app shows Backup Restored!, remove and protect the card.

For written words, follow the separate restoration procedure; enter the full ordered sequence only on the BitBox02.

If previously used, re-enable the optional passphrase after restoring, then enter its exact original value on the BitBox02.

An empty view calls for checking accounts, synchronization and the exact passphrase; a different passphrase opens another wallet. If neither a usable device nor any backup remains, the wallet cannot be recovered.

To restore a wallet (BIP39)
Word count: 12 or 24

Official guidance

Update BitBoxApp and the device firmware separately

App and device updates are separate. Update the official BitBoxApp first, then connect and unlock the BitBox02 for its offered firmware update.

  1. Open Settings → Manage device → Device information and select New upgrade available. Review the update information, then select Upgrade.
  2. Confirm on the BitBox02, then select Upgrade firmware now in the app. Keep it open and the device connected until installation finishes.
  3. After restart, unlock and check the installed version in Device information. If used, enter your optional passphrase on the device to open the intended wallet.

If installation fails or repeats, do not reset or restore the wallet to fix it. Do not disconnect while the app shows installation in progress. Follow the official failure procedure; give support versions and the failed stage, never wallet secrets.

Hardware details

DetailValue
DisplayDisplay typeOLED
Resolution128 × 64 px
Colour modeMonochrome
Size and weightDimensions54.5 × 25.4 × 9.6 mmDimensions as listed by the manufacturer · Includes the connector
Device weight12 g
Power and chargingOperating powerUSB power
Device connectionsUSB portUSB-C
Memory card slotmicroSD
Security and softwareSecurity chipATECC608B
ProcessorCore and clock speedCortex-M4F · 120 MHz
ControllersATSAMD51J20A
Key datesAvailable sinceSeptember 25, 2019

Wallet access and sign-in

Wallet access

Device password entry
On the hardware wallet
Passphrase entry
On the hardware wallet

Security key sign-in

U2F

Sources

This page is based on manufacturer documentation.

Documentation checked: · · · ·

How we compare

BitBox02Multiple cryptocurrencies

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