A Bitcoin address is a string of letters and numbers that uniquely identifies where Bitcoin should be sent. Think of it like your bank account number — except anyone can see it, send to it, and verify transactions to it publicly, without knowing who owns it.

Here's what a Bitcoin address looks like:

Example Bitcoin addresses

bc1qxy2kgdygjrsqtzq2n0yrf2493p83kkfjhx0wlh

1A1zP1eP5QGefi2DMPTfTL5SLmv7Divf Na

Modern addresses start with bc1 (called "bech32" format). Older addresses start with 1 or 3. All formats work fine for receiving Bitcoin.

How a Bitcoin address is generated

When you create a Bitcoin wallet, the app generates a private key — a massive random number. From that private key, it mathematically derives a public key. From the public key, it derives your Bitcoin address. This chain is one-way: you can go from private key to address, but not backwards. That's what makes it secure.

The address is what you share publicly. The private key never leaves your wallet — and if it does, whoever has it controls your Bitcoin.

For merchants: your address is what you put in OrangeTill

When you set up OrangeTill, you enter your wallet address in Settings. This is your Bitcoin receive address — the "account number" where customers' payments will arrive. OrangeTill encodes this address into a QR code for every transaction.

You can find your receive address in any wallet app by tapping "Receive." It will show you the address as text and as a QR code.

Hodl says
Your Bitcoin address is safe to share publicly — that's the whole point. What you never share is your private key or seed phrase. Address: public. Keys: private. Simple rule, very important.

Can I reuse the same address?

Technically yes — Bitcoin addresses can receive payments multiple times. For privacy reasons, many wallet apps generate a new address for each transaction (called HD wallets or hierarchical deterministic wallets). OrangeTill works with either approach: a static address or a new one each time.

For most small business merchants, using a single consistent address in OrangeTill is perfectly fine. Privacy considerations matter more for large holdings than for everyday merchant payments.

Questions

Is my Bitcoin address the same as my wallet? ▼
No. A wallet is the app or device that manages your private keys. An address is derived from those keys and represents where funds can be sent. One wallet can generate many addresses — most modern wallets create a new one for each transaction.
What happens if someone sends Bitcoin to a wrong address? ▼
The transaction is final and cannot be reversed. The Bitcoin goes to whoever controls that address. This is why OrangeTill uses QR codes — scanning is more accurate than typing a 34-character string by hand.
Do different cryptocurrencies have different address formats? ▼
Yes. Each blockchain has its own address format. Ethereum addresses start with 0x. Solana addresses are a different character set entirely. You can't send Bitcoin to an Ethereum address. OrangeTill generates coin-specific QR codes for each cryptocurrency so the right format is always used.

Your address, your Bitcoin.

OrangeTill generates a payment QR code from your wallet address for every transaction. Set up once, accept Bitcoin forever.

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