What happens if I send Bitcoin to the wrong address?
Quick Answer
Bitcoin transactions are irreversible. Coins sent to a valid address you don't control are gone unless the owner returns them; coins sent to an invalid address are rejected by your wallet before sending.
TL;DR
There is no undo button. Verify the first and last characters of every address, and send a small test amount first for large transfers.
Key Takeaways
- 1Confirmed transactions cannot be reversed by anyone — no bank, no support desk
- 2Wallets reject malformed addresses, so typos rarely send coins into the void
- 3Clipboard-hijacking malware that swaps addresses is a real, common attack
- 4For large amounts: send a small test transaction first
Full Explanation
Irreversibility is a feature of Bitcoin, and its sharpest edge. Once a transaction confirms, no company or government can claw it back. What actually happens depends on the mistake.
If you typo an address, the checksum almost always makes it invalid, and your wallet refuses to send — nothing is lost. If you send to a *valid* address that isn't yours, the coins now belong to whoever holds that key. If it's an exchange's address (say, you used a deposit address from the wrong account), support can sometimes recover it; if it's a stranger's or an unused address, recovery is realistically impossible.
The most dangerous failure isn't typos — it's clipboard malware that silently replaces a copied address with an attacker's. The defense is mechanical: always compare the first and last 4–6 characters after pasting, and for any meaningful amount, send a small test first. Thirty seconds of checking protects against a permanent loss.