How to swap Bitcoin to Monero privately, step by step
The most popular private swap there is. What to prepare, what to check and how to keep the trail as short as possible.
Bitcoin is public by design. Every transaction, amount and address sits on a ledger anyone can read. Monero hides sender, receiver and amount by default. Swapping from one to the other is how a lot of people move savings into a coin that does not broadcast their balance.
Before you start
- A Monero wallet you control. Feather, Cake Wallet and the official Monero GUI are common choices. Write down the seed phrase on paper.
- A fresh receiving address. Monero wallets can create subaddresses. Use a new one for each swap so the swap cannot be tied to anything else you receive.
- A Bitcoin wallet you control for the deposit, and a Bitcoin address of yours as the refund address.
The swap
- Open the BTC to XMR page and enter the amount of Bitcoin.
- Check the amount. It is what lands in your Monero wallet after fees, shown next to the market price.
- Paste your Monero subaddress and your Bitcoin refund address. SwapPrivate checks the format and network of both before anything is created.
- Send the exact Bitcoin amount to the deposit address you are given.
- Follow the swap on your private swap page. Bookmark it, or follow it in our Telegram bot.
Keeping the trail short
The Bitcoin you send is still visible on the Bitcoin chain. Anyone watching that address can see coins left it. What they cannot see is where the Monero went after the swap. A few habits help.
- Do not reuse the Monero address you used before.
- Avoid sending straight from an exchange account that knows your name, if you can send from your own wallet instead.
- Let the Monero sit for a while before moving it on. Spending it immediately in the same pattern you received it adds nothing but timing clues.
Fixed or floating
Bitcoin confirmations can take a while when the network is busy. A floating rate gives you the price at the moment your deposit confirms. A fixed rate locks what you see, for a small premium, if you send within the time window. If the market is moving fast, fixed gives peace of mind. Otherwise floating is usually a little better. We explain the difference in fixed vs floating rates.
Quick answers
How long does a BTC to XMR swap take?
Usually 20 to 60 minutes. Most of that is waiting for Bitcoin confirmations. The Monero side arrives quickly once it is sent.
Can I send from an exchange account?
You can, but the exchange then knows where your coins went. Sending from a wallet you control keeps that link out of an exchange database.
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