Phantom supports two Bitcoin address types: Native SegWit (addresses starting with bc1q) and Taproot (addresses starting with bc1p). Each type has different compatibility and features. New wallets use Native SegWit by default.

Native SegWit (bc1q...) #

Phantom uses a Native SegWit address by default. This address is commonly used for buying Bitcoin in Phantom and receiving BTC from other wallets or exchanges.

Many apps and services also use your Native SegWit address as your default Bitcoin payment address.

Taproot (bc1p...) #

Taproot is a newer Bitcoin address format. Some apps and services require a Taproot address, so you may be asked to enable it.

Phantom no longer supports Ordinals, rare sats, or BRC-20 tokens, even though they are often associated with Taproot addresses. See Ordinals, rare sats, and BRC-20 tokens.

Set your default Bitcoin address #

Choose which Bitcoin address type Phantom uses by default:

1. Select your profile avatar in the upper left.
2. Go to Settings > Preferences > Preferred Bitcoin Address.
3. Select Native SegWit, Taproot, or both.

Some apps require both address types. Turning on both can improve compatibility.

Restoring a Bitcoin wallet #

If you import a wallet using a recovery phrase from another Bitcoin wallet, Phantom detects which Bitcoin addresses have been used before.

Depending on your wallet history, Phantom may show a Native SegWit address, a Taproot address, or both. This helps you access your Bitcoin without extra setup.

Swapping Bitcoin #

Bitcoin is fundamentally different from Solana, Ethereum, and other EVM networks, and that affects how Bitcoin swaps work in Phantom.

Why some Bitcoin swap routes are grayed out #

Not all Bitcoin swap routes are available for every address type. If you try to swap from BTC to a network like Polygon and the option is grayed out or you see "No quotes available," it's because none of the supported bridge providers currently support that specific combination of BTC address type and destination route.

To work around this, switch to the other Bitcoin address type if you have a balance there, or swap BTC to SOL or ETH first and then swap to the token you need.

Bitcoin swap timing quirks #

• Confirmations matter. Bitcoin needs multiple block confirmations before the bridge releases destination tokens. Each block is roughly 10 minutes. A swap can sit at "Pending" for a while and still be on track.
• The on-screen timer is bridge time, not Bitcoin time. Don't rely on a short countdown for Bitcoin swaps: it reflects bridge processing, not the Bitcoin block timer.
• Mempool congestion. During heavy Bitcoin network activity, your transaction may take longer to confirm. Check mempool.space to see current congestion.

After a Bitcoin swap completes #

• Check both Native SegWit and Taproot balances. The bridge may deliver to one address type even if you expected the other.
• Charts and balance displays may take a moment to update. If your balance doesn't appear shortly after the swap completing, restart the app.

See also #

Ordinals, rare sats, and BRC-20 tokens