Moving Bitcoin from wallet.dat to a Hardware Wallet

Hey everyone I’ve been stuck trying to get my bitcoin off this wallet.dat file from my old USB and onto my new Trezor. Here’s the deal: I bought bitcoin ages ago, kept it on a MacBook in Bitcoin Core, then saved the wallet.dat before the laptop died. Can’t seem to move it to my hardware wallet though... help?

Did you remember to open up your wallet with the password first? You have to do that before using dumpprivkey.

Thanks for that tip. What do you mean by safe computer though? I use my Mac all the time and I think it’s secure. Also, is it possible to do this offline? Seems like it might be safer.

How would that work? Even if you prune the blockchain, you still need to download a portion of it. Right? It’s still a big file. You’ll need to be online to sync and then go offline to access your stuff.

Yeah, I think you’re right. Even with pruned mode, you’re still downloading some blockchain data just less of it. I found this link to help: https://en.bitcoin.it/wiki/Transferring_coins_from_Bitcoin-Qt_to_Electrum.

You don’t need to sync to just get the private keys. But to complete transactions, you do need that sync. Using a light wallet like Electrum is faster for importing keys and sending to Trezor.

Exactly! Just export your private keys into Electrum and you’re golden. You can do it offline without any hassle. Just don’t forget your seed phrase or address.

You can’t directly import private keys into Trezor from wallet.dat. You need to extract them first, import into something like Electrum, and then send your bitcoins to Trezor. Kinda a roundabout way.

Sure, syncing Bitcoin Core is possible. Just keep in mind you need a lot of space over 300GB and it takes forever depending on your setup. If you wanna do it that way, go ahead.

Yeah, I wouldn’t suggest extracting private keys if you’re not confident. Syncing your Bitcoin Core properly is key to making sure everything transfers correctly. You can also prune it to save space.

Can’t we just hire someone to do this for us? Like a legit service that recovers bitcoin from files without downloading the entire blockchain? I’m in the same boat as the original poster.

Oh sure, I’d totally do it for you. Just send me your wallet and I’ll transfer the funds. Risks include trusting me and the software you use though. Not exactly recommended!

There’s definitely services out there. Just be cautious of scams! And who even uses ZIP drives anymore? You don’t need to sync all that data just to get your private keys.

As pointed out, we don’t even know what you saved. Look at browser history, or search your email for keywords like bitcoin or wallet. You might find some clues.

For sure, thanks for the help! I’m a total newbie here and really appreciate all the advice.