How to Install Wasabi Wallet
Here is how to install Wasabi Wallet 2.0, verify its release signature, and run its automatic CoinJoin rounds over Tor by default.
What is Wasabi Wallet?
Wasabi Wallet is an open-source, non-custodial, privacy-focused Bitcoin wallet for Desktop. It routes all traffic through Tor by default and uses a technique called CoinJoin to combine your transactions with others, making it nearly impossible for surveillance firms to track your money.
Why use it?
If you buy Bitcoin from an exchange (KYC), they know you own it. Before spending it on sensitive goods or services, you should run it through Wasabi CoinJoin to regain your privacy.
Setup Guide
1 Step 1: Download & Verify
Security is paramount. Only download from the official website.
Download
Go to wasabiwallet.io. Download the installer for Windows (`.msi`), macOS (`.dmg`), or Linux (`.deb`).
Verify (PGP)
It is highly recommended to verify the PGP signature of the installer using the zkSNACKs public key to ensure the file hasn't been tampered with.
2 Step 2: Generate Wallet & Passphrase
Launch Wasabi and click "Add Wallet" -> "Create a new wallet".
- Name your wallet: Give it a unique name.
- Recovery Words: Wasabi will show you 12 words. Write them down on paper.
- Passphrase (Crucial): You will be asked to enter a password/passphrase.
WARNING: In Wasabi, this password acts as a "13th seed word". If you forget this password, your funds are lost forever. The 12 words alone are NOT enough to recover the wallet.
3 Step 3: Receiving Bitcoin
Before you can mix, you need to fund the wallet.
- Click Receive.
- Labeling: Wasabi forces you to label who the address is for (e.g., "From Coinbase"). This helps you manage your "coin control" and privacy later.
- Copy the address and send Bitcoin to it.
4 Step 4: Automatic CoinJoin
Wasabi 2.0 runs rounds continuously instead of making you queue each one.
Once your funds arrive, Wasabi will automatically start looking for a CoinJoin round. You don't need to do anything manually.
1. Look for the "Play" button (Music Box) icon.
2. Wait until your privacy progress bar reaches 100%.
3. Once 100%, your coins are anonymized and ready to be spent privately.
After the mix: fees and spending hygiene
CoinJoin is neither free nor total. Wasabi charges a coordinator fee on rounds above a size threshold, plus the mining fee for every round your coins join, so a balance that mixes repeatedly pays repeatedly. Read the fee summary before setting a high anonymity target on a small amount.
What the mix hides is the link between one specific input and one specific output. What it cannot hide is what you do next. Spending a mixed output straight into an exchange deposit address held in your own name reattaches your identity to it, and merging two mixed outputs in one payment tells observers the same person held both.
Spend mixed coins in single, separate payments, keep them away from any address used with a KYC account, and label the wallet so you can still tell later which coins are which.
Additional Resources
Official documentation for deep diving:
Common Wasabi setup questions
Do I need Bitcoin Core? No for basic use. Wasabi ships with a built-in coordinator connection. Running your own Bitcoin Core plus an Electrum server (see our ElectrumX guide) is stronger if you want to hide transaction history from public Electrum peers.
Why verify the PGP signature? Wallet downloads are a common malware delivery path. The zkSNACKs signing key is published on the project site; only install after the .asc file validates against that key on a clean machine.
When does CoinJoin start? After your wallet shows confirmed UTXOs above the minimum round size, queue a mix from the CoinJoin tab. Rounds need other participants, so expect minutes to hours, not seconds.
Tor fails to connect: now what? Check system clock, firewall rules, and whether another VPN is hijacking routes. Wasabi expects Tor to be reachable before it broadcasts; do not disable Tor just to speed up a test transaction.
Where do mixed coins go? CoinJoin outputs land in the same wallet with fresh labels. Spend them from a clean machine profile and avoid merging them back into KYC-tagged UTXOs if you are trying to break a trail.
Hardware wallet later? Wasabi can watch-only pair with some hardware signers for receives, but CoinJoin rounds still need hot signing inside Wasabi today, so treat the mixing machine as a hot wallet and move long-term savings to cold storage after mixing.
Wasabi installed: verify before mixing
You have successfully installed Wasabi Wallet. By utilizing its CoinJoin features, you have taken a major step in reclaiming your financial privacy on the Bitcoin network. Remember: Always keep your 12 words and passphrase secure.
Back to Tutorials