Bitcoin Address Validator — Check P2PKH, P2SH, Bech32 & Taproot Addresses
Validate any Bitcoin address in your browser by checking its format and cryptographic checksum. Supports all address types: P2PKH (1…), P2SH (3…), Bech32 (bc1q…), and Taproot (bc1p…). The address never leaves your device — validation runs entirely client-side using SHA-256 double-hashing.
How to use this tool
- Paste or type a Bitcoin address in the input field.
- The tool detects the address type and validates the checksum in your browser.
- See whether the address is valid, its type (P2PKH, P2SH, Bech32, Taproot), and network.
Supported address types:
- 1... - P2PKH (Mainnet)
- 3... - P2SH (Mainnet)
- bc1q... - Bech32 (Mainnet)
- bc1p... - Taproot (Mainnet)
- m/n... - P2PKH (Testnet)
- 2... - P2SH (Testnet)
- tb1... - Bech32 (Testnet)
About Bitcoin Address Validator
The Bitcoin Address Validator checks whether a Bitcoin address is well formed and passes its cryptographic checksum, and it reports the address type and network. Paste an address and the tool identifies it as P2PKH, P2SH, Bech32, or Taproot, shows whether it is a mainnet or testnet address, and confirms whether the checksum is valid. All of this happens in your browser without contacting any server.
Validation depends on the address format. Legacy Base58Check addresses, the kind that start with 1 (P2PKH) or 3 (P2SH) on mainnet and m, n, or 2 on testnet, are verified by decoding the Base58 string and confirming that the last four bytes match a SHA-256 double-hash of the payload. This is the same checksum scheme Bitcoin uses to reject mistyped addresses. SegWit Bech32 addresses, which begin with bc1q on mainnet or tb1 on testnet, and Taproot addresses, which begin with bc1p, are validated with the Bech32 polymod checksum over the human-readable prefix and data portion. The tool also reports the network it inferred from the prefix.
It is useful for catching transcription errors before sending funds, for identifying what kind of address you are dealing with, and for confirming that an address copied from an invoice, email, or QR scan is internally consistent. The supported-types reference on the page lists each prefix and what it means, which helps when you are unsure why an address looks unfamiliar.
There are limits to what a checksum can prove. A valid result means the address is correctly formed and free of typos, not that it is in use, funded, or controlled by the person you intend to pay. The tool does not query the blockchain, so it cannot show balances or history, and it cannot detect a valid address that simply belongs to the wrong recipient. A valid checksum also does not guarantee that the address belongs to the right network for your transaction or that the recipient still controls it. Bitcoin payments are irreversible and cannot be recalled, so always confirm the destination through a trusted channel before sending. The address you paste never leaves your device.
Frequently Asked Questions
- What address types does the validator support?
- It supports legacy P2PKH addresses (starting with 1), P2SH addresses (starting with 3), native SegWit Bech32 addresses (bc1q…), and Taproot addresses (bc1p…) on mainnet, plus their testnet equivalents starting with m, n, 2, or tb1. The tool reports both the type and whether the address is mainnet or testnet.
- How does it validate a legacy address?
- Legacy addresses use Base58Check encoding. The tool decodes the Base58 string and checks that its final four bytes equal the first four bytes of a SHA-256 double hash of the rest of the payload. If they match, the checksum is valid; if not, the address is rejected as malformed or mistyped.
- How are Bech32 and Taproot addresses checked?
- SegWit and Taproot addresses use Bech32 encoding with a polymod checksum computed over the human-readable prefix (bc or tb) and the data characters. The tool expands the prefix, maps each data character to its value, runs the polymod algorithm, and confirms the checksum constant, which detects typos in these address formats.
- Does a valid result mean the address is safe to send to?
- No. A valid result only means the address is correctly formatted and free of typos. It does not confirm that the address is funded, active, or controlled by your intended recipient, and it cannot detect a correctly formed address that simply belongs to the wrong person. Always verify the destination independently.
- Can it tell me the address balance or transaction history?
- No. The validator never connects to the Bitcoin network. It only inspects the address string and its checksum locally, so it cannot report balances, transaction history, or whether the address has ever been used. Use a block explorer for on-chain information.
- What is the difference between mainnet and testnet addresses?
- Mainnet addresses are used on the live Bitcoin network with real value, while testnet addresses are for a separate test network using coins that have no monetary value. They use different prefixes, and the tool reports which network an address belongs to so you do not accidentally mix them up.
- Is my address uploaded anywhere?
- No. Decoding, the SHA-256 double-hash checks, and the Bech32 checksum all run in your browser. The address you paste is never transmitted to a server, and the tool makes no network requests while validating.
Embed this tool on your site
Free. One line of HTML — the tool runs in your visitor's browser, no data sent to anyone.
<iframe src="https://brevio.pro/embed/bitcoin-address-validator" width="100%" height="600" loading="lazy" style="border:1px solid #e5e5e5;border-radius:8px" title="Bitcoin Address Validator — brevio"></iframe> <p style="font:12px/1.4 sans-serif"><a href="https://brevio.pro/tools/bitcoin-address-validator">Bitcoin Address Validator</a> by <a href="https://brevio.pro">brevio</a></p>