Cryptopower Wallet Guide

Cryptopower is a minimalist, self-custody multi-coin wallet for Decred (DCR), Bitcoin (BTC) and Litecoin (LTC). It runs on Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS and Android and ships with an integrated DCRDEX client for trustless atomic-swap trading.

This documentation walks you through installing Cryptopower, creating and securing your first wallet, staking DCR, using StakeShuffle for enhanced privacy, and trading peer-to-peer through DCRDEX. Every step assumes you keep full control of your seed and private keys — there are no accounts, no KYC, and no custodians.

Who this is for

• New users setting up a wallet for the first time
• Long-time holders looking to stake DCR without a custodian
• Traders using DCRDEX for peer-to-peer atomic swaps
• Developers building on Decred or integrating Cryptopower

Cryptopower is distributed as a signed binary for every supported desktop platform. Always download from the official website or the GitHub releases page and verify the release signature before running the installer.

Windows

• Download the .exe installer from the Downloads page
• Double-click the installer and follow the prompts
• Launch Cryptopower from the Start menu

macOS

• Download the .dmg for Apple Silicon or Intel
• Drag the Cryptopower app into your Applications folder
• On first launch, allow the app in System Settings → Privacy & Security

Linux

• Download the .AppImage or the .deb package
• For AppImage: chmod +x Cryptopower-*.AppImage && ./Cryptopower-*.AppImage
• For Debian/Ubuntu: sudo apt install ./cryptopower_*.deb

The first time you open Cryptopower you are prompted to create a wallet or restore one from a seed phrase. Choose Create a new wallet, pick the asset you want to start with (DCR, BTC or LTC), then set a strong spending password.

Cryptopower will generate a 33-word (Decred) or 12/24-word (BTC/LTC) recovery seed. Write it down on paper, store it somewhere safe and never take a photo of it. Anyone with the seed has full control of your funds.

Seed backup checklist

• Write the words in order, exactly as shown
• Store the seed offline in at least two physical locations
• Never type or paste the seed into a website, email or chat
• Confirm the seed by re-entering it when Cryptopower asks

To receive funds, open the wallet, select Receive, and copy the address or scan the QR code. Cryptopower generates a fresh address every time to preserve your privacy — old addresses remain valid.

To send funds, open Send, paste the destination address, enter the amount and choose a fee tier. Review the transaction summary carefully — blockchain transactions are irreversible.

Fee tiers

• Low — cheapest, may take longer to confirm
• Medium — balanced, recommended for most transfers
• High — priority, best for time-sensitive sends
• Custom — set your own fee rate in sat/vB or DCR/kB

Staking on Decred lets you participate in on-chain governance and earn rewards. Cryptopower supports both solo staking and VSP (Voting Service Provider) staking directly from the wallet — you never hand custody of your DCR to a third party.

Purchasing tickets

• Open the Staking tab and pick a VSP from the list
• Enter the number of tickets you want to purchase
• Confirm with your spending password
• Tickets enter the mempool and are eligible to vote once mined

StakeShuffle is Decred's built-in CoinJoin implementation. It mixes your DCR with other participants to break the on-chain link between your inputs and outputs, giving you strong on-chain privacy without leaving self-custody.

Enable mixing

• Open Settings → Privacy → StakeShuffle
• Toggle Enable mixing and set an unmixed / mixed account
• Leave Cryptopower running to complete the mix
• Spend from the mixed account for private transactions

DCRDEX is a peer-to-peer exchange that uses on-chain atomic swaps — you trade directly from your wallet to another user's wallet with no custodian in the middle. Cryptopower ships a full DCRDEX client so you can trade DCR, BTC and LTC without leaving the app.

First trade

• Open the DEX tab and connect to a DEX server
• Post the required bond to unlock trading
• Pick a market (e.g. DCR/BTC) and place a limit or market order
• Wait for a match — the atomic swap settles on-chain automatically

• Use a long, unique spending password stored in a password manager
• Keep an offline paper backup of every wallet seed
• Verify release signatures before installing an update
• Enable your OS disk encryption (FileVault, BitLocker, LUKS)
• Never share your seed or private keys — Cryptopower support will never ask
• Consider a dedicated device for large balances

Wallet won't sync

Make sure your internet connection is stable and that Cryptopower is allowed through your firewall. You can switch between SPV mode and a full node in Settings → Network. SPV syncs faster and uses less disk space; a full node offers stronger validation.

Forgotten password

The spending password cannot be recovered. If you have your recovery seed you can restore the wallet on the same or another device — that reproduces every address and its balance. Without the seed the funds are unrecoverable.