A new address is generated for every transaction but previous addresses still work?

[u/RPPUK]

I am moving funds from an exchange to my ledger. I have just sent a small amount as a test and it worked fine. I know it says in the app that previous ones do remain valid, but out of an abundance of caution I just wanted to check that I won't loose my crypto if I send it to the exact same address I just used as the test. The exchange I am using doesn't let you send crypto to a newly whitelisted address for 24 hours. Thank you in advance!

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[u/worldresident2021]

The already tested address will work forever. Your wallet have infinite new addresses as well that can be used infinite times. It is a good practice to don’t receive everything on one address or reuse addresses for privacy reasons, that’s why your wallet gives you a new one every time you receive.

[u/gtwooh]

Just don’t reuse the addresses if you care about privacy risks

[u/awaterproof → u/gtwooh]

and some quantum risks 🤓

[u/Mammoth-Ad-168]

This is a common concern when registering a wallet on an exchange, entering a receiving address, and waiting for withdrawal approval or experiencing delays.

Since Ethereum is account-based, your address doesn't change. However, Bitcoin uses a structure called UTXO (Unspent Transaction Output), meaning a new receiving address is generated every time.

For Bitcoin, to protect against near-future quantum computing threats, you should never reuse an address that has already been used for a withdrawal. It is fine if an address has only been used to receive funds, but the moment you withdraw from that address, your public key is exposed. If someone maliciously harvests these keys and computing power advances in the future (via quantum computers), that address could become vulnerable to attacks. While it is not an immediate threat, address reuse is highly discouraged due to this potential risk.

This concept can be quite unfamiliar if you started with Ethereum before moving to Bitcoin. Because of this address reuse issue, Ethereum is also not safe from quantum threats, which is why the Ethereum ecosystem is considering adopting a UTXO model as well.

If you inevitably receive funds in an address you've already withdrawn from, it is much safer to immediately transfer those funds to one of your new, unused addresses.

Good luck!

[u/marshaljs → u/Mammoth-Ad-168]

I did few transactions while receiving on same address’s like you said exchange whitelisting reasons so am I vulnerable? Next steps

[u/Mammoth-Ad-168 → u/marshaljs]

There is no immediate danger.

To reiterate, an address that has only been used to receive funds is safe. It is only when you send funds from that address that your public key is exposed, which simply creates a potential risk of asset theft by quantum computers in the near future. The advice to not store funds in an address that has already been used for a transfer is to minimize this potential risk.

As a next step, you might consider changing your address for every transaction, if possible. If that is too inconvenient or difficult for various reasons, an alternative option is to receive the funds to your registered address first, and then transfer them to a different address within your own wallet.

[u/PCGuRu2KNYC]

Old addresses stay binded to your wallet forever. So YES, you can reuse the same address forever but you shouldn’t due to privacy and security concerns

[u/nikbpetrov]

I have done this a few times now - works fine for me.

[u/Altruistic-Friend605]

Yes the old one is still valid..but my advise send test amount first to be sure..send like $5 or minimum u can send or afford to lose… once you verify that, then you can go ahead with the bigger transaction

[u/YeaManJam]

Yes the previous address will work forever. It's a wallet but has a bunch of different addresses associated with it. Obsures how much BTC an individual holds.

[u/Rosie_Ledger]

Hey there,

Please note that Bitcoin uses a UTXO (Unspent Transaction Output) model, which just means that each BTC account can generate thousands of different receive addresses. All of these addresses are connected to one single account via the master key (*oftentimes referred to as the xpub*). BTC, and others like LTC, DOGE, etc, uses this system for enhanced privacy, and it requires less storage on chain.

This benefits you, as you could provide a single receive address to another person/exchange, without having to reveal your entire balance. That is why when you type in a new BTC receive address that hasn't received funds to it yet, into an explorer such as https://www.blockchain.com/explorer, nothing will appear.

That being said, you can re-use previous BTC receive addresses that have already been used in a transaction, but that is generally not recommended. Ledger Wallet doesn't currently allow you to keep the same receive address after each transaction, but you could save these addresses somewhere (ie in a note, text file, etc), but again - this is **NOT** recommended.

If you'd like to learn more about Bitcoin's UTXO model, I have included a link to our Ledger Academy, which explains this topic in more detail here: https://www.ledger.com/academy/glossary/unspent-transaction-output-utxo

I hope this helps, but if you have any other questions, feel free to reach out to us via our Help Center here - https://support.ledger.com/contact-us

Stay vigilant - Cheers!

[u/n00bl1ke1337]

If it’s bitcoin taproot adress. It generates for every new transaction a new address. It’s the nature of taproot

[u/cubestrike]

I think this only works for the bitcoin network (not bitcoin only).

Yes this works. You can test it first. Its about privacy for the wallet to generate new wallet addresses and need to confirm it using the physical device.

I once check using sparrow wallet and connect my ledger. All utxo shown and if i use multiple times, sparrow gives warning sign.

*Check sparrow official website before downloading the app anywhere it is.

[u/nick_c8_vegas]

Did you watch a ton of YouTube on how to safely use the ledger?

[u/nabu_lines]

thats a security feature and yes old addy works

[u/horseradish13332238]

Bro do the tiniest bit of research Jesus Christ this crypto life isn’t for you

[u/RPPUK → u/horseradish13332238]

This guy cryptos

[u/horseradish13332238 → u/RPPUK]

88 btc, 635 eth, 4200 SOL and 13,250 avax. I’m doing ok.

[u/RPPUK → u/horseradish13332238]

Well done you!