Windows Installation Guide#
This guide describes how to download, install and encrypt the Dash Core wallet for Windows. The guide is written for Windows 10, but the steps should be similar for other versions of Windows.
Downloading the Dash Core wallet#
Visit https://www.dash.org/downloads/ to download the latest Dash Core wallet. In most cases, the website will properly detect which version you need. Click Download Installer to download the installer directly.
The website properly detects the wallet appropriate for your system#
If detection does not work, you will need to manually choose your operating system. Once you know which version you need, download the Dash Core Installer to your computer from https://www.dash.org/downloads/ and save the file you downloaded to your Downloads folder.
Note
Dash Core 0.17 was the last release to provide downloads for 32-bit Windows installations. As of Windows 11, Microsoft only provides 64-bit Windows.
If you are unsure whether your version of Windows is 32-bit or 64-bit, you can check by following the instructions here.
Verifying Dash Core#
This step is optional, but recommended to verify the authenticity of the file you downloaded. This is done by checking its detached signature against the public key published by the Dash Core development team. To download the detached signature, click the Installer Signature button on the wallet download page and save it to the same folder as the downloaded binary.
All releases of Dash since 0.16.0 are signed using GPG with the following key:
Pasta (pasta) with the key
5252 7BED ABE8 7984, verifiable on Keybase (download)
Download the key file above. Install Gpg4win if it is not already available on your computer. Once it is installed, open the Kleopatra certificate manager and click File -> Import. Import the key file and verify the Key-ID matches the ID above.
Importing Pasta’s GPG public key#
Skip any requests to certify the certificate with your own key. Next,
click Decrypt/Verify… and select the detached signature file named
dashcore-21.1.0-win64-setup.exe.asc in the same folder as the
downloaded installer.
Selecting the signature file for verification#
If you see the first line of the message reads Verified
dashcore-21.1.0-win64-setup.exe with
dashcore-21.1.0-win64-setup.exe.asc then you have an authentic copy
of Dash Core for Windows.
Example of successful binary installer verification#
The following video demonstrates the steps to install Gpg4win and then verify the Dash Core installation file signature.
Running the Dash Core installer#
Double-click the file to start installing Dash Core.
The Dash Core installer in the Downloads folder#
At this point, you may see a warning from Windows SmartScreen that the app is unrecognized. You can safely skip past this warning by clicking More info, then Run anyway.
Bypassing Windows SmartScreen to run the app. This warning is known as a “false positive”.#
The installer will then guide you through the installation process.
The Dash Core installer welcome screen#
Click through the following screens. All settings can be left at their default values unless you have a specific reason to change something.
Select the installation location#
Select the Start menu folder#
Dash Core is being installed#
Installation is complete#
Running Dash Core for the first time#
Once installation is complete, Dash Core will start up immediately. If it does not, click Start > Dash Core > Dash Core to start the application. The first time the program is launched, you will be offered a choice of where you want to store your blockchain and wallet data. Choose a location with enough free space, as the blockchain can reach 45GB+ in size. It is recommended to use the default data folder if possible.
Choosing the Dash Core data folder#
Dash Core will then start up. This will take a little longer than usual the first time you run it, since Dash Core needs to generate cryptographic data to secure your wallet.
Starting Dash Core#
Synchronizing Dash Core to the Dash network#
Once Dash Core is successfully installed and started, you will see the wallet overview screen. You will notice that the wallet is “out of sync”, and the status bar at the bottom of the window will show the synchronization progress.
Dash Core begins synchronizing with the Dash network#
During this process, Dash Core will download a full copy of the Dash blockchain from other nodes to your device. Depending on your internet connection, this may take a long time. If you see the message “No block source available”, check your internet connection. When synchronization is complete, you will see a small green tick in the lower right corner.
Dash Core synchronization is complete#
You can now create a wallet to send and receive funds.
Creating your Dash Wallet#
New in version v20.1.0: HD wallets are now created by default.
If no wallet files are loaded, you will get this prompt in the Overview tab. To create a wallet, click the Create a new wallet button or click File -> Create Wallet. HD wallets are created by default. See the advanced topics section for information about HD wallets.
You will be prompted to create a new wallet with a custom wallet name. By default, your wallet will be encrypted. You may choose to uncheck the box and encrypt the wallet later. We have included instructions on how to encrypt your wallet in the following section.
If you do choose to encrypt now, you will be asked to enter and verify a password.
Enter a password#
Following that, you will get a standard warning.
Confirm you want to encrypt your wallet#
The following section will detail the steps you need to follow if you choose to encrypt your Dash wallet later.
Encrypting your Dash wallet#
To encrypt your wallet, click Settings > Encrypt Wallet.
Encrypting the Dash wallet with a password#
You will be asked to enter and verify a password.
Enter a password#
Confirm you want to encrypt your wallet#
When the encryption process is complete, you will see a warning that past backups of your wallet will no longer be usable, and be asked to shut down Dash Core. When you restart Dash Core, you will see a small green lock in the lower right corner.
Fully encrypted and synchronized Dash Core wallet#
You can now begin to use your wallet to safely send and receive funds.