How do I decode a Bitcoin address to hex?

Choose Decode Base58, switch the scheme from Base58 (raw bytes) to Base58Check, then paste the address. For 1A1zP1eP5QGefi2DMPTfTL5SLmv7DivfNa the tool shows version byte 00, the 20-byte payload 62e907b15cbf27d5425399ebf6f0fb50ebb88f18 and the checksum c29b7d93, which matches. Copy version + payload hex copies 0062e907b15cbf27d5425399ebf6f0fb50ebb88f18.

What is the difference between Base58 and Base58Check?

Plain Base58 is the bytes and nothing else. Base58Check adds one version byte in front and a 4-byte checksum at the end, the first 4 bytes of a double SHA-256 of version and payload, so a mistyped character is caught. Bitcoin addresses use Base58Check; Solana addresses and IPFS CIDv0 strings are plain Base58.

What happens if one character of an address is wrong?

The checksum no longer matches. 1A1zP1eP5QGefi2DMPTfTL5SLmv7DivfNb, with the last letter changed, carries the checksum c29b7d94 while c29b7d93 is expected, so the tool says it does not match and does not name the version byte.

Why does Base58 leave out 0, O, I and l?

They look alike in some fonts. The Bitcoin wiki quotes the comment in the original Bitcoin client that gives this reason. A pasted 0, O, I or l is reported as not a Base58 character.

Can it decode a Solana address?

Yes, as plain Base58: a Solana address decodes to 32 bytes, and the tool notes that 32 bytes is the size of a Solana address and of a SHA-256 hash. Plain Base58 has no checksum, so there is nothing to verify and the tool gives no verdict on the address.

Can it make a Bitcoin address from a public key?

No. An address is the Base58Check of the version byte and a 20-byte hash of the public key (SHA-256, then RIPEMD-160), and the tool does not compute that hash. Give it the 20-byte hash in hex with version 00 and it writes the address: f54a5851e9372b87810a8e60cdd2e7cfd80b6e31 gives 1PMycacnJaSqwwJqjawXBErnLsZ7RkXUAs.

Base58 Address Encoder

Encode hex or text to Base58 or Base58Check and decode it back. Base58Check shows the version byte, the payload and whether the 4-byte checksum matches. How it works

Hex String to Encode

Up to 1,024 bytes.

Base58 result

JxF12TrwUP45BMd

Plain Base58: the bytes and nothing else. No version byte, no checksum. Solana addresses and IPFS CIDv0 strings are plain Base58.

About the Base58 Address Encoder

Base58 writes bytes with 58 characters, 1-9, A-Z and a-z without 0, O, I and l, so the hex 626262 (the text bbb) encodes to a3gV. Base58Check, the form Bitcoin addresses use, puts a version byte in front and adds the first 4 bytes of SHA-256(SHA-256(version + payload)) as a checksum, so a mistyped character is caught. The tool encodes any bytes to either form and decodes them back; it does not create addresses from keys.

Plain Base58 of some bytes

Hex	Base58
61	2g
626262	a3gV
636363	aPEr
000001	112
00000000000000000000	1111111111
48656c6c6f20576f726c64	JxF12TrwUP45BMd

Each leading zero byte becomes one leading 1.

Bitcoin wiki examples decoded as Base58Check

String	Version byte	Payload bytes	Named by the tool as
1A1zP1eP5QGefi2DMPTfTL5SLmv7DivfNa	00	20	Bitcoin mainnet pay-to-public-key-hash (P2PKH) address
17VZNX1SN5NtKa8UQFxwQbFeFc3iqRYhem	00	20	Bitcoin mainnet pay-to-public-key-hash (P2PKH) address
3EktnHQD7RiAE6uzMj2ZifT9YgRrkSgzQX	05	20	Bitcoin mainnet pay-to-script-hash (P2SH) address
5Hwgr3u458GLafKBgxtssHSPqJnYoGrSzgQsPwLFhLNYskDPyyA	80	32	Bitcoin mainnet private key in WIF
L1aW4aubDFB7yfras2S1mN3bqg9nwySY8nkoLmJebSLD5BWv3ENZ	80	33	Bitcoin mainnet private key in WIF
mipcBbFg9gMiCh81Kj8tqqdgoZub1ZJRfn	6f	20	Bitcoin testnet P2PKH address
2MzQwSSnBHWHqSAqtTVQ6v47XtaisrJa1Vc	c4	20	Bitcoin testnet P2SH address
92Pg46rUhgTT7romnV7iGW6W1gbGdeezqdbJCzShkCsYNzyyNcc	ef	32	Bitcoin testnet private key in WIF
cNJFgo1driFnPcBdBX8BrJrpxchBWXwXCvNH5SoSkdcF6JXXwHMm	ef	33	Bitcoin testnet private key in WIF

The first string is the genesis block reward address; the others are the examples in the Bitcoin wiki's list of address prefixes. Every checksum matches. A version byte outside this list is shown without a name.

Building an address step by step (Bitcoin wiki example)

Step	Value
Payload: the 20-byte hash of the public key	f54a5851e9372b87810a8e60cdd2e7cfd80b6e31
Version byte (mainnet)	00
Checksum: first 4 bytes of SHA-256(SHA-256(version + payload))	c7f18fe8
Base58Check result	1PMycacnJaSqwwJqjawXBErnLsZ7RkXUAs

Frequently asked questions

How do I decode a Bitcoin address to hex?: Choose Decode Base58, switch the scheme from Base58 (raw bytes) to Base58Check, then paste the address. For 1A1zP1eP5QGefi2DMPTfTL5SLmv7DivfNa the tool shows version byte 00, the 20-byte payload 62e907b15cbf27d5425399ebf6f0fb50ebb88f18 and the checksum c29b7d93, which matches. Copy version + payload hex copies 0062e907b15cbf27d5425399ebf6f0fb50ebb88f18.
What is the difference between Base58 and Base58Check?: Plain Base58 is the bytes and nothing else. Base58Check adds one version byte in front and a 4-byte checksum at the end, the first 4 bytes of a double SHA-256 of version and payload, so a mistyped character is caught. Bitcoin addresses use Base58Check; Solana addresses and IPFS CIDv0 strings are plain Base58.
What happens if one character of an address is wrong?: The checksum no longer matches. 1A1zP1eP5QGefi2DMPTfTL5SLmv7DivfNb, with the last letter changed, carries the checksum c29b7d94 while c29b7d93 is expected, so the tool says it does not match and does not name the version byte.
Why does Base58 leave out 0, O, I and l?: They look alike in some fonts. The Bitcoin wiki quotes the comment in the original Bitcoin client that gives this reason. A pasted 0, O, I or l is reported as not a Base58 character.
Can it decode a Solana address?: Yes, as plain Base58: a Solana address decodes to 32 bytes, and the tool notes that 32 bytes is the size of a Solana address and of a SHA-256 hash. Plain Base58 has no checksum, so there is nothing to verify and the tool gives no verdict on the address.
Can it make a Bitcoin address from a public key?: No. An address is the Base58Check of the version byte and a 20-byte hash of the public key (SHA-256, then RIPEMD-160), and the tool does not compute that hash. Give it the 20-byte hash in hex with version 00 and it writes the address: f54a5851e9372b87810a8e60cdd2e7cfd80b6e31 gives 1PMycacnJaSqwwJqjawXBErnLsZ7RkXUAs.

Looking inside an address or a CID

Decode a Bitcoin address as Base58Check to see its version byte (00 for a mainnet P2PKH address, 05 for P2SH) and the 20-byte hash behind it. After an address was copied by hand, decode it again: a single wrong character makes the checksum fail. A Solana address or an IPFS CIDv0 string decodes as plain Base58 to its raw bytes, 32 for a Solana address. Encoding goes the other way, which is handy for test vectors. The tool encodes and decodes the bytes you give it; it does not derive an address from a public key.

How Base58 and Base58Check work

Base58 treats the bytes as one large number and writes it in base 58 with the alphabet 123456789ABCDEFGHJKLMNPQRSTUVWXYZabcdefghijkmnopqrstuvwxyz (no 0, O, I or l). Each leading zero byte becomes one leading 1, so 000001 is 112. Base58Check is Base58(version + payload + checksum), where the checksum is the first 4 bytes of SHA-256(SHA-256(version + payload)).

Example (Bitcoin wiki): version 00 and the 20-byte hash f54a5851e9372b87810a8e60cdd2e7cfd80b6e31 give the checksum c7f18fe8 and the address 1PMycacnJaSqwwJqjawXBErnLsZ7RkXUAs. Plain Base58 of 48656c6c6f20576f726c64 (Hello World) is JxF12TrwUP45BMd. Limits: 1,024 bytes to encode, 1,500 characters to decode.

Fun Fact: The Bitcoin wiki quotes the comment in the original Bitcoin client that explains the alphabet: it leaves out 0, O, I and l because they look the same in some fonts.

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