Bitcore is one of the first known cryptocurrencies to use the hybrid fork method to distribute BTX to Bitcoin holders.

Instead of forking Bitcoin at a specific block and copying the blockchain, Bitcore created a new coin with an empty blockchain. On the 2nd of November 2017 a snapshot of the Bitcoin blockchain was created and in the following days approx. 5 000 000 transactions were created to fill all addresses (public keys) on the Bitcore blockchain, that had funds of 0.01 BTC or above on the Bitcoin chain. The funding ratio is 0.5 BTX : 1.0 BTC.

You can read more about this world record in transactions here: Making Blockchain History

So, if you are a BTC holder and had Bitcoin at the time of the snapshot, there are two ways to claim your free Bitcore (BTX):

by exporting your Bitcoin private keys and reimporting them in a Bitcore wallet.

by simply copy/pasting your wallet.dat (only works if you were running Bitcoin Core!)

Exporting from BTC wallet

Depending on the Bitcoin Wallet you use, there are several ways to get your private key. Usually they are hidden for the normal user, because there is no reason to directly access them. However you will find ways to extract them via advanced options.

We recommend to make a quick google search for the wallet you are using.

Please note: Many BTC webwallets and exchanges don’t give access of the private key to the user. Unless these services support our snapshot by distributing BTX to their users, it won’t be possible to access your private key to claim your BTX.

This is one of the reasons we always advocate to use a wallet that gives you full control of your keys, such as for example Electrum.

There are actually two ways to get your BTX from the snapshot:

Method A) Importing to Bitcore wallet

Right now importing a private key for Bitcore is only possible with the Bitcore Core wallet (download here).

Start Bitcore QT. As soon as your wallet has been synced go to Help->Debug Window Select Console If your wallet is encrypted it must be unlocked first. Enter “walletpassphrase [yourpassphrase] 600” (without the “” and without [ ]) Now you are ready to import your private key. Enter “importprivkey [yourbitcoinprivkey]” (without the “” and without [ ]). Make sure there are no spaces in your private key.

Done! Your wallet should now contain 1/2 the amount of Bitcore you had in Bitcoin!

Method B) Copy Wallet.dat

The simplest way to get access to all your private keys from your Bitcoin Core client is to simply copy your wallet.dat file into your Bitcore Core folder. This way the client will automatically show all your corresponding BTX balances after syncing with the network!

Important: Be sure to backup your wallet.dat before doing this!

Time to enjoy your free BTX. Learn more about our cryptocurrency in the FAQ section.