Sia Wallet

Guide · ~5 minutes

How to set up Sia Wallet.

First-time setup for Sia Wallet v2.12.0 on Windows, macOS, or Linux. Download the binary, verify it, run the four-step first-run wizard, and you're ready to receive Siacoin.

Download Sia Wallet

Before you start

  • A computer running Windows 10 or later, macOS 11 Big Sur or later, or a recent Linux distribution

  • Approximately 2 GB of free disk space (lite mode). 256 GB if you plan to run full-node mode later

  • A pen and a sheet of paper — for your seed backup. Do not use your phone, a password manager, or a text file for the seed

  • About five uninterrupted minutes. The seed confirmation step is not safe to walk away from mid-flow

Setup steps

  1. 1

    Download the installer for your operating system

    Go to siawallet.tech/download. Click the button matching your platform. The file is named siawallet-2.12.0.exe (Windows), siawallet-2.12.0.dmg (macOS), or siawallet-2.12.0.zip (Linux). Installer size is approximately MB. Save it to a folder you can find — Downloads is fine.

    Screenshot: Download page with three OS buttons highlighted.

  2. 2

    Run the installer

    Windows: double-click the.exe. Follow the installer prompts — no options are needed beyond choosing the install location if you want to change it. macOS: double-click the.dmg, then drag the Sia Wallet icon to the Applications folder. Launch from Applications. Linux: unzip the.zip file, then double-click siawallet.AppImage (or make it executable and run from terminal: chmod +x siawallet.AppImage &&./siawallet.AppImage).

  3. 4

    First-run wizard — pick language and wallet type

    On first launch, Sia Wallet shows the welcome screen. Pick your language (English, plus community translations for Chinese, French, Spanish, German, and others). Click Next. The wizard asks what you want to do: Create a new wallet, Restore from 12-word seed, Migrate legacy 28-word Sia-UI seed, or Add Ledger hardware wallet. For a first-time setup with no existing coins, pick Create a new wallet.

  4. 5

    Back up your 12-word seed

    Sia Wallet generates a new 12-word BIP39 seed and displays it one word at a time, large and numbered. Write each word down on paper, in order, legibly. The wallet does not save the seed to disk or clipboard — once you click Next, it is shown one more time for confirmation and then never again. Do not photograph the seed. Do not type it into another application. Do not send it to yourself.

    Screenshot: seed display screen with 12 numbered word slots.

  5. 6

    Confirm the seed

    Sia Wallet asks you to type three randomly-chosen words from your seed back into the wizard — for example word #3, word #7, and word #11. This confirms you wrote them down correctly. If you get one wrong, the wizard re-shows the seed and you try again. The wizard does not let you proceed without a correct confirmation.

  6. 7

    Set a password

    Pick a password that will encrypt your wallet file on disk. Use at least 12 characters, mixing letters, numbers, and symbols. This password protects your wallet file if someone gets physical access to your computer — it does not replace your seed, and it is not recoverable. If you forget the password, you can reinstall Sia Wallet and restore from your seed with a new password.

  7. 8

    Your wallet is live

    The wizard completes. Sia Wallet opens to the main dashboard: your balance (0 SC), your receive address, and a live sync indicator in the footer that reaches 'Synced' within a few seconds on lite mode. Copy your receive address and have someone send you a small amount of Siacoin to confirm the wallet works end-to-end before funding it meaningfully.

After setup — what to do next

Back up your seed a second time, in a second physical location. Many holders use a steel plate for the primary backup (fire- and water-resistant) and a second paper copy in a separate building. Do not store both copies in the same place.

Decide your security posture. For holdings you can afford to lose, a software wallet is fine. For holdings you can't, add a Ledger — the Hardware guide covers pairing. For treasury-scale holdings, consider multi-signature, documented on the Advanced Security page.

Setup questions

What if I lose the paper with my seed on it?

If you still have wallet access (you know your password and the wallet file is intact), open Sia Wallet, go to Settings → Security → Show Recovery Seed, and re-record it immediately. Then create a second backup. If you no longer have wallet access and your paper is lost, the seed is unrecoverable — self-custody is one-way.

Can I use the same seed on more than one computer?

Yes — a 12-word seed deterministically generates the same wallet everywhere it's imported. You can have Sia Wallet installed on your desktop and your laptop both restored from the same seed. Transactions from either location write to the same blockchain. Restrict to machines you control.

Do I need to run full-node mode?

No. Lite mode works for virtually every use case — sending, receiving, checking balance, signing transactions with a Ledger. Full-node mode adds independent validation of every block, which matters for hosts, miners, and users who want maximum consensus independence. For holders, lite mode is enough.

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