This brief 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 Windows XP, Vista, 7 and 8. If you have any problems or would like to view a more detailed guide, please see the official documentation.
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 the blue Dash Core button to download the installer directly.
The website properly detects the wallet appropriate for your system
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
The installer will then guide you through the installation process. Click Next and accept the default values unless you have a specific reason to change something.
The Dash Core installer welcome screen
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 around 30GB+ 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. 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 blue tick in the lower right corner.
Dash Core synchronization is complete
You can now begin to use your wallet to send and receive funds.
Encrypting your Dash wallet
After your wallet has synchronized with the Dash network, it is strongly advised to encrypt the wallet with a password or passphrase to prevent unauthorized access. You should use a strong, new password that you have never used somewhere else. Take note of your password and store it somewhere safe or you will be locked out of your wallet and lose access to your funds.
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 and 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 blue 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.