Here are the steps to bridge assets from the Bitcoin network to the Avalanche® network in Core web. These steps can be applied to bridge to and from the Ethereum Mainnet, Avalanche C-Chain, and Bitcoin Network. The interface is available in the Command Center of Core web and can also be found here.
Due to the update in the Ledger policies, users will need to set up a wallet policy within the Ledger. To learn more about this, please visit the following page.
Bridging BTC to Avalanche
1. Select “Bridge” from the Command Center.
2. Next, choose the networks to bridge to/from. Then choose the token to bridge, and click "Bridge Tokens".
3. Transaction details will be displayed to track the progress of the bridge transaction.
Note: When Bitcoin is bridged to the Avalanche network, it will show as BTC.b on the Avalanche network.
Important Information
To ensure the safety of users and the protection of their funds, the Avalanche Bridge should only be accessed and used through the UI, located here. Any other use of the Avalanche Bridge could result in the permanent loss of funds. The non-exhaustive list below enumerates possible ways to permanently lose funds by attempting to use the Avalanche Bridge through sources that are not recommended. Funds lost in the examples listed below will be permanently lost, and are not recoverable by Ava Labs, the Bridge Nodes, or the bridge.
USERS MUST NOT SEND FUNDS DIRECTLY TO ANY OF THE AVALANCHE BRIDGE CONTRACT ADDRESSES. The Avalanche Bridge should only be accessed through the Avalanche Bridge’s UI, located here. Any funds sent directly to the Avalanche Bridge’s contract addresses will be permanently lost, and are not recoverable.
USERS MUST NOT SEND FUNDS DIRECTLY TO ANY OF THE AVALANCHE BRIDGE WALLET ADDRESSES. The Avalanche Bridge should only be accessed through the Avalanche Bridge’s UI, located here. Any funds sent directly to the Avalanche Bridge’s wallet addresses will be permanently lost and not recoverable.
DO NOT ATTEMPT TO USE ANY SMART-CONTRACT WALLET WITH THE AVALANCHE BRIDGE. The Avalanche Bridge is currently not compatible with smart contract wallets because smart contracts are currently not supported by the Avalanche Bridge. Using the Avalanche Bridge with a smart contract wallet or smart contract will result in the permanent loss of funds. Users should not use smart contracts with the Avalanche Bridge at this time because no one can retrieve tokens lost when smart contract wallets try to use the Avalanche Bridge. This is not a statement against smart contract wallets or the below list of smart contract wallet projects, which is not an exhaustive list. This is to make users aware of the current technical architecture. WE CAN NOT RETRIEVE YOUR TOKENS.
Note:
Bitcoin that is bridged will now appear with a ".b" designation representing the bridged asset.
At this time, the Core Wallet supports "Native Segwit" addresses for BTC withdrawals and these start with - bc1q.
The Core interface will need time to update your newly bridged asset.
For a more in-depth read on how the Avalanche Bridge works, please read the following articles.
For any additional questions, please view our other knowledge base articles or contact a support team member via the chat button.