Wallet Setup

This guide will walk you through installing and setting up the TALER wallet on your system.

Installation

Windows Installation

1. Extract the archive:

   • Right-click the downloaded taler-*-win64.zip file
   • Select “Extract All…”
   • Choose a destination folder (e.g., C:\Program Files\TALER)

2. Locate the executable:

   • Navigate to the extracted folder
   • Find taler-qt.exe (the GUI wallet application)

3. Optional - Create a desktop shortcut:

   • Right-click taler-qt.exe
   • Select “Send to” → “Desktop (create shortcut)”

macOS Installation

1. Extract the archive:

   tar -xzvf taler-*-macos-arm64.tar.gz
   

2. Move to Applications (optional):

   sudo mv taler-*/bin/* /usr/local/bin/
   

3. Grant execution permissions:

   chmod +x /usr/local/bin/taler-qt
   

Linux Installation

1. Extract the archive:

   tar -xzvf taler-*-linux-x64.tar.gz
   cd taler-*
   

2. Install to system (optional):

   sudo install -m 0755 -o root -g root -t /usr/local/bin bin/*
   

3. Or run from extracted directory:

   ./bin/taler-qt
   

Launching the TALER Wallet

Starting via Command Line

The TALER GUI wallet can be started from the command line with various options.

Basic Launch

Windows:

taler-qt.exe

macOS / Linux:

taler-qt

Launch with Custom Data Directory

Specify a custom location for blockchain data:

taler-qt -datadir=/path/to/custom/directory

Launch on Testnet

For testing purposes, launch the wallet on the test network:

taler-qt -testnet

Common Command-Line Options

Starting via Desktop (GUI)

Windows

• Double-click the taler-qt.exe file or use the desktop shortcut

macOS

• Navigate to the extracted directory
• Double-click taler-qt (if installed to /usr/local/bin, run from terminal: taler-qt)
• Or run from extracted directory: ./bin/taler-qt

Linux

• Use your application launcher to find “TALER”
• Or run from terminal: taler-qt
• Or from extracted directory: ./bin/taler-qt

First-Time Setup

Initial Blockchain Synchronization

When you first launch TALER wallet, it will begin synchronizing with the blockchain:

1. Splash Screen: The application will display the TALER logo while loading
2. Synchronization Notice: A modal overlay will appear showing sync progress
3. Progress Bar: Shows percentage of blockchain downloaded
4. Time Estimate: Displays estimated time remaining

Note: Initial synchronization can take several hours depending on your internet connection speed. The wallet must download the entire blockchain history.

Understanding the Synchronization Process

• Block Height: Current block vs. latest network block
• Download Speed: Network throughput in KB/s or MB/s
• Headers First: Downloads block headers before full blocks for faster initial sync
• Background Sync: You can minimize the wallet while syncing continues

Tip: For faster synchronization, ensure your system allows TALER through the firewall and has sufficient peer connections (check status bar).

Wallet Interface Overview

Once synchronized, the TALER wallet interface consists of several main sections:

Top Navigation Tabs

1. Overview: Dashboard showing balances and recent transactions
2. Send: Interface for sending TALER coins
3. Receive: Generate addresses to receive coins
4. Transactions: Complete transaction history
5. Mining: Enable/configure PoW mining
6. Staking: Configure PoS staking (available after sync)

Status Bar (Bottom)

• Connection Status: Number of active peer connections
• Block Count: Current synchronized block height
• Network Status: Network hash rate and difficulty
• Wallet Status: Lock/unlock status (encrypted wallets)

Main Toolbar

• File: Backup wallet, export keys, exit
• Settings: Configure wallet preferences, network settings
• Tools: Debug console, sign/verify messages, peer info
• Help: About dialog, command-line options

Creating Your First Wallet

The TALER application creates a wallet automatically on first launch. The wallet file is stored in your data directory:

Default Wallet Locations

• Windows: %APPDATA%\TALER\wallet.dat
• macOS: ~/Taler/wallet.dat
• Linux: ~/.taler/wallet.dat