How to sync your wallet faster with the bootstrap.dat file

Wallets can take a while to download and sync the blockchain. This process can be sped up by using the bootstrap.dat file in the XTRABYTES data directory.

What is bootstrap.dat and what does it do?
To speed up the process of syncing with the blockchain, a file called bootstrap.dat can be used instead of having your wallet download the blockchain block by block. The bootstrap.dat file contains the latest blockchain information needed to have your wallet synced and up-to-date. By copying it to your XTRABYTES folder, the wallet will pick it up and import the content.

Follow these steps:

Remember: Always backup your wallet.dat and private key before making any changes.

1. Download the bootstrap.dat file (Blockchain updated in 19/04/2018)

Important: ONLY download bootstrap.dat from a TRUSTED source!

2. With the XTRABYTES wallet closed, manually copy or move the bootstrap.dat file you have just downloaded to the XTRABYTES data folder.

(OPTIONAL) Even though there is no need, you can delete all files and folders, except the wallet.dat file, for a clean update/installation. Or just create a new folder and copy all the XTRABYTES folder content to it, in case you need the files again.

Below you can find the respective folder for each operating system.

Linux:

~/.xtrabytes/

MacOS:

$HOME/Library/Application Support/xtrabytes/
or
/Users/username/Library/Application Support/xtrabytes/

Windows:

%APPDATA%\xtrabytes
or
C:\Users\<user_name>\AppData\Roaming\xtrabytes

3. Start your wallet. It should start indexing/updating the blocks shortly after, saving you hours of waiting.

(Optional) To further increase the process speed of importing the blocks, and depending on your computer's hardware, a command line can be used. By adding the command line: -dbcache=1000, it will use an extra 1gb memory to speed up the process. Keep in mind that it might not be compatible with some computers in regards to the required/needed RAM that is available to the user.

You need to run the command inside the folder where your xtrabytes wallet is. Use CMD in Windows or the Terminal window in Mac/Linux.

Example of the command line:

Windows (cmd): xtrabytes-qt.exe -dbcache=1000
Mac (terminal): open ./xtrabytes-Qt.app --args -dbcache=1000
Linux (terminal): ./xtrabytes-qt -dbcache=1000

After it finishes the syncing process, the bootstrap.dat file will be automatically renamed to bootstrap.dat.old. You can safely delete the file if you wish.

Every time you copy a new bootstrap.dat file to the XTRABYTES folder, the wallet will update the blocks accordingly. If there is nothing to update, it will be ignored. It will, again, rename itself to the .dat.old name and overwrite any previous files.

Note: If your wallet stays hidden during the process, or appears to have frozen, there are ways to check the import progress.

1. In the XTRABYTES folder, you can see the file blk000*.dat increase in size as a sign that the import process is working.
2. Monitor the debug.lol file using this method.

This file will be updated regularly.

Latest bootstrap Download:

19/04/2018:
Bootstrap.dat