Airdrop guide · Bitcoin Quantum
Bitcoin Quantum BTQ airdrop step by step tutorial
Bitcoin Quantum's testnet mining lets people earn testnet BTQ as block rewards by running a node or pointing hashpower at the public pool. As of 29 October 2026, the project's website marks the testnet "Live now". Taking part means downloading BTQ Core, creating a Dilithium wallet and mining on a network that runs before the mainnet launch.
Live · checked 29 October 2026
As of 29 October 2026, the Bitcoin Quantum website marks its testnet phase "Live now" and invites miners to run a node and earn testnet BTQ. Its testnet page points hashpower at the public pool to start earning testnet BTQ.
Run a Bitcoin Quantum testnet node or point hashpower at its public pool to earn testnet BTQ on a quantum-safe Bitcoin fork. Live as of 29 October 2026.
What is Bitcoin Quantum?
Bitcoin Quantum is a Bitcoin fork that signs transactions with ML-DSA, the lattice-based scheme NIST standardised as FIPS 204, where Bitcoin itself uses ECDSA. BTQ Technologies Corp. announced the testnet in a press release and calls it the first quantum-safe fork of Bitcoin.
ML-DSA signatures run roughly 38 to 72 times larger than ECDSA ones, so the testnet allows blocks of up to 64 MiB. Receive addresses follow the BIP-360 P2MR format.
The testnet is aimed at miners, developers, researchers and ordinary users who set up a wallet and send transactions. On the homepage roadmap, the testnet is marked live and mainnet is marked upcoming.
How Bitcoin Quantum works
Bitcoin Quantum finds blocks the way Bitcoin does, by SHA-256 hashing, so what differs is the key material. A wallet generates Dilithium keys, and each spend carries an ML-DSA signature, which makes a typical transaction about 3,824 bytes against about 250 for ECDSA.
Rewards come from mining. You run BTQ Core on the testnet (RPC port 18332, peer port 19333), create a wallet, and generate a Dilithium address. Then you either hash through the public pool with ccminer or mine against your own synced node. The mining guide lists a block subsidy of 5 BTQ on the testnet and says the address you supply is where mining rewards are sent. GPU mining needs an NVIDIA card with CUDA 11 support, and binaries exist for Windows and Linux, with macOS built from source.
Neither the testnet page nor the homepage describes points, seasons, a snapshot or a claim step, and neither gives an end date for the testnet. The homepage roadmap marks mainnet "Upcoming" with no date and says nothing about what testnet BTQ becomes then.
The BTQ (testnet BTQ) airdrop
Miners earn testnet BTQ as block rewards on the Bitcoin Quantum test network, either by running a node and mining quantum-safe blocks or by pointing hashpower at the public testnet pool. The mining guide lists a 5 BTQ block subsidy. The testnet page gives no points, snapshot or claim process, and no per-miner amount or end date.
Step by step: how to get the BTQ (testnet BTQ) airdrop
Stay safe: a real airdrop never asks for your seed phrase or private key. Use only the official links on this page, and treat any message that offers help with a claim as a scam.
Step 1: Download the BTQ Core release
Download the Windows or Linux archive from the BTQ Core releases page, compare its checksum with the published one, and unpack it. macOS has no binary, so you compile from source there.
Step 2: Configure and start your node
In ~/.btq/btq.conf add a [test] block with rpcport=18332, port=19333 and a long random rpcpassword of your own, as the mining guide shows. Then run
./btqd -daemon -testnetand confirm it has synced with./btq-cli -testnet getblockchaininfo.Step 3: Create a Dilithium wallet
Run
./btq-cli -testnet createwallet "dilithium_wallet", then call getnewdilithiumaddress on that wallet and keep the address field of the result. Back up the wallet file with backupwallet, as the wallet basics page describes.Step 4: Connect to the pool and mine
For the public testnet pool, run ccminer with -a sha256d against the pool's stratum address and pass your Dilithium address as the username with -u. To mine solo instead, mine against your own synced node.
Bitcoin Quantum airdrop FAQ
Is the Bitcoin Quantum airdrop still live?
- Yes, as of 29 October 2026 the testnet mining is live. The Bitcoin Quantum website marks the testnet phase "Live now" and invites miners to run a node and earn testnet BTQ, and its testnet page points hashpower at the public pool for the same purpose.
What token does Bitcoin Quantum pay?
- Miners earn testnet BTQ as block rewards. The mining guide lists a 5 BTQ block subsidy on the testnet, but the testnet page gives no per-miner amount, points or claim step, and no rule for converting testnet BTQ into anything on mainnet.
What does it cost to join the Bitcoin Quantum testnet?
- Nothing on the testnet page or in the mining guide asks for a payment or deposit. You need a computer that can run BTQ Core on Windows or Linux, or macOS built from source, and the mining guide lists an NVIDIA GPU with CUDA 11 support for GPU mining.
Does Bitcoin Quantum require KYC?
- No identity check appears in the quick start. You download the release, set up a node, create a wallet and connect a miner to the pool. The press release calls the testnet fully open and permissionless.
How are Bitcoin Quantum testnet rewards earned?
- You earn testnet BTQ by mining. Run a node and generate a Dilithium address, then point a miner at the public pool or solo-mine against your own node. The testnet page describes no points, tasks or claim step, only mining to your address.
Sources for this listing
- 01Bitcoin, secured for the quantum era: Bitcoin Quantumbitcoinquantum.com · read 29 October 2026
- 02Testnet Mining Guide: BTQ Core Docsdocs.bitcoinquantum.com · read 29 October 2026
- 03Wallet Basics: BTQ Core Docsdocs.bitcoinquantum.com · read 29 October 2026
- 04BTQ Technologies Launches Bitcoin Quantum Testnet, Marking 17 Years Since Bitcoin's Genesis Block with First Quantum-Safe Forkprnewswire.com · read 29 October 2026
- 05Testnet: Bitcoin Quantumbitcoinquantum.com · read 29 October 2026
