One of the most intriguing aspects of cryptocurrencies is their perceived privacy and anonymity.

However, there is a prevailing misconception that crypto transactions are totally untraceable. As we will find out, blockchain technology offers transparency by design.

Transparency is a key part of what makes cryptocurrencies work, allowing them to be completely auditable and trustless.

However, this transparent design creates another problem, particularly for privacy-focused individuals. The open nature of the blockchain means your entire transaction history, wallet balance, and blockchain interactions are permanently linked to your wallet address—forever.

Interested in checking crypto transactions using readily available tools and resources at your disposal?

You’ve come to the right place. This article will show you everything you need to know about how easy it is to check crypto transactions—-and provide you with some solutions as to how to protect your privacy on-chain.

How is cryptocurrency traceable?

Cryptocurrencies operate on public blockchain networks that maintain a transparent and open ledger of all transactions ever made.

Every transaction, regardless of size, is recorded on the blockchain, creating an immutable and publicly-accessible record.

While the blockchain doesn’t store any personally-identifiable information, transaction details such as amounts, sending and receiving wallet addresses, and wallet contents are visible to anyone with access.

That means any interested party can use details such as a transaction ID and a blockchain explorer to find corresponding transactions and wallet addresses to see the financial history of a particular wallet. This makes it possible for interested parties to deduce transaction patterns, using the available information to uncover the identity of individuals or entities linked to certain wallets.

Let’s delve into how you can check crypto transactions in the following section.

What tools can you use to check crypto transactions?

Here are some ways you can check crypto transactions:

1. Blockchain explorers

Blockchain explorers are tools used by crypto investors, analysts, enthusiasts, and professionals to view information on a particular blockchain network. This includes transactions, wallet addresses, amounts, and account balances, enabling users to read the contents of the public ledger in an intuitive, easy manner.

The explorers work only with the underlying blockchain network they were designed for. Most blockchain explorers are accessible to the public, allowing users to view all transactions performed on the blockchain ledger. They contain transaction details, time stamps, sending and receiving addresses, and amounts. This also includes the status of transactions, blocks, and wallet balances.

Here are some examples of blockchain explorers that help users access the ledgers of different blockchains:

Blockchain.com – Bitcoin
Etherscan.io – Ethereum
Solana Explorer – Solana
BSCscan.com – BNB Chain
TONScan – Toncoin

2. Crypto wallets

Crypto wallets record all details of incoming and outgoing transactions in its history. Most crypto wallets will also provide links of these transactions as they are recorded on their respective blockchain explorers. Simply go to the transaction history and click on any transaction to view all the pertinent details.

3. Third-party services and blockchain analytics tools

Third-party platforms such as proprietary blockchain analytics tools can offer even deeper insights into a blockchain’s history of transactions. For instance, tools such as Chainalysis access data from various blockchains and aggregates to provide even deeper insights into transaction histories.

These blockchain analytics tools use sophisticated algorithms to analyze, view, and aggregate vast amounts of complex transaction data and cluster transactions together to uncover patterns and identify suspicious activities. While blockchains are pseudonymous in nature, blockchain forensics investigators can analyze these data points, derive insights, and connect on-chain activity to real-world individuals and entities.

Other tools include portfolio trackers that help individual crypto holders monitor their own transactions and portfolio holdings, making it easy for them to track their performance and for tax purposes.

4. Running a full archival node

Highly experienced blockchain enthusiasts can freely download a blockchain’s entire history by running a full node. Doing so gives them permanent offline access to perform data searches and analytics without having to rely on a third-party online resource. However, not everyone has the expertise and patience to run a node, considering it requires heavy computing resources and significant storage space.

How to view crypto transaction history on a blockchain explorer

Now that we’ve learned which resources to use to check crypto transactions, here’s how to use a blockchain explorer to view transaction histories. These directions will be the same for most, if not all, blockchain explorers regardless of their underlying network.

Step 1: Go to your blockchain explorer of choice

Navigate to your desired blockchain explorer. For instance, if you’d like to check a Bitcoin crypto transaction, go to Blockchain.com and click on the search field on the top portion of the site.

Step 2: Enter the details of the crypto transaction you wish to check.

Then, enter the details on the search field. This could be transaction IDs, the sending or receiving wallet address, transaction date, or the block hash wherein the data is stored.

Step 3: View the record

If your search returns results, click on the transaction to view the details. The transaction page shows additional transaction details, which you could export or download for further analysis or for your records.

Can your identity be linked from your crypto wallet?

Cryptocurrency wallet addresses are generally pseudonymous in nature, which means they won’t be directly tied to a person’s identity as they would with a credit card or a bank account. However, it is definitely possible for a crypto wallet address to be linked to a real-life identity in certain situations.

For instance, if the wallet owner shares their address publicly and uses it to transact with known entities, it can be linked to an individual. For instance, if an online merchant lists a crypto wallet address on their website as a payment method, it can easily be traced to their business entity.

Skillful research including the use of blockchain analytics tools and advanced blockchain analysis techniques can leverage massive amounts of data from transaction histories to potentially link wallets to identities based on patterns and transaction amounts.

Now is the appropriate time to reiterate that the level of privacy and anonymity afforded by cryptocurrencies is never absolute. Therefore, users should take steps to protect their privacy to retain the pseudonymity that the blockchain provides them. The following section will discuss ways to preserve your privacy while transacting on the public blockchain.

How can you protect your on-chain privacy?

Private swap platforms.

Private swap platforms like Houdini Swap enable crypto swaps that keep source and destination addresses private.

Houdini Swap is a liquidity aggregator that enables users to swap between different cryptocurrencies privately without disclosing their ultimate source and destination wallets addresses.

The protocol uses a randomized Layer-1 and a dual-exchange model to ensure the most privacy that the technology allows for both parties—all while remaining completely aboveboard with crypto regulations and AML/ATF controls.

Keeping your on-privacy gives you the option to retain full control and custody of your financial information as traditional banking, to a certain extent, does by maintaining the integrity of your financial privacy.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

How do I track cryptocurrency transactions?

Blockchain explorers enable you to check cryptocurrency transactions on a specific blockchain network. For instance, if you wish to check crypto transaction details on the Solana blockchain, simply use the network’s own Solana Explorer. Simply input the wallet address, transaction hash, or block hash and click search, and you’re ready to go.

Are blockchain explorers trustworthy?

Blockchain explorers merely serve as an easy-to-use interface for viewing the contents of a public ledger. Therefore, using established blockchain explorers for your network of choice will contain the full history of the public ledger, without the possibility of manipulating data. This is due to the blockchain’s immutable nature that preserves its trustlessness and integrity.

Are my crypto transactions visible to anyone?

If someone has your crypto wallet address, they can, in theory, see your full transaction history. Balances, and financial information by using a blockchain explorer.

Can you view other people’s transactions on a blockchain?

Likewise, you can view every translation on a blockchain through a blockchain explorer, save for privacy coins like Monero (which operate using a private blockchain). For instance, all you need to do is enter someone’s Bitcoin wallet address into the blockchain explorer to see all the transactions linked to that address.

Is it possible to trace the owner of a crypto wallet address?

A crypto wallet address is not directly traceable to a person’s identity. Public blockchains do not store personally-identifiable information, nor will you find any personal information on blockchain explorers and blockchain analytics tools. However, it is entirely possible to tie a crypto wallet to an individual or organization through the ways we have mentioned earlier in this article, as well as centralized crypto exchanges that may gather and store KYC information and address