Taproot
Taproot is a Bitcoin upgrade, active since November 2021, that adds Schnorr signatures and lets complex spending rules look like ordinary payments.
An upgrade active since November 2021 (block 709,632). Taproot addresses start with bc1p; they make complex spending rules look like an ordinary payment and cost less.
What changed for users?
Taproot activated at block 709,632. Its addresses start with bc1p. When everyone involved agrees, even a multisignature or a contract spends with a single signature, so it looks like any other payment and costs less. The alternative conditions stay hidden unless they are used.
What are Schnorr signatures?
A signature scheme that can combine several keys into one key and one signature. They replace the older ECDSA signatures for Taproot outputs.
Sources
Updated 10 Oct 2026
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