How to Buy Bitcoin Ordinals NFTs: A Step-by-Step Guide

Bitcoin Ordinals are digital artifacts permanently inscribed onto the Bitcoin blockchain. Unlike standard NFTs, the data behind Ordinals (whether images, text, videos, or other files) is embedded directly into individual satoshis, the smallest units of bitcoin. This process, known as “inscribing,” makes each Ordinal unique and inseparable from the blockchain.

The technology first appeared in early 2023 and quickly drew interest from NFT collectors, with some Ordinals collections like Bitcoin Puppets and NodeMonkes selling for tens of BTC. 

Today, the Ordinals market has become an integral part of the NFT market, with new collections and Bitcoin art getting inscribed, minted, and traded every day. 

Read on to learn how to buy your first Ordinal on the leading Ordinals marketplace, Magic Eden, from setting up a wallet to finalizing the purchase.

Step 1: Install an Ordinals-Compatible Wallet  

To purchase Ordinals, you’ll need a wallet that supports both Bitcoin and Taproot addresses. These wallets are built to securely store Ordinals and separate your Bitcoin funds from your Ordinals inscriptions.

Recommended wallets:

• Magic Eden Wallet: the official wallet from the Magic Eden marketplace.  
• Xverse: a popular choice among Ordinals collectors with an intuitive interface.
• Leather: a beginner-friendly wallet with a simple interface.

Select one of these wallets (we’ll use the Magic Eden Wallet in this guide) and install it as a browser extension, however, it is also available as a mobile app. 

Click here to access the official website, download the wallet, and add it to Chrome or any other supported browser. 

Ensure only one Bitcoin wallet extension is active. Running multiple extensions can cause conflicts with Magic Eden.

After installation, move on to setting up your wallet. We’ll walk through that in the next step.

Step 2: Set Up Your Wallet Address in Your Magic Eden Wallet

After installing the Magic Eden Wallet extension, click “Create New Wallet” to start. 

Set a password. You’ll use it to log into your wallet. 

Confirm the password, then click “Go to Magic Eden” to head to the marketplace if you’re ready to buy your first Ordinal.

Otherwise, just close the webpage, the Magic Eden Wallet extension is already installed in your browser. You can find it in the extensions menu at the top left.

Click the wallet icon to open the interface. You’ll see two addresses: the Bitcoin address, used for holding BTC and covering transaction fees, and the Ordinals address, where your purchased Bitcoin Ordinals will be delivered.

Important: Never send Ordinals to a standard BTC address; doing so could result in permanent loss. Always use the address marked Taproot / Ordinals.

Step 3: Add Bitcoin to Your Wallet

To buy Ordinals, you’ll need BTC in your wallet. Send it to your Bitcoin address in Magic Eden Wallet. This address is used to pay for all transactions on the network.

To do that, you can purchase BTC on any centralized exchange (like Binance, Bybit, or OKX).

Open your Magic Eden Wallet and copy your Bitcoin address, labeled “Bitcoin.”

On the exchange, choose “withdraw,” paste your wallet address, enter the amount, and confirm the transaction. We’re using Binance in this example. 

Confirmation may take 10 to 60 minutes, depending on network traffic. This is perfectly normal.

To check the status of your transfer, copy the transaction hash (txID) and look it up on mempool.space. Once the transaction is confirmed, your wallet balance will be updated.

Note: do not send BTC to your Ordinals address; it is meant solely for Ordinals.

Step 4: Connect Your Wallet to Magic Eden 

With your wallet and BTC ready, it’s time to connect to the marketplace. Visit magiceden.io/ordinals and click “Log In” in the top right corner. 

Then, choose “Magic Eden Wallet”.

Now select Bitcoin.

Approve the connection using the wallet extension in your browser by clicking “Connect” and then “Sign.”

Once connected, your Ordinals address and BTC balance will appear in the Magic Eden interface. If they don’t, double-check that your wallet is active.

Magic Eden automatically recognizes your addresses, one for BTC and one for Ordinals. 

There’s no need to enter them manually; everything will be filled in at the right time.

Step 5: Purchase an Ordinal on Magic Eden  

With your wallet ready, you can now buy your first Bitcoin Ordinal.

• Go to the Ordinals section of the marketplace.  
• Use the filters or search function to find a collection you're interested in.  
• Click on an Ordinal card to view its detailed information page.

Click “Buy for …”. Magic Eden will prompt you to prepare your wallet (to approve the platform to use your funds for the purchase). 

Then, click “Approve” and confirm the transaction in your Magic Eden Wallet.

After you click “Buy Now,” the Ordinal inscription is temporarily locked; no one else can purchase it while your transaction is being processed.

The transaction is confirmed on the Bitcoin blockchain, which can take between 5 and 30 minutes. While it’s still processing, the Ordinal’s status will show as “Pending.” This is normal.

Once the transaction is confirmed, the Ordinal will appear in your wallet.

How to Verify Your Purchase and Find Your Ordinal

Once the transaction is complete, your Ordinal will automatically show up in your wallet interface.

• Open the Magic Eden Wallet extension.  
• Go to the Ordinals tab.  
• You’ll see the inscription you just purchased displayed with its image, name, and collection information.

If your Ordinal hasn’t appeared yet, don’t panic. It may take some time for indexers to process the new transaction. Once everything shows up, your purchase is complete. 

Congratulations, you’ve officially bought your first digital artifact on the Bitcoin network.

And that’s it! That’s how easy it is to buy your first Ordinal inscription. 

The Final Take

Ordinals are supporting new forms of creative expression and digital ownership on the Bitcoin network. Besides that, they’ve also contributed a lot in expanding the blockchain’s use cases across decentralized finance.

Whether you are just collecting or looking for fun ways to explore Bitcoin NFTs, start browsing Ordinals collections on your favorite marketplace.