Reviewed guide | 2026-10-18
The first ten minutes after signing up: security settings to switch on in order
A new account on Binance, OKX, Bybit or Bitget starts with only a password and an email code. These settings, done in the right order before your first deposit, close the most common gaps.
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Registration on a major exchange ends with an invitation to deposit, and it is tempting to accept straight away. At that moment the account is protected by a password and access to your email, nothing more. The four large exchanges all offer stronger settings, but they sit a couple of taps deep in the security menu. Spending ten minutes there before any money arrives is far easier than doing it later under pressure. The order below matters because some settings depend on earlier ones.
Add a second factor before anything else
Open the security page from your profile and set up an authenticator app or a passkey. An authenticator app generates codes on your phone; a passkey uses your device's screen lock and refuses to work on lookalike sites. Either is stronger than SMS alone. If you choose an authenticator, store the setup key or backup codes on paper somewhere safe at home. Test the factor by logging out and back in once before continuing.
Set an anti-phishing code
Binance, OKX, Bybit and Bitget let you choose a short phrase that appears in their genuine emails. Set one now, using words that mean nothing to anyone else. From then on, any email claiming to be from the exchange without your phrase should be treated as suspect, however urgent it sounds. This takes a minute and protects you from the most common scam new users meet, a fake security alert with a login link.
Prepare withdrawal protections
Look for the withdrawal address book and, where offered, a whitelist setting that allows withdrawals only to saved addresses. You may not have any addresses to save yet, but knowing where the setting lives helps later. Some exchanges also offer a separate fund or withdrawal password; if yours does, set it and store it differently from your login password. Check the notification settings so that withdrawals and new logins trigger an email or push alert you will actually see.
Check the device list and sign out the rest
Finally, open the device or session list. Right after registration there may be two entries, for example the browser you started on and the app you installed. Make sure both are yours and remove any you will not use. Note down which email, phone and second factor are tied to the account, and keep that note offline. Only now make your first deposit, ideally a small one that also lets you test the deposit process itself.
Risk boundary: Safe Crypto Signup
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Scenario checkpoint
- Set up an authenticator app or passkey and test it before depositing.
- Store authenticator backup codes on paper in a safe place at home.
- Choose an anti-phishing code that only you would recognise.
- Locate the address book and whitelist settings, and turn on withdrawal and login alerts.
- Review the device list and remove sessions you will not use.
Digital assets are volatile and derivatives can amplify losses. This website has no login, wallet connection, deposit form or customer-support chat.