Mixing

A mixing service—also known as a mixer or tumbler—is a tool for increasing the privacy of bitcoin transactions. It works by accepting your bitcoin, breaking it up, and returning new coins equal in value but sourced from other deposits. This process makes it difficult to trace where your original coins went, effectively hiding the link between sender and recipient.

However, using a mixing service involves handing over control of your coins to a third party, which carries risks. Because these services hold user funds temporarily, some have been targeted by law enforcement for alleged money laundering, and several have been shut down. This legal scrutiny distinguishes them from decentralized privacy tools like CoinJoin, which do not take custody of user assets.