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Universe Wallet

Backup and recovery

Your coins are not in the extension. They are on the chain. The extension holds the keys that authorize moving them, and the recovery phrase reproduces those keys anywhere.

Which loss the recovery phrase covers, and the one it does notThe recovery phrase is drawn as the root of everything. From it are derived every account, on every network, in every address type, on any device and in any compatible wallet. Settings are drawn separately and outside it: connected sites, address labels, contacts, frozen coins and spending limits live on the device only and are not carried by the phrase. Five situations are then mapped to outcomes. Forgetting the password is recoverable: the password unlocks one installation and is not the backup, so you reinstall and restore from the phrase. Losing or breaking the device is recoverable the same way. Deleting the extension is recoverable the same way. Having someone see the phrase is not a loss of access but a loss of secrecy: the funds must be moved to a wallet made from a new phrase, because the old phrase cannot be made secret again. Losing the phrase while still able to unlock the wallet is urgent but survivable: reveal and write down the phrase now, or move the funds to a wallet you do have the phrase for. Losing the phrase while locked out is the one case with no recovery path at all, by anyone, including Universe.WHAT THE PHRASE COVERSThe phrase carriesEvery account in the walletEvery networkEvery address typeOn any device, in any BIP-39 walletThe phrase does not carryConnected sites, labels, contactsFrozen coins and spending limitsYour passwordThese are device settings, not fundsWHICH LOSS YOU ARE HAVINGYou forgot the passwordThe password unlocks one installation. It is not the backup.Reinstall, then restore from the phrase.The device is lost, stolen or brokenYour coins were never on the device. They are on the chain.Restore from the phrase, elsewhere.The extension was removedReinstalling gives you an empty wallet, not your wallet.Restore from the phrase.Someone else has seen the phraseA phrase cannot be made secret again.Move everything to a new phrase now.The phrase is gone and you are locked outThere is no account, no reset email, and nosupport override that can help here.No recovery path exists.Anyone who says otherwise isselling you a second theft.

Four of these five situations are recoverable from paper alone. The fifth has no path back, for anyone.

What the phrase restores

Section titled “What the phrase restores”

Everything that is money:

  • every account in the wallet,
  • every network,
  • every address type,
  • on any device, in any BIP-39 compatible wallet, not only this one.

What the phrase does not restore

Section titled “What the phrase does not restore”

Everything that is a setting:

  • your password,
  • connected sites,
  • address labels and contacts,
  • coins you locked yourself,
  • spending limits.

These live on the device. After a restore, your funds and assets are all there, and your preferences are not. Expect to set them up again. Nothing about that indicates a failed restore.

The five situations

Section titled “The five situations”
What happenedRecoverableWhat to do
Forgot the passwordYesThe password unlocks one installation and is not the backup. Reinstall, then restore from the phrase.
Device lost, stolen, or brokenYesRestore from the phrase on another device. Your coins were never on the old one.
Extension removed or profile wipedYesReinstalling gives you an empty wallet. Restore from the phrase.
Someone else saw the phraseAccess is fine, secrecy is notMove everything to a wallet made from a new phrase, immediately. See If your wallet is compromised.
Phrase lost and you cannot unlockNoThere is no path. See below.

The situation people miss

Section titled “The situation people miss”

Phrase lost, but the wallet still unlocks. This is urgent and it is survivable, and people sit on it for months because nothing appears to be wrong.

Do one of these today:

  1. Open Settings, then Export recovery phrase, and write it down properly. See Back up your recovery phrase.
  2. Or move everything to a wallet whose phrase you do have.

The window closes the moment anything happens to that browser profile.

Restoring, step by step

Section titled “Restoring, step by step”
  1. Install the extension from the real store listing. See Install.
  2. Choose to import a wallet.
  3. Enter the phrase, in order, plus the BIP-39 passphrase if you used one.
  4. Select the address type you used before. If the balance looks wrong, this is almost always why. See Address types.
  5. Confirm a known address of yours appears.
  6. Set your password, auto-lock, and any settings you want back.
Section titled “Related”