You can restore your Exodus wallet on almost any device using your 12-word secret key (also known as a 12-word secret recovery phrase).
When restoring:
Download Exodus if starting on a new device
Enter your 12 words in the correct order
Check each word's spelling carefully
Once entered correctly, Exodus will restore your wallet and resync your balances
Only restore wallets from secret keys and private keys that you trust 100%. You can learn more here: Honeypot scams: Don't import unknown secret keys or private keys!
In this article:
How do I restore from my 12-word secret key?
If you have your 12-word secret key, you can always restore your Exodus wallet.
You have the following two options:
Restore into a new wallet: How do I restore in a new Exodus wallet?
Restore from your current wallet: How do I restore if I already have Exodus installed?.
Note that restoring will overwrite your current wallet, not add funds to it.
If you import another wallet's 12-word secret key into Exodus, some assets might not display. To learn more, visit: Can I import another wallet into Exodus?
You can also sync your Exodus wallet to another device. For more information, visit: How do I sync my wallet to a different device?
Video tutorial: How do I restore from my 12-word secret key? - Mobile
Video tutorial: How do I restore from my 12-word secret key? - Desktop
How do I restore in a new Exodus wallet?
After downloading Exodus, you can restore an existing wallet using your 12-word secret key.
Your 12-word secret key controls access to your funds, so it is very important to keep it secret. Anyone with your secret key can steal your crypto, so please don’t share it with anyone, including Exodus Support. For more information, visit: How do I keep my money safe?
Follow these steps to restore your wallet:
Mobile
After downloading Exodus Mobile, tap Agree and continue to accept the Terms of Service and Privacy Policy to start using Exodus.
Invite codes are for users that joined the Exodus Pay waitlist. To learn more, visit our website: Exodus Pay.
a) Tap the Wallet icon, then b) swipe down to go to the profile screen.
Tap Settings.
Scroll down and tap Restore Wallet.
Tap Secret Key.
If you are looking to restore your wallet with a passkey, visit: How do I back up my wallet with a passkey?
When you are ready to continue, tap I Have It.
Next, you'll see a prompt reminding you never to restore a wallet with a 12-word secret key someone gave you. Tap Got it.
Scammers may give victims a secret key for a wallet they control, allowing them to steal any funds added to it. To learn more about this scam, visit: Honeypot scams: Don't import secret keys or private keys!
a) Select My wallet and b) tap Continue.
Selecting Someone gave it to me will prompt you to contact Exodus Support. Secret keys provided from other sources may put your funds at risk.
a) Enter the first 4 words of your secret key and b) tap Next.
a) Continue until you have entered all 12 words, then b) tap Restore.
Exodus will restart and sync your assets. The restore process may take several minutes, depending on your wallet history. It may take longer if you have a diverse portfolio with a long transaction history. Once finished, tap Continue.
Desktop
After downloading Exodus Desktop, click Import Wallet on the welcome screen.
Click Restart.
a) Enter your secret key in the correct order in all lowercase. When you have entered all 12 words, b) click the arrow to the right or press enter.
After a few seconds, Exodus will open with a prompt that says Restore Complete. Click OK and wait a few minutes while Exodus rescans the blockchains and displays your balances.
Make sure to set a password to protect your newly restored wallet.
Web3 Wallet
If you restore your Exodus Desktop or Mobile wallet in Exodus Web3 Wallet, only assets on supported networks will be shown in Exodus Web3 Wallet.
After downloading Exodus Web3 Wallet, click I Have a Wallet on the getting started screen.
a) Enter each word from your secret key in the correct order, then b) click Restore.
a) Choose a strong password. b) The color of the bar underneath indicates the strength of the password, with red and yellow being weaker and green being stronger. c) Passwords are case-sensitive, so you will see a warning if caps lock is on.
After creating a strong password, click Next.
a) Re-enter your password, then b) click Restore.
Next, a) read the Terms and Privacy Policy, then open your restored Web3 Wallet by b) clicking Continue.
The restore process may take several minutes, depending on your wallet history. It may take longer if you have a diverse portfolio with a long transaction history. Exodus will notify you when the restore is complete. Review your synced assets, then click OK.
How do I restore if I already have Exodus installed?
If you already have Exodus installed, you can restore your wallet from the settings.
Your 12-word secret key controls access to your funds, so it is very important to keep it secret. Anyone with your secret key can steal your crypto, so please don’t share it with anyone, including Exodus Support. For more information, visit: How do I keep my money safe?
Follow these steps to restore your wallet:
Mobile
Before restoring, make sure you've written down your current 12-word secret key so you can access the wallet in the future. For instructions, visit: How do I always have access to my wallet with my 12-word secret key?
Restoring a wallet with the 12-word secret key will overwrite your current wallet. If you haven't written down your secret key, you won't be able to access the overwritten wallet again.
In Exodus Mobile, a) tap the Wallet icon, then b) swipe down to go to the profile screen.
Tap Settings.
Scroll down and tap Restore Wallet.
Tap Secret Key.
If you are looking to restore your wallet with a passkey, visit: How do I back up my wallet with a passkey?
This process will overwrite your current wallet. If you have not yet backed up your wallet, you will see a message that says Backup Required. Tap Back Up Now. To learn how to find and write down your secret key, visit: How do I back up my wallet and write down my 12-word secret key?
If you have already backed up your wallet, skip to step 7.
To confirm that you have access to the backup of your wallet's secret key, tap I Have It.
Next, you'll see a prompt reminding you never to restore a wallet with a 12-word secret key someone gave you. Tap Got it.
Scammers may give victims a secret key for a wallet they control, allowing them to steal any funds added to it. To learn more about this scam, visit: Honeypot scams: Don't import secret keys or private keys!
a) Select My wallet and b) tap Continue.
Selecting Someone gave it to me will prompt you to contact Exodus Support. Secret keys provided from other sources may put your funds at risk.
a) Enter the first 4 words of your secret key and b) tap Next.
a) Continue until you have entered all 12 words, then b) tap Restore.
Exodus will restart and sync your assets. The restore process may take several minutes, depending on your wallet history. It may take longer if you have a diverse portfolio with a long transaction history. Once finished, tap Continue.
Desktop
Before restoring, make sure you've written down your current 12-word secret key so you can access this wallet in the future. For instructions, visit: How do I always have access to my wallet with my 12-word secret key?
Restoring a wallet with the 12-word secret key will overwrite your current wallet. If you haven't written down your secret key, you won't be able to access the overwritten wallet again.
If your wallet has a password, you can restore another wallet from the password screen by clicking Restore when you open Exodus.
If your Exodus wallet doesn't have a password, you will need to open the developer menu. For instructions, visit: How do I open the developer menu?
In the developer menu, a) click Exodus, b) select Developer, c) select Restore, and d) click Restore from 12-word phrase.
Exodus will then ask you to restart the wallet. Click Restart.
a) Enter your secret key in the correct order using all lowercase letters. When you're done, b) click the arrow to the right or press enter.
The restore process may take several minutes, depending on your wallet history. It may take longer if you have a diverse portfolio with a long transaction history. Once finished, click OK.
Create a new password for your wallet.
For information on how to create a strong password, visit: The importance of a good password.
Web3 Wallet
If you restore your Exodus Desktop or Mobile wallet in Exodus Web3 Wallet, only assets on supported networks will be shown in Exodus Web3 Wallet.
Before restoring, make sure you've written down your current 12-word secret key so you can access this wallet in the future. For instructions, visit: How do I always have access to my wallet with my 12-word secret key?
Restoring a wallet with the 12-word secret key will overwrite your current wallet. If you haven't written down your secret key, you won't be able to access the overwritten wallet again.
In Exodus Web3 Wallet, a) click the Profile icon, then b) click Settings.
Click a) Advanced, then b) click Restore Wallet.
Click Continue.
Enter your secret key in the correct order using all lowercase letters. After every 4 words, continue to the following screen by clicking Next.
Continue until you have entered all 12 words, then tap Restore.
a) Create a new password for your wallet. After entering the password, b) click Next.
For information on how to create a strong password, visit: The importance of a good password.
To confirm the new password you set for the wallet, a) enter the password again, then b) click Restore Wallet.
Click Restore.
The restore process may take several minutes, depending on your wallet history. It may take longer if you have a diverse portfolio with a long transaction history. Exodus will notify you when the restore is complete. Review your synced assets, then click OK.
Why is my wallet empty after I restored it with my secret key?
If you restored a wallet using a 12-word secret key, but your balance and transaction history are missing, it usually means the wallet you restored isn't the same.
The secret key generates all the private keys in your wallet, giving you to access all your funds. The smallest difference, such as a misspelled word, or entering them in an incorrect order, will generate a completely new wallet with different private keys.
Not every secret key can restore a wallet. The words in the secret key need to be on the BIP39 wordlist, and some combinations will not work.
If this happens to you, use the checklist below to confirm that your secret key was entered correctly:
Enter your 12 words in the correct order, from 1 - 12
Check each word's spelling carefully
Write all words in lowercase
Confirm the keyboard on your device is set to English
Only enter characters from the English alphabet (a-z, no special characters)
Verify each word is on the official BIP39 word list
If you have more than one 12-word secret key, try each one