If you ever lose access to your account, you will need to restore it using its mnemonic (seed) phrase or a JSON file. Similarly, if you want to switch devices, you will need to restore all accounts that you had in the wallet.


In this article, we'll show how to restore an account that was created in Polkawallet or another ecosystem wallet using its mnemonic phrase or JSON file and password.


ℹ️ GOOD TO KNOW

If you have any questions about restoring an account in Polkawallet or run into any issues and require further assistance, feel free to ask our AI chatbot or contact us.

Alternatively, you can also search Polkawallet's documentation or contact their team directly through email, and receive specialized assistance from the team that developed the wallet.


TABLE OF CONTENTS

How to restore an account

‼️ IMPORTANT

Polkawallet is a non-custodial wallet, which means that only you have access to your accounts. For this reason it is imperative that you keep your mnemonic phrase safe. Without it, it is impossible to restore your account if you ever lose access to it.


The first steps of restoring an account differ depending if you are restoring in a new wallet or an existing one.


If you are restoring in a new wallet

After you have downloaded Polkawallet to your phone, follow these steps:


1. After the introductory screens you'll be presented with this screen. Tap on "Import Account" to restore your account.


2. In the next screen, you can select to create a Substrate account or an EVM (Ethereum Virtual Machine) account. Check the Account types section below for more details. 


To proceed, click on "Substrate account".



If you are restoring in an existing wallet

If you want to restore an account in an existing wallet, the first two steps are as follows:


1. From the "Assets" page, click on the "wallet" icon at the top left.



2. On the next screen, click on "+ Import Account"



Once you have completed the steps above, you'll be presented with the following screen. 


If you want to restore with a mnemonic phrase, continue to the next section. If you want to restore with a JSON file, go to the section "How to restore from a JSON file".

How to restore from a mnemonic phrase


3. In the following screen, tap on "Mnemonic"


4. In the next screen, enter your mnemonic phrase. If the mnemonic is entered correctly, the address of the account to be restored will appear at the top. Then, tap on "Next".


If the account address doesn't appear on the top, it means there's probably something wrong with the way the mnemonic phrase was entered. Check this article for troubleshooting steps.



6. Enter a name for the account and set its password. The name is stored locally on your phone and it's for your convenience only. 


The password will be needed when you want to make a transaction from your account. You can also select to use your phone's biometrics (fingerprint or FaceID) instead of your password (this is enabled by default).



7. Once done, click "Next", and you'll be taken to the "Assets" page. Congratulations! You have successfully restored your account!


How to restore from a JSON file


⚠️ ATTENTION

If you are restoring your account because you forgot its password, you can only restore it using its mnemonic phrase. The account's password is needed in order to restore with the JSON file.


3. In the following screen, tap on "Keystore (json)"



4. Open the JSON file you had exported from your previous wallet. Check these articles on how you can export the JSON file from Polkawallet or Polkadot-JS UI and the Polkadot extension.


‼️ IMPORTANT

The Polkadot extension offers the ability to export all accounts in a single batch JSON file. This batch file is not compatible with Polkawallet and can't be used to restore an account.

Make sure you are using a JSON backup file of a single account.


5. Copy all the contents of the file and paste them in the "Keystore (json)" field.



6. The name of the account will be automatically filled based on the contents of the JSON file, however, you can give a new name to the account. The account address will also be displayed at the top.


Enter the account's password. This is the same password that your account had previously and was used to encrypt the contents of the JSON file.


You can also select to use your phone's biometrics (fingerprint or FaceID) instead of your password (this is enabled by default) when .



7. Once done, click "Next", and you'll be taken to the "Assets" page. Congratulations! You have successfully restored your account!