Forgot your wallet password? What your 12 words can and cannot do

Why nobody can reset it

A non-custodial wallet locks your keys with your password, on your device. The company never has the password or the keys, so there is nothing to reset on their side, and nobody can unlock the wallet for you. Anyone who says they can, for a fee or your recovery phrase, is running a scam.

In Phantom

Phantom cannot show or reset a password. What you can do:

1. Restore with your recovery phrase. Reset Phantom on the device (or reinstall it), choose to import an existing wallet, enter your recovery phrase and set a new password. Accounts made from that phrase come back.
2. Re-import keys. Accounts you had imported as private keys are not in the phrase. Import each key again.
3. Google or Apple wallets. If you made your Phantom wallet by signing in with Google or Apple, sign in again on the new install.

Resetting Phantom removes the wallet from that device, so only do it when you have the recovery phrase or keys in hand.

In Raven

On the sign-in screen, choose Can’t get in? and enter your 12 words. Raven brings every wallet back and lets you set a new password (at least 12 characters). Without your password or your 12 words, nobody can open your wallets, Raven included, so keep the words somewhere safe.

If you have neither

If you have lost both the password and the recovery phrase:

• Try the password you think it is, carefully. Check caps lock, the keyboard language, and passwords you used for other wallets.
• Check every device. A phone or another browser where the wallet is still unlocked, or still signed in, is your way out: move the money to a new wallet whose words you write down.
• Look for old backups. Paper, a password manager, an exported private key, a backup file.

If none of those exist, the money is still on chain but nobody can move it. That is the cost of a wallet nobody else controls, and why the words matter more than the password.

Questions

Can wallet support recover my password?

No. A real wallet’s support team cannot see your password or keys. Never give your recovery phrase to anyone who asks, especially “support” in a DM.

Will I lose my coins if I restore with my recovery phrase?

No. Restoring only gives this device the keys again. The coins never left the chain.

Is my recovery phrase the same as my password?

No. The password unlocks the wallet on one device. The phrase is the wallet: it works on any device, in any compatible app.

Sources

• Phantom help: Sign in to or import your Phantom wallet
• Phantom help: View your recovery phrase or private keys
• Phantom help: Manage your accounts
• BIP-39: mnemonic code for generating keys