How to Recover Your Wallet: Backup, Recovery Phrase, and Private Keys

Your wallet recovery information is the most important thing you own in crypto. Period, end of sentence. Sounds overwhelming? Honestly, we get it. Fortunately, protecting your wallet mostly comes down to building a few good habits. But they allow you to have access to your funds if you lose your device, reinstall Guarda, or forget one of the credentials.

There are three different credentials to recover your wallet:

• Backup—restores your entire Guarda wallet, including all supported wallets you've created.
• Recovery phrase (mnemonic)—restores most wallets created from that same recovery phrase.
• Private key—restores a single wallet only.

Guarda cannot recover your wallet for you. Only you have access to your backup, recovery phrase, and private keys. If you lose them, your funds cannot be restored.

Backup

A backup is an encrypted file that contains information about your Guarda wallet. It's the easiest and most complete way to restore your wallet because it includes all supported wallets you've created and keeps your wallet structure intact.

The only thing you have to do is to download the updated backup whenever you:

• create a new wallet;
• import a wallet;
• delete a wallet;

An older backup simply won't include these changes.

Store your backup in a safe place and keep it separate from your device.

Recovery Phrase (Mnemonic)

Your recovery phrase, also called a mnemonic or seed phrase, is a unique 12-word phrase generated when you create your wallet. It is the master key to your wallet. Anyone who knows your recovery phrase can access your funds.

Your recovery phrase is used to:

• restore your wallet on a new device;
• recover most wallets created from that phrase;
• regenerate your wallet addresses and balances.

Some wallets use 18 or 24 words instead of 12. If you create a wallet that uses a different recovery phrase standard, Guarda generates a separate recovery phrase for that wallet. Keep it safe as well.

Never share your recovery phrase with anyone.

Private Keys

Every wallet inside Guarda has its own private key. Unlike a recovery phrase, which restores multiple wallets, a private key unlocks only one wallet.

You can use a private key to:

• import a single wallet into another application;
• export one wallet without restoring the rest of your Guarda wallet;
• recover access to one specific address.

If someone gains access to a private key, they control that wallet and everything stored in it.

What About the Password?

Your Guarda password protects access to your wallet on the current device only. It does not recover your wallet or your funds, but you'll use it together with the most complete recovery method:

1. Backup + Password
2. Mnemonic
3. Private Key

Guarda is a non-custodial wallet, meaning the team has no access to any of your private information. If you forgot the password, Guarda cannot save it.

Keep Your Recovery Information Safe

Your backup, mnemonics, and private keys should always remain private.

Here are a few best practices:

Do:

• Store your backup in a secure location.
• Write down your recovery phrase and keep it offline.
• Keep multiple secure copies in different locations.
• Verify that your backup is up to date after creating or removing wallets.

Don't:

• Don’t share your recovery phrase or private keys with anyone.
• Don’t save recovery phrases in chats, emails, or cloud storage without encryption.
• Don’t take screenshots of your recovery phrase.
• Don’t trust anyone claiming they need your recovery information to help you.

Remember: whoever controls your recovery information controls your crypto.