Cryptocurrencies grant users complete control over their assets by allowing them sole access to their private keys. Not all wallets use the same mathematical derivation methods to generate addresses and private key pairs. This means that sometimes retrieving these private keys is crucial for accessing funds in different software.
This guide provides step-by-step instructions to obtain your Quai private keys using an open-source third party tool.
If you're just moving to a new device and want to continue using Koala Wallet, stop reading this page and follow the restore instructions here.
Security Precautions
- It's not considered safe to handle unencrypted private keys or recovery phrases on an online device. Practice a "WiFi sandwich": turn WiFi off before entering entering any data. At the end, clear any traces of private data, then turn WiFi back on. Although the tool is safe, be cautious of potential malware on your device monitoring your actions.
- If you need more help with using this tool, don't ever send screenshots containing your Recovery Phrase or keys. Never share them with anyone, not even official support agents. Anyone in possession of your Recovery Phrase or private keys would be able to transfer all funds from the account without your permission.
Using the BIP39 tool
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Open the page iancoleman.io/bip39 on any device
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Turn the device completely offline. Unplug the network cable, turn wifi and mobile data off, or put it in "airplane mode". Alternatively, in your browser, select "file → save-as", and save this page as a file. This file can be transferred to an airgapped device that is never connected to the internet.
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Enter the 24 words of the Recovery Phrase on the "BIP39 Mnemonic" text box of the page. Leave the "BIP39 Passphrase" box empty.
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Open the "Coin" selector and choose "ETH - Ethereum". Yes, that's right, we'll adjust what's required for Quai in the next step.
- Scroll to the "Derivation path" section. Click on "BIP32" then change the BIP32 Derivation Path to
m/44'/994'/0'/0. -
Scroll down to the table of Derived Addresses. If you entered the correct information at the top of the page, your Quai address in Koala will be the first address that starts with "0x00". You may need to press the button to show "more rows" to generate more addresses several times. There you can find its private key and export it however you like. Clicking on an address or key will also show it in QR code form.
Your addresses for other shards will be further down the list, but not necessarily one immediately after the other. This will depend on the random distribution of addresses and shard prefixes. The final address may be hundreds of entries down the list, but if you used the correct information on steps 3, 4 and 5, addresses for all shards will certainly be in that list.
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After finishing, If you used copy-paste, select and copy other text to overwrite your device's clipboard and close the browser page.
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Finally, it's safe to turn the internet back on.
Tips
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Address and private key generation is deterministic, meaning the same phrase and derivation settings will consistently produce the same crypto addresses and keys in the same order. Your desired address will be the very first one of the list in most cases.
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If your address is not at the top of the list, most likely you entered the Recovery Phrase of a different account at the top of the page, or entered a BIP39 Passphrase when you shouldn't. Please double check them.
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You would only need to look through multiple of addresses on the list if you created multiple accounts using the same Recovery Phrase in the wallet app.
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It is not recommended to back up individual private keys. The Recovery Phrase written on a piece of paper or durable material is safer, more robust and more resistant to errors.