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Kadena Wallet Recovery — Lost Phrase, Lost Device, Lost Access

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Self-custody recovery has hard limits no service can work around.

This page covers what to do if you have lost access to a Kadena (KDA) wallet — whether you have lost your recovery phrase, your device, or both. We will be direct with you about what is and is not possible. We will also warn you explicitly about recovery scams, which are common and which target people in exactly this situation. This is a page we wish you did not need to read. If you are reading it under stress, take a breath. The honest answers are below; some of them are difficult; none of them require you to spend money on a recovery service.

Self-custody
Open-source · MIT
Independently audited
All 20 Kadena chains
Ledger compatible

The honest baseline

Self-custody wallets do not store your recovery phrase anywhere except on your device. There is no service, company, or individual that can retrieve a lost recovery phrase from any wallet — not Kadena Wallet, not Chainweaver, not eckoWALLET, not Koala, not Ledger, not anyone. This is a deliberate design choice.

If your recovery phrase is gone and your device is gone, your funds are gone. We are sorry. There is no path that we, or any legitimate service, can offer that changes this. The rest of this page covers the cases where some path exists.

Warning about recovery scams

A category of scam targets people in this exact situation: services that claim to recover lost wallets for a fee. They cannot. They are scams. Every time. Without exception.

These scams typically operate via:

  • Search ads for terms like "wallet recovery service"
  • Direct messages on Reddit, Telegram, Discord, or Twitter
  • "Verified" customer support accounts that are actually impersonators
  • YouTube comments offering recovery help
  • Cold emails offering to "recover funds for a percentage"

What they actually do:

  • Collect an upfront fee and disappear
  • Or, worse: ask for your seed phrase to "verify ownership," then drain whatever funds remain accessible
  • Or, worse still: install malware that compromises other wallets you do control

If anyone — anyone at all — offers to recover your lost wallet for a fee, they are running a scam. The technology does not allow what they are claiming to do.

If you have already paid such a service: report to your payment provider; report to your local fraud authority; recognize that the funds paid are likely unrecoverable. You are not the first person this has happened to. The shame is not yours; it is theirs.

Scenarios where recovery is possible

There are several scenarios that look like "lost wallet" but are actually solvable:

You have your recovery phrase but lost the device. Install the wallet software on a new device, choose "Import existing wallet," and enter the phrase.

You have the device but forgot the password (not the recovery phrase). Most wallets allow you to wipe the wallet from the device and reinstall using the recovery phrase.

You have your recovery phrase but it does not work in the wallet you are trying to import into. Common between Chainweaver, Koala (24-word), and standard BIP39. Kadena Wallet supports all three. See Chainweaver alternative.

You have an unlocked Chainweaver installation but no written copy of the recovery phrase. Open Chainweaver, navigate to Settings → Show recovery phrase, and write the phrase down on paper before doing anything else.

You have a hardware wallet and a different software wallet's recovery phrase. The hardware device's recovery phrase governs hardware accounts; a software wallet's recovery phrase is separate.

You have part of your recovery phrase but not all. Generally not recoverable through any legitimate means. Beware of any service that claims otherwise.

Scenarios where recovery is not possible

We are listing these directly because pretending otherwise would not help anyone.

Lost recovery phrase, lost device. Funds are not recoverable. No service can change this.

Recovery phrase incorrectly written down (transcription error you cannot identify). If you can identify which words are wrong with high confidence, recovery may be possible. If you cannot, recovery is generally not possible.

Recovery phrase stored in a cloud service that you have lost access to. Recoverable only if you can recover the cloud-service login.

Wallet on a phone that was wiped or reset. The recovery phrase, if written down at setup, restores it on a new device. If not, see "lost recovery phrase, lost device" above.

Forgot a passphrase (the optional "25th word" added to a hardware wallet recovery phrase). Forgetting it loses the wallet just as decisively as losing the phrase itself.

Step-by-step recovery — common scenarios

Scenario A: I have my Chainweaver recovery phrase

  1. Step 1: Install Kadena Wallet

    Install Kadena Wallet on your computer.

  2. Step 2: Choose Import existing wallet

    Select Import existing wallet.

  3. Step 3: Select Chainweaver format

    Select the Chainweaver format option.

  4. Step 4: Enter your 12-word recovery phrase

    Enter the phrase exactly as written.

  5. Step 5: Wait for chain scan

    Wait 30-60 seconds for the chain scan to complete; verify balances; send a small test transaction before treating the migration as complete.

Scenario B: I have my eckoWALLET 12-word phrase

  1. Step 1: Install a BIP39-compatible wallet

    Install Kadena Wallet (or any other wallet that supports BIP39).

  2. Step 2: Import with BIP39 option

    Choose Import existing wallet → Standard BIP39.

  3. Step 3: Enter and verify

    Enter your 12 words; verify the derived addresses match what eckoWALLET showed.

Scenario C: I have my Koala 24-word phrase

  1. Step 1: Install Kadena Wallet

    Install Kadena Wallet on your desktop.

  2. Step 2: Choose the Koala format

    Choose Import existing wallet → Koala (24-word).

  3. Step 3: Enter and verify

    Enter your 24 words; verify the derived addresses match what Koala showed.

Scenario D: My computer crashed but I have my recovery phrase

Same as Scenarios A, B, or C depending on which wallet you used originally. The recovery phrase is the only thing required.

Scenario E: My Ledger device is lost or damaged

  1. Step 1: Buy a new Ledger device

    Get a new Ledger Nano S Plus or Nano X.

  2. Step 2: Restore from recovery phrase

    During setup, choose Restore from recovery phrase.

  3. Step 3: Enter your 24-word Ledger recovery phrase

    Carefully enter each word.

  4. Step 4: Install the Kadena app

    Install via Ledger Live.

  5. Step 5: Pair with Kadena Wallet

    Pair with Kadena Wallet (or another compatible interface). Your accounts are restored.

What if Chainweaver still works but I cannot find my recovery phrase

If your Chainweaver installation is still working and you can unlock it:

  1. Do not perform any other action first. This is the highest-priority step.
  2. Open Chainweaver.
  3. Unlock with your password.
  4. Navigate to Settings → Show recovery phrase.
  5. Write the 12-word phrase down on paper, in a private location.
  6. Verify each word against the displayed phrase.
  7. Store the paper securely.

Once you have the written phrase, you can migrate to actively-maintained software at your convenience. Without the written phrase, your access depends on the unlocked Chainweaver installation continuing to work indefinitely, which is not guaranteed.

Frequently asked questions

Can someone recover my lost recovery phrase for me?
No. Self-custody wallets do not store recovery phrases anywhere outside your device. Anyone claiming to recover them is running a scam.
Should I pay for a wallet recovery service?
No. They cannot do what they claim. Many will steal what funds remain accessible.
Can the Kadena Wallet team help me recover my wallet?
We can help with technical questions about how to use the wallet. We cannot recover lost recovery phrases — neither for our own wallet nor for any other wallet. The cryptography does not allow it.
My Chainweaver still works but I am worried it will stop. What should I do?
Write down your recovery phrase from the Chainweaver settings menu before doing anything else. Then plan a migration to actively-maintained software at your convenience. See Chainweaver alternative.
I think I have most of my recovery phrase, but I'm not sure about a few words. Is there a tool that can help?
For a small number of unknown positions (one or two words), there are open-source tools that can systematically try valid combinations. For larger numbers, there are too many combinations to test. Beware of any paid service offering to help; legitimate tools are open-source and free.
Can the Kadena chain help me recover my wallet?
The chain has no concept of "your wallet"; it only knows about addresses and signatures. Without the private keys, there is no way to authorize transactions from your addresses.
What if I report the lost wallet to the police?
Lost wallets cannot be recovered by law enforcement. If you have been the victim of a scam, reporting to law enforcement and your payment provider is appropriate; recovery prospects are limited but not zero in some jurisdictions.
Free · MIT · v2.02.5

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If you have specific questions about recovering a wallet you control, the Contact page is the right place to start.