Easy Electrum Wallet Question

[PricklyPete51]

I have an Electrum wallet on my windows machine.  I want to have the same wallet on my android phone.

On my phone in Electrum

I select Standard Wallet
I Already Have a Seed
I type in the seed from used in my windows Electrum wallet
The Next button never enables.

Can I use the same seed on my phone as on my Windows wallet?  If so why is the seed not being accepted?

If not is it possible to have the same wallet on Windows and Android at the same time?

Thanks so much in advance everyone.

[jackg]

Yes it is possible.
If you got to your addresses or recieving tab in electrum, does your address begin with a 1 or a bc1.

Did you validate the signatures for you desktop one (instructions on electrum.org).
Are you sure you got the words 100% correct. Try going the other way and going from android to computer?

[PricklyPete51]

Yes it is possible.
If you got to your addresses or recieving tab in electrum, does your address begin with a 1 or a bc1.

Did you validate the signatures for you desktop one (instructions on electrum.org).
Are you sure you got the words 100% correct. Try going the other way and going from android to computer?

Those addresses begin with a 1.

I don't think so, should I?
Quote words are 100% correct.  Even if they were wrong wouldn't the app's Next button in android enable but create a new wallet - not a copy of my Windows wallet?

Thanks very much!

ETA:  I searched for validate and signature on electrum.org and didn't see anything.  Is that the exact phrase or was that descriptive?  Is there official terminology for what you are referring to?

[bitmover]

Quote words are 100% correct.  Even if they were wrong wouldn't the app's Next button in android enable but create a new wallet - not a copy of my Windows wallet?

Some combinations of the 24 words are not valid. I don't know the exact reason for this, but it happens.i believe that most of he combinations of words are invalid.

Maybe someone with more knowledge can explain better.l why this happens.

Go to iancoleman.io/bip39 and try some combinations. You will see that many are invalid.

Make sure 100% the seed is correct and type it on your Android, it Should work.(you will lose a bit of security, as you are exposing your seed. But that's ok if not much funds).

[PricklyPete51]

Looks like I got it to work by importing the private key to android.  Does that sound correct?

[PricklyPete51]

Quote words are 100% correct.  Even if they were wrong wouldn't the app's Next button in android enable but create a new wallet - not a copy of my Windows wallet?

Some combinations of the 24 words are not valid. I don't know the exact reason for this, but it happens.i believe that most of he combinations of words are invalid.

Maybe someone with more knowledge can explain better.l why this happens.

Go to iancoleman.io/bip39 and try some combinations. You will see that many are invalid.

Make sure 100% the seed is correct and type it on your Android, it Should work.(you will lose a bit of security, as you are exposing your seed. But that's ok if not much funds).

Hmmm...  Interestingly icancoleman.io/bip39 says a couple of my words aren't on the valid list but I have a wallet using them on my windows machine created with Electrum.  Is this possible?  LOLOL

[pooya87]

~
Hmmm...  Interestingly icancoleman.io/bip39 says a couple of my words aren't on the valid list but I have a wallet using them on my windows machine created with Electrum.  Is this possible?  LOLOL

if you haven't messed around with your wallet and the wordlist file that Electrum uses then no it is not possible to have set of "English" words that are not in the wordlist of another tool such as Ian's tool for BIP39 because they all use the same set of words.
do a spell check. https://github.com/spesmilo/electrum/blob/master/electrum/wordlist/english.txt

[nc50lc]

Looks like I got it to work by importing the private key to android.  Does that sound correct?

Each addresses' private keys?
If so, the newly generated addresses will not be included in your Android Electrum.

Or the Master Public key?
This will create a "watch only" wallet instead.

You need the Master Private key to accomplish your intended result.

[jackg]

Looks like I got it to work by importing the private key to android.  Does that sound correct?

Import the masterprivate key by doing getmasterprivate (I think that's the command at least, I'm not entirely sure)...

[Abdussamad]

Quote words are 100% correct.  Even if they were wrong wouldn't the app's Next button in android enable but create a new wallet - not a copy of my Windows wallet?

Some combinations of the 24 words are not valid. I don't know the exact reason for this, but it happens.i believe that most of he combinations of words are invalid.

Maybe someone with more knowledge can explain better.l why this happens.

Go to iancoleman.io/bip39 and try some combinations. You will see that many are invalid.

Make sure 100% the seed is correct and type it on your Android, it Should work.(you will lose a bit of security, as you are exposing your seed. But that's ok if not much funds).

Hmmm...  Interestingly icancoleman.io/bip39 says a couple of my words aren't on the valid list but I have a wallet using them on my windows machine created with Electrum.  Is this possible?  LOLOL

what version of electrum do you have on windows? the version number should be in the window title bar and you can also get it via help menu > about.

you should be able to restore from a valid seed on android.  find out why the seed is not valid. in most cases you can find the seed words via wallet menu > seed in the PC version of electrum. a spelling mistake or incorrect order to the words may be one explanation.

also note that electrum seeds are not bip39. since 2.0 they use the bip39 dictionary but are not bip39 seeds. also since you've revealed them to a website you should consider your wallet compromised. both the windows and android ones.

create a new wallet via file new/restore on windows or tap the menu icon in the top right corner on android and choose wallets and then new.

[PricklyPete51]

Looks like I got it to work by importing the private key to android.  Does that sound correct?

Each addresses' private keys?
If so, the newly generated addresses will not be included in your Android Electrum.

Or the Master Public key?
This will create a "watch only" wallet instead.

You need the Master Private key to accomplish your intended result.

I believe that is what I did but no I can't find the damn QR link where I found the master key QR code in Electrum.

[PricklyPete51]

Quote words are 100% correct.  Even if they were wrong wouldn't the app's Next button in android enable but create a new wallet - not a copy of my Windows wallet?

Some combinations of the 24 words are not valid. I don't know the exact reason for this, but it happens.i believe that most of he combinations of words are invalid.

Maybe someone with more knowledge can explain better.l why this happens.

Go to iancoleman.io/bip39 and try some combinations. You will see that many are invalid.

Make sure 100% the seed is correct and type it on your Android, it Should work.(you will lose a bit of security, as you are exposing your seed. But that's ok if not much funds).

Hmmm...  Interestingly icancoleman.io/bip39 says a couple of my words aren't on the valid list but I have a wallet using them on my windows machine created with Electrum.  Is this possible?  LOLOL

what version of electrum do you have on windows? the version number should be in the window title bar and you can also get it via help menu > about.

you should be able to restore from a valid seed on android.  find out why the seed is not valid. in most cases you can find the seed words via wallet menu > seed in the PC version of electrum. a spelling mistake or incorrect order to the words may be one explanation.

also note that electrum seeds are not bip39. since 2.0 they use the bip39 dictionary but are not bip39 seeds. also since you've revealed them to a website you should consider your wallet compromised. both the windows and android ones.

create a new wallet via file new/restore on windows or tap the menu icon in the top right corner on android and choose wallets and then new.

Electrum Windows Version 3.2.3

There $1 ish in there so if I get robbed it's no big deal.

For example one word used is "shiny" not on the list and rejected by the web site.  Maybe I created the wallet elsewhere and am confused.

I think I'll just start over.

Also, my windows wallet menu seed is disabled in the app.

[PricklyPete51]

The more I think about and am back to exploring this issue the more I think I created a receive only wallet in Android.  I can make payments from windows but it seems not android.

So - somehow I got weird words into Electrum Windows and can't recreate the wallet in Android.  I'm going to delete and start again.

Electrum windows will let me use words not on the list if I click the BIP39 seed option when entering the seed.  Android doesn't have this option - that's why I can't enter the Windows Electrum seed into Android and get the "Create" button to enable.

OK then.  Delete BIP39 seeded wallet and create new wallets.

Thanks everyone for the help.

[Thirdspace]

So - somehow I got weird words into Electrum Windows and can't recreate the wallet in Android.  I'm going to delete and start again.

afaik Electrum seed is slightly different from standard BIP39 seed
the same seed will result different set of addresses because Electrum has its own spec generation 
I'm not talking about path derivation or word list but this:

One of the key differences is that the BIP39 spec (and by extension IanColeman tool) uses a passphrase of "mnemonic" + yourpassphrase... whereas Electrum uses a passphrase of "electrum" + yourpassphrase.

Electrum windows will let me use words not on the list if I click the BIP39 seed option when entering the seed.  Android doesn't have this option - that's why I can't enter the Windows Electrum seed into Android and get the "Create" button to enable.

it seems you've generated BIP39 seed in your windows electrum wallet,
so you need to specifically select "BIP39 seed" option when importing in your Electrum android
but again you said the option is not available in Electrum android

[PricklyPete51]

So - somehow I got weird words into Electrum Windows and can't recreate the wallet in Android.  I'm going to delete and start again.

afaik Electrum seed is slightly different from standard BIP39 seed
the same seed will result different set of addresses because Electrum has its own spec generation 
I'm not talking about path derivation or word list but this:

One of the key differences is that the BIP39 spec (and by extension IanColeman tool) uses a passphrase of "mnemonic" + yourpassphrase... whereas Electrum uses a passphrase of "electrum" + yourpassphrase.

Electrum windows will let me use words not on the list if I click the BIP39 seed option when entering the seed.  Android doesn't have this option - that's why I can't enter the Windows Electrum seed into Android and get the "Create" button to enable.

it seems you've generated BIP39 seed in your windows electrum wallet,
so you need to specifically select "BIP39 seed" option when importing in your Electrum android
but again you said the option is not available in Electrum android

Understood and learned.  New wallets in Windows and Android - both work both send and rec. - Issue was that Android doesn't allow BIP39 Windows does.  Sigh. LOL

[Abdussamad]

Regarding your seed words there are two possibilities:

- One is that the seed was generated in an old version of electrum. Electrum pre 2.0 used a different wordlist that does include "shiny" in it. You can find those words here: https://github.com/spesmilo/electrum/blob/3.2.2/lib/old_mnemonic.py#L30

- The other possibility is that you made a mistake writing down the seed words. You can refer to the seed words by going to wallet menu > seed. You can also fix any spelling mistakes by consulting the dictionary for current versions of electrum here: https://github.com/spesmilo/electrum/blob/3.2.2/lib/wordlist/english.txt . So instead of shiny try shine.

Finally I'd like to point out that electrum never ever generates bip39 seeds so what third space is saying cannot be true. Current versions of Electrum do use the bip39 dictionary though but a different method of converting the mnemonic to the wallet's private keys.

[jackg]

- The other possibility is that you made a mistake writing down the seed words. You can refer to the seed words by going to wallet menu > seed. You can also fix any spelling mistakes by consulting the dictionary for current versions of electrum here: https://github.com/spesmilo/electrum/blob/3.2.2/lib/wordlist/english.txt . So instead of shiny try shine.

Did they not change the algorithm also or should it be the same (if op tries it and shiny to shine doesn't work)?

Finally I'd like to point out that electrum never ever generates bip39 seeds so what third space is saying cannot be true. Current versions of Electrum do use the bip39 dictionary though but a different method of converting the mnemonic to the wallet's private keys.

Yes this is true, they went from mpk's (i think) to the seeds that are now used in v 2.0.

[Thirdspace]

Electrum windows will let me use words not on the list if I click the BIP39 seed option when entering the seed.

it seems you've generated imported BIP39 seed in your windows electrum wallet,

Finally I'd like to point out that electrum never ever generates bip39 seeds so what third space is saying cannot be true.

You're right, my bad... I meant to say "imported" because he mentioned "entering" seed
I know the fact that Electrum doesn't generate but can accept (compatible with) BIP39 mnemonic seed
I was reading another thread, quoted below, before replying yesterday's post

Electrum wallet itself is also compatible with BIP39 seeds... so while you can't generate a BIP39 seed within Electrum, you can still use a BIP39 seed (generated elsewhere) with Electrum to restore a wallet.

[PricklyPete51]

Electrum wallet itself is also compatible with BIP39 seeds... so while you can't generate a BIP39 seed within Electrum, you can still use a BIP39 seed (generated elsewhere) with Electrum to restore a wallet.

Just not in the Android version.

[Abdussamad]

- The other possibility is that you made a mistake writing down the seed words. You can refer to the seed words by going to wallet menu > seed. You can also fix any spelling mistakes by consulting the dictionary for current versions of electrum here: https://github.com/spesmilo/electrum/blob/3.2.2/lib/wordlist/english.txt . So instead of shiny try shine.

Did they not change the algorithm also or should it be the same (if op tries it and shiny to shine doesn't work)?

Electrum maintains backwards compatibility with all old seed mnemonics generated by the app. So pre 2.0 mnemonics should work in the latest version. When entering the mnemonic the software will display either old seed or standard next to the options button on the seed entry screen.

One advantage of the post 2.0 mnemonics is that they have a checksum in them which is how Electrum is able to identify them.

Finally I'd like to point out that electrum never ever generates bip39 seeds so what third space is saying cannot be true. Current versions of Electrum do use the bip39 dictionary though but a different method of converting the mnemonic to the wallet's private keys.

Yes this is true, they went from mpk's (i think) to the seeds that are now used in v 2.0.

MPK stands for master public key which is what electrum calls the root extended public key. Even pre 2.0 there were seeds and seed mnemonics. It's just that Electrum had it's own deterministic format back in the day and then switched to bip32 when that standard was published. The seed mnemonic format was also changed. They incorporated checksums for instance.