How to restore electrum wallet using other client

[AB de Royse777]

This is my 2nd topic in a week after this: https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=5258755.0

I guess lately I am experimenting myself to know more about wallet security.

When I have the seed from another client like blockchain.com or wasabi and have the password (if any) then on Electrum we can just use the seed on the input seed field and check BIP39 seed then use extended seed (if have the password) then check the derivation path and the wallet is restored.

But when we have seed from Electrum and extended seed then how do I restore the wallet using another client like wasabi for example?

I have done some experiment with wasabi. With an Electrum seed I end up having another wallet in Wasabi. But with the same seed when I have BIP39 checked in Electrum then my Electrum wallet and Wasabi wallets are same. It seems my original Electrum wallet can not be restored in Wasabi which is without BIP39. I understand that with Wasabi only Native Segwit (bc1) can be used.


Cheers,

[Rath_]

But when we have seed from Electrum and extended seed then how do I restore the wallet using another client like wasabi for example?

You can't import your Electrum seed anywhere because it differs a bit from BIP 39 seeds (see this). You could get your Master Private Key and import it into a wallet which supports such a feature. If you want to have the same wallet in both Electrum and Wasabi then you should use Wasabi to generate a BIP 39 seed and import it into Electrum. You cannot convert your existing Electrum seed into a BIP 39 compatible one.

[AB de Royse777]

You can't import your Electrum seed anywhere because it differs a bit from BIP 39 seeds (see this). You could get your Master Private Key and import it into a wallet which supports such a feature. If you want to have the same wallet in both Electrum and Wasabi then you should use Wasabi to generate a BIP 39 seed and import it into Electrum. You cannot convert your existing Electrum seed into a BIP 39 compatible one.

Does this mean that for any reason if Electrum stops running its service and people stop running Electrum server then my coins are at risk since I can not restore the wallet with any other client?

[Rath_]

Does this mean that for any reason if Electrum stops running its service and people stop running Electrum server then my coins are at risk since I can not restore the wallet with any other client?

Electrum is not a service. Even if all the servers go down, which is highly unlike to happen, the client can work offline. You will be able to export a Master Private Key or private keys for individual addresses. If Electrum website ever goes down for some reason then I am quite sure that other people will maintain mirrors of both installers and the source code.

[TryNinja]

Does this mean that for any reason if Electrum stops running its service and people stop running Electrum server then my coins are at risk since I can not restore the wallet with any other client?

Also, knowing how Electrum generates the private-keys from your seed[1], anyone else can replicate it. So, even if for some reason, no one elses has a Electrum.exe and the software/code just vanishes from the world, you still will probably be able to get it back to work. After all, it's all generated on the client-side, with public known code (on github's repo), which doesn't even require any internet connection.

[1] https://electrum.readthedocs.io/en/latest/seedphrase.html

[mocacinno]

If i'm not mistaking, bluewallet supports electrum's custom seed format...

https://github.com/BlueWallet/

Not 100% sure tough (i've heared this statement before, but never tested it)

[AB de Royse777]

Electrum is not a service. Even if all the servers go down, which is highly unlike to happen, the client can work offline. You will be able to export a Master Private Key or private keys for individual addresses. If Electrum website ever goes down for some reason then I am quite sure that other people will maintain mirrors of both installers and the source code.

I see I made some poor choice of words. Thanks a ton.

If i'm not mistaking, bluewallet supports electrum's custom seed format...

https://github.com/BlueWallet/

Not 100% sure tough (i've heared this statement before, but never tested it)

I will give it a try when I have free time to spare.

[pooya87]

If i'm not mistaking, bluewallet supports electrum's custom seed format...
https://github.com/BlueWallet/
Not 100% sure tough (i've heared this statement before, but never tested it)

the source code of the wallet seems to have support for Electrum mnemonics anyways:
https://github.com/BlueWallet/BlueWallet/blob/d27768c6562f3d2e51353fc04cf430ac1b8bb926/class/wallets/hd-legacy-electrum-seed-p2pkh-wallet.js
https://github.com/BlueWallet/BlueWallet/blob/d27768c6562f3d2e51353fc04cf430ac1b8bb926/class/wallets/hd-segwit-electrum-seed-p2wpkh-wallet.js
it is using another library called electrum-mnemonic (risky in JavaScript?) which seems to have been released by bitcoinjs to validate and convert them to BIP32 seed.

[hugeblack]

So, even if for some reason, no one elses has a Electrum.exe and the software/code just vanishes from the world, you still will probably be able to get it back to work.

If Electrum website ever goes down for some reason then I am quite sure that other people will maintain mirrors of both installers and the source code.

That is too risky. Trust in a third party to obtain your master's private key.


Even if the wallet stops and there is no Electrum.exe, you can modify the Iancoleman^[1] page (Download and run it offline) to support Electrum.

this for bech32 BIP32 Extended Private Key:

Enter your seed ---> Click on BIP141 ---> Script Semantics (P2WPKH) ----> path (m/0'/0) --> copy your BIP32 Extended Private Key ---> paste it In any safe wallet.

Check your balance ----> BIP32 Extended Public Key


[1] https://iancoleman.io/bip39/

[bob123]

As others have mentioned already, electrum mnemonics can not be used in other (BIP 39) wallets.

However, if all servers stop running this doesn't mean that you can't access your funds anymore.
You can still just open electrum and export the master private key or the individual private keys. These can be imported into most wallets.

You'll just need an electrum executable. You could either archive one yourself, or clone the github repo to build it from source if necessary.

Instead of exporting/importing the private keys you might as well just create a transaction and use any other service to broadcast it.

[khaled0111]

If i'm not mistaking, bluewallet supports electrum's custom seed format...

https://github.com/BlueWallet/

Not 100% sure tough (i've heared this statement before, but never tested it)

Just tested it and it didn't work.
I created a new wallet with Electrum and imported the seed into BlueWallet but I got an error message:

Alert
Failed to import. Please, make sure that the provided data is valid

tried it with both legacy and segwit wallets and got the same result!

Am using BlueWallet 5.4.4

[OmegaStarScream]

If i'm not mistaking, bluewallet supports electrum's custom seed format...

https://github.com/BlueWallet/

Not 100% sure tough (i've heared this statement before, but never tested it)

Just tested it and it didn't work.
I created a new wallet with Electrum and imported the seed into BlueWallet but I got an error message:

Alert
Failed to import. Please, make sure that the provided data is valid

tried it with both legacy and segwit wallets and got the same result!

Am using BlueWallet 5.4.4

I assume you kept your wallet empty after creating it? If so, try to add some BTC to it and then try to import the wallet again, it should work (I've tried it a few weeks ago)

[TryNinja]

I assume you kept your wallet empty after creating it? If so, try to add some BTC to it and then try to import the wallet again, it should work (I've tried it a few weeks ago)

Why wouldn't they allow you to recover a seed (and make the user assume it is invalid) just because the wallet is empty?

But yeah, this could be the case. They say their seed can be used on Electrum on their FAQ, so Electrum > Blue Wallet should work too: http://help.bluewallet.io/en/articles/2847190-how-to-backup-export-and-import-your-wallet

[khaled0111]

I assume you kept your wallet empty after creating it? If so, try to add some BTC to it and then try to import the wallet again, it should work (I've tried it a few weeks ago)

You're right. The first wallet I imported was empty. Tried it again with an old wallet with few Satoshi in it and it was imported successfully. Weird!
There must be a logical explanation for this.

I agree with TryNinja, it doesn't make sense! Does any one know why BlueWallet doesn't allow importing wallets that have no history?

[nc50lc]

I assume you kept your wallet empty after creating it? If so, try to add some BTC to it and then try to import the wallet again, it should work (I've tried it a few weeks ago)

You're right. The first wallet I imported was empty. Tried it again with an old wallet with few Satoshi in it and it was imported successfully. Weird!
There must be a logical explanation for this.

I also have tried it and it worked for my SegWit Electrum seed (saved in plain text) with $5 balance.

I've first heard that requirement from this user (igor72) who seems to be a "fan" of Blue wallet:
https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=5249636.msg54516838#msg54516838

Based from one of the links in the post above, it's a BUG: https://github.com/BlueWallet/BlueWallet/issues/1088

[bob123]

I agree with TryNinja, it doesn't make sense! Does any one know why BlueWallet doesn't allow importing wallets that have no history?

It is probably the same reason as why exodus doesn't allow you to create a backup (showing mnemonic code of your wallet) until you have actually funded one of your addresses:
Bad implementation, bad wallet.

Whenever possible, avoid such wallets.

[igor72]

I've first heard that requirement from this user (igor72) who seems to be a "fan" of Blue wallet

No, I'm a fan of Electrum wallet .

[HCP]

It is probably the same reason as why exodus doesn't allow you to create a backup (showing mnemonic code of your wallet) until you have actually funded one of your addresses:
Bad implementation, bad wallet.

Surprisingly, they actually relented on this at some point... The newer versions of Exodus now shows your 12 word seed mnemonic when you create the wallet (and gives the option to view it at any time).

So, while it still has some other "features" that I dislike (inability to manually set fees, for instance), at least it doesn't require you to commit funds to actually test wallet restoration

[bob123]

Surprisingly, they actually relented on this at some point... The newer versions of Exodus now shows your 12 word seed mnemonic when you create the wallet (and gives the option to view it at any time).

Wow. Didn't expect that to ever happen 

So, while it still has some other "features" that I dislike (inability to manually set fees, for instance) [...]

Don't forget the fact that it is closed source because it "makes it harder to create malicious phishing versions".
Oh and the "email backup" also is.. lets say not ideal.