Electrum BTC wallet watch only address help

[get2business]

My bitcoins ended in a watch only address and now I cant move them out.
How did I do it:

I created a paper wallet with bitaddress, I saved the key. Then I sent BTC to that paper wallet from exchange.
I then created an electrum wallet and saved the seed.
I then created a new electrum wallet within the previous wallet, with key from paper wallet, a watch only address, then I swiped the paper wallet into this watch only address.
This watch only wallet is a deterministic wallet, i dont have seed/key. Bitcoins are now there.
Is it possible to retrieve key from the seed of original electrum wallet? Any idea how?
Thanks.

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[TryNinja]

You created a watch-only wallet from the Bitcoin address? Did you save the private-key that came with it on bitaddress? That's literally the only thing that gives you access to your coins.

Your electrum wallet (with the seed) has nothing to do with the private key. You can't do anything with it.

[get2business]

yes, i have the paper wallet private-key. thats the one i have to use? i used that paperwallet private key to create the watch only wallet. but if i use the same private key in the watch only wallet, nothing happens. because bitcoins are not anymore in the paperwallet, they are in the watch-only wallet.
the watch only wallet address is not the same as paper wallet address but the private-key is the same?

[ranochigo]

No, but your description was fairly confusing.

So you've swept the funds from your paper wallet into the hierarchical deterministic wallet that you've created with Electrum? If that's the case, having the private key of the paper wallet is useless. You have to get the seeds to spend it. You said you've saved the seeds. If you can't find the seed from where you've saved it, or the wallet file of the HD wallet that you've created with Electrum, then you're out of luck.

[Upgrade00]

Your explanation is a bit confusing

yes, i have the paper wallet private-key. thats the one i have to use? i used that paperwallet private key to create the watch only wallet. but if i use the same private key in the watch only wallet, nothing happens. because bitcoins are not anymore in the paperwallet, they are in the watch-only wallet.

Importing with a private key would not result in a watch only address, this only happens when you use the master public key. If you used keys from the paper wallet to create the new address, you should be able to recover the funds if you have the xpriv as all child addresses are linked in a HD wallet.
If you swept the funds then, it was sent to a completely new address from the paper wallet and as such keys from it will not work.

[nc50lc]

This watch only wallet is a deterministic wallet, i dont have seed/key. Bitcoins are now there.

How do you get your hands on such watch-only wallet?
It's only possible if you've imported a "master public key" from a standard wallet.

The bad news is: there's no other way to reverse the transaction made by sweeping your paper wallet's key, unless the transaction is still unconfirmed and it has RBF flag.

If it's unconfirmed, you need to act fast, import the private key to a new wallet using "File->New/Restore", set a wallet name, next select "Import bitcoin addresses or private keys", then paste your private key.
The transaction should appear there, right click on it and select "cancel transaction" and sign then broadcast to send it back to yourself.
Note that the transaction should be unconfirmed (not a green check or colored pie) and flagged as "replaceable" (RBF: True).

[get2business]

Your explanation is a bit confusing

yes, i have the paper wallet private-key. thats the one i have to use? i used that paperwallet private key to create the watch only wallet. but if i use the same private key in the watch only wallet, nothing happens. because bitcoins are not anymore in the paperwallet, they are in the watch-only wallet.

Importing with a private key would not result in a watch only address, this only happens when you use the master public key. If you used keys from the paper wallet to create the new address, you should be able to recover the funds if you have the xpriv as all child addresses are linked in a HD wallet.
If you swept the funds then, it was sent to a completely new address from the paper wallet and as such keys from it will not work.

yes, i have xpriv key of electrum wallet. that is the wallet with the seed. so thats the key i should use? because the other guy before you said i have to use private key from paper wallet.


i was in that electrum wallet (the one with the seed) and i clicked "new/restore wallet", then i clicked "import btc address or private keys" then i pasted private-key of the paperwallet.
the new wallet address was created and then i clicked "send".
btc is now there.

i noticed if i right click on this new watch-only btc address, menu opens up with option "spend from". if i click it, the green line appears with "coin control active, outputs available"
then, if i want to send i click "pay", set fee, click "send" again, the button "sign" is not active...
where to put keys in and which key? i have all keys. i have xpriv, xpub, i have paper wallet key, i have seed.

[pooya87]

i was in that electrum wallet (the one with the seed) and i clicked "new/restore wallet", then i clicked "import btc address or private keys" then i pasted private-key of the paperwallet.

Since the result was a "watch only" wallet then what you pasted was not a private key but instead it was an address. A private key should start with letter L or K (of it is very old, it starts with 5).
And if this is what you did then you don't need to import any xprv or seed phrases, you just need to go to your paper wallet, find your "private key" (that starts with L or K) then use than in the same window as before in your new/restore section.

[get2business]

i was in that electrum wallet (the one with the seed) and i clicked "new/restore wallet", then i clicked "import btc address or private keys" then i pasted private-key of the paperwallet.

Since the result was a "watch only" wallet then what you pasted was not a private key but instead it was an address. A private key should start with letter L or K.
And if this is what you did then you don't need to import any xprv or seed phrases, you just need to go to your paper wallet, find your "private key" (that starts with L or K) then use than in the same window as before in your new/restore section.

i tried that, but the balance of new wallet is zero since there is nothing in the paper wallet. funds are in the watch-only wallet.

[get2business]

no. i have all the keys but dont know where to put them to be able to spend a watch-only address.
is there any online step by step instructions on how to remedy the situation? i cant find any...
or if you can help me with this, if someone had a similar problem?

[nc50lc]

I guess that it's now confirmed since you didn't replied to my post.

Perhaps you have the "master private key" (xprv) of that watch-only wallet where the funds were swept?
If so, just use the options "File->New/Restore", set a wallet name, click next; select "Standard wallet" then "Use a master key".
Paste the xprv key there and if it's the master private key of the watch-only wallet, the balance should reflect to the new non-watch-only wallet

[o_e_l_e_o]

Does the address in your watch only wallet (the address your bitcoin are now on) match the address printed on your paper wallet?
Does your watch only wallet which contains your bitcoin only show the one address they are on, or does it show many addresses?

It sounds like you have imported a single address from somewhere and then swept your paper wallet to it. You need to figure out where you copied that address from, as without doing that, you will not be able to access the coins.

[get2business]

I guess that it's now confirmed since you didn't replied to my post.

Perhaps you have the "master private key" (xprv) of that watch-only wallet where the funds were swept?
If so, just use the options "File->New/Restore", set a wallet name, click next; select "Standard wallet" then "Use a master key".
Paste the xprv key there and if it's the master private key of the watch-only wallet, the balance should reflect to the new non-watch-only wallet

Sorry for delay, I had other engagements.
Yes, tx has already been confirmed.
I will try that.
Will report the outcome.
Thanks.

[bob123]

Let me summarize:

You generated a paper wallet and saved the address together with the private key.
Afterwards you generate a new electrum wallet and sent all your funds to an address from electrum? For this, you imported the private key, not the addres. Correct?

If the address you sent the funds to, was from your electrum wallet.. then given that you don't have your wallet file anymore you do need your mnemonic code.
Without either the mnemonic code or the wallet file (and a password if you have set one) there is no way to access these coins.

[LoyceV]

It sounds like you have imported a single address from somewhere and then swept your paper wallet to it. You need to figure out where you copied that address from, as without doing that, you will not be able to access the coins.

This is what I get from reading this (quite confusing) story.

I then created an electrum wallet and saved the seed.

Great! So far so good.

I then created a new electrum wallet within the previous wallet, with key from paper wallet, a watch only address, then I swiped the paper wallet into this watch only address.

Did you import the watch-only address, or the private key?

This watch only wallet is a deterministic wallet

"A deterministic wallet is a system of deriving keys from a single starting point known as a seed."
I don't understand how you went from a paper wallet to a HD-wallet. I also don't understand how you sweeped the paper wallet onto the address you imported from the same paper wallet.

Can you start explaining everything from the start again?
Did you do all this recently, or did it happen years ago?

[get2business]

Success!
Transfered funds from watch-only to standard
I did this (thanks to @o_e_l_e_o):
created a new standard electrum wallet with seed
after that i clicked "wallet" -> "sweep" -> pasted private-key
funds are now in tx from paper wallet to standard electrum wallet.
waiting for confirmations...

Thanks a lot, bitcointalk forum community rulez!

@LoyceV
Fortunately, it wasnt HD wallet but an old paperwallet address that was in memory(?) of electrum appImage. In all confusion and panic, I thought it is a HD wallet but it wasnt.
I thought I created this wallet yesterday because I have a lot of HD wallets that I dont use.
Anyway, I found the private-key on a piece of paper.

[LoyceV]

created a new standard electrum wallet with seed
after that i clicked "wallet" -> "sweep" -> pasted private-key
funds are now in tx from paper wallet to standard electrum wallet.

So the funds were still on the original paper wallet? Earlier you said the transaction was confirmed. None of this makes much sense, but at least the end result is good. Don't lose your coins again

If your coins on your paper wallet were old enough, you may also own some Forkcoins.

[bob123]

Success!
Transfered funds from watch-only to standard

So.. There never was any transaction from your paper wallet to electrum in the first place?

Please make sure you do know where your coins are at. It seems you are very confused about the whole concept of bitcoin.

And never throw any private key or mnemonic key away. Even if you believe them to be empty.