Can I Recover a Mobile Wallet on Desktop Using 12-Word Phrases

[Davidvictorson]

I have little bitcoin in an exchange but assuming I'm considering moving the Bitcoin off an exchange using a mobile hot wallet like Sparrow or Blue Wallet and I've generated the 12-word recovery phrase and securely stored it. If let's say my mobile phone gets lost in a flood or destroyed in a fire but my laptop remains survives and I download the desktop version of Sparrow or Blue Wallet, will I be able to recover my wallet using the same 12 words?

This can also go the other way where it is the laptop that is wrecked but my mobile phone survives.

[Mia Chloe]

If you move the Bitcoins from the exchange to your wallet, you have simply given yourself full control over the coins. As long as you have your seed phrase, no matter the wallet you use ay where in the world, you will have full access to the coins. This is the reason why people are advised to avoid storing their coins in exchanges because in such cases the exchange has full control over them thus you have no seed phrase or master key to control the coins.
In addition you have to make sure the moved coins from the exchange was confirmed even at least a single confirmation will permit your spending in most wallets.

Don't forget to keep your keys safe 😁

[OmegaStarScream]

That's correct yes. You don't even need to install the desktop versions of those wallets. Any wallet would do. Even if sparrow or Bluewallet goes down a few years from now, you can still use pretty much any other wallet.

[Frankolala]

As long as you have your 12 seed phrase, you can import your wallet on any of the devices that is available with you. You can even import your seed phrase to an electrum wallet. Both the desktop version and the mobile version serves the same purpose. But you should know that sparrow wallet does not have a mobile version.

Just make sure that you write the words of your seed phrase correctly, and keep it safe from third party.

[Hatchy]

This can also go the other way where it is the laptop that is wrecked but my mobile phone survives.

Yes mate. any way you choose to generate your seedphrase be it generated using a wallet on your mobile device or a wallet on your desktop, you can import it either ways and on any wallet. You can import any Bip39 wallet into any standard wallet. Some wallets like electrum which doesn't generate their seedphrase using the Bip39 standard, would require you to import the seed generated using electrum only into electrum wallet.

[m2017]

I have little bitcoin in an exchange but assuming I'm considering moving the Bitcoin off an exchange using a mobile hot wallet like Sparrow or Blue Wallet and I've generated the 12-word recovery phrase and securely stored it. If let's say my mobile phone gets lost in a flood or destroyed in a fire but my laptop remains survives and I download the desktop version of Sparrow or Blue Wallet, will I be able to recover my wallet using the same 12 words?

This can also go the other way where it is the laptop that is wrecked but my mobile phone survives.

What about mobile electrum (although, of course, this is a matter of taste) to move bitcoin from the exchanger?

Or instead of 12 words, write down 24, so that you feel like it’s more reliable? In fact, there was a discussion that 12 words are almost as good as 24.

For reliable storage, it is better to use several (more than 1) backups and not limit yourself to just a piece of paper ("gets lost in a flood or destroyed in a fire"), but use cryptostainless steel (purchased or homemade).

[Charles-Tim]

I have little bitcoin in an exchange but assuming I'm considering moving the Bitcoin off an exchange using a mobile hot wallet like Sparrow or Blue Wallet and I've generated the 12-word recovery phrase and securely stored it. If let's say my mobile phone gets lost in a flood or destroyed in a fire but my laptop remains survives and I download the desktop version of Sparrow or Blue Wallet, will I be able to recover my wallet using the same 12 words?

Worth knowing that Sparrow is not having mobile versions but this is not what should be necessarily discussed on this thread. As other have posted already, be it on mobile or desktop, as long as it is BIP39 seed phrase, BIP39 compatible wallet can be used for the recovery.

[hosseinimr93]

All your private keys can be derived from your seed phrase through some mathematical calculations and your seed phrase and the derivation path are all you need to get access to your bitcoin.
Since most wallets uses standard derivation paths, you usually don't need to know the derivation path and knowing the seed phrase is enough.

Some wallets like electrum which doesn't generate their seedphrase using the Bip39 standard, would require you to import the seed generated using electrum only into electrum wallet.

You are right about electrum seed phrase not being BIP39. Electrum uses its own algorithm for generating seed phrases, but it may worth mentioning that you can import the seed phrase generated by electrum into bluewallet.

[khaled0111]

As long as the wallet you are going to import your seed into supports the protocol that was used to generate the seed then you are good and you will be able to restore your wallet without any problem.
Most of the reputable and well known wallets use bip39 so you are unlikely going to face compatibility issues when using different wallets. There are few exceptions and the most famous one is Electrum which has a different protocol but it still accepts importing bip39 seeds.

[Zaguru12]

Just as everyone has said you can import a seed phrase to just any wallet that supports it. The only problem sometimes is that if the wallet uses a custom seed phrase, you will have to find the wallet that is compatible with it. Should there even be a case where there is no longer wallet that supports that custom seed phrase, there is another way of using a tool like iancoleman to go from seed phrase to private key (since almost all follow same pattern of generation) which you can import in any wallet and then sweep your coins.

[FatFork]

I have little bitcoin in an exchange but assuming I'm considering moving the Bitcoin off an exchange using a mobile hot wallet like Sparrow or Blue Wallet and I've generated the 12-word recovery phrase and securely stored it. If let's say my mobile phone gets lost in a flood or destroyed in a fire but my laptop remains survives and I download the desktop version of Sparrow or Blue Wallet, will I be able to recover my wallet using the same 12 words?

Worth knowing that Sparrow is not having mobile versions but this is not what should be necessarily discussed on this thread. As other have posted already, be it on mobile or desktop, as long as it is BIP39 seed phrase, BIP39 compatible wallet can be used for the recovery.

Also worth knowing that Blue Wallet does not have a desktop version. But as you said, it's not central to this discussion. Still, there's probably a reason the OP chose these two wallets as an example.

@Davidvictorson, if you plan on using these wallets to hold your coins, it might be best to test things yourself, before putting any significant funds there. Create a new wallet on one device and try to import the same seed on another device. This test run will confirm that the wallets can handle recovery properly before you risk your real funds. At least, that's how I like to do things.

[Charles-Tim]

Also worth knowing that Blue Wallet does not have a desktop version. But as you said, it's not central to this discussion. Still, there's probably a reason the OP chose these two wallets as an example.

Bluewallet is not having Windows version but it has MacOS version. https://bluewallet.io/desktop-bitcoin-wallet/

[Findingnemo]

It's a shame that you didn't know that in few years of your forum journey, anyway it's better late than never.

Imagine 12 words seed is a key that can access your wallet from any device, so yeah as long as you have 12 words or sometimes a part of it can recover the wallet and you can even destroy the wallet after creating the wallet and seeds once you have offline backups which primarily called as paper wallet.

[Marvelman]

I'm also confused how someone active in crypto doesn't know about seed phrases.  That's like crypto basics! Wallets might change, but protecting that seed phrase is vital.  Its gotta be treated like treasure, with paper backups kept offline and all that.  I dunno, maybe we take some stuff for granted in this space that newcomers are still learning.

[virasog]

I have little bitcoin in an exchange but assuming I'm considering moving the Bitcoin off an exchange using a mobile hot wallet like Sparrow or Blue Wallet and I've generated the 12-word recovery phrase and securely stored it. If let's say my mobile phone gets lost in a flood or destroyed in a fire but my laptop remains survives and I download the desktop version of Sparrow or Blue Wallet, will I be able to recover my wallet using the same 12 words?

This can also go the other way where it is the laptop that is wrecked but my mobile phone survives.

You can lose both your mobile phone and your laptop and still your bitcoins will remain safe with you provided you have the 12 word seed phrase with you. Secondly, i am assuming in this case that your mobile phone and your laptop are destroyed completely because if you lose your laptop, someone can get control over your wallet by accessing the hard disk (if the wallet file is not encrypted) and the same goes for the mobile wallet.

I'm also confused how someone active in crypto doesn't know about seed phrases.  That's like crypto basics! Wallets might change, but protecting that seed phrase is vital.  Its gotta be treated like treasure, with paper backups kept offline and all that.  I dunno, maybe we take some stuff for granted in this space that newcomers are still learning.

There is no age of learning and if anyone wanted to know anything we should not discourage him. Sometimes even the most experienced person has little knowledge of something. We all are in the learning phase and this phase never ends.

[Davidvictorson]

The only problem sometimes is that if the wallet uses a custom seed phrase, you will have to find the wallet that is compatible with it. Should there even be a case where there is no longer wallet that supports that custom seed phrase, there is another way of using a tool like iancoleman to go from seed phrase to private key (since almost all follow same pattern of generation) which you can import in any wallet and then sweep your coins.

I am sorry but I do not seem to get this. Can you explain custom seed phrase and how to know if that is what a wallet uses?

@Davidvictorson, if you plan on using these wallets to hold your coins, it might be best to test things yourself, before putting any significant funds there. Create a new wallet on one device and try to import the same seed on another device. This test run will confirm that the wallets can handle recovery properly before you risk your real funds. At least, that's how I like to do things.

Thanks to you and Charles-Tim, I now know that both Sparrow and Blue Wallet doesn't have a mobile version. They were just hypothetical cases. Now I know, I would have to use Electrum Bitcoin wallet for Android, Exodus wallet or any other reputable bitcoin mobile wallet. I am going to try things out like you have suggested.

There is no age of learning and if anyone wanted to know anything we should not discourage him. Sometimes even the most experienced person has little knowledge of something. We all are in the learning phase and this phase never ends.

Thank you for explaining this to him better. This is a place for learning and not "knowledge-shaming" other users.

[Charles-Tim]

I would have to use Electrum Bitcoin wallet for Android, Exodus wallet or any other reputable bitcoin mobile wallet. I am going to try things out like you have suggested.

There are many bitcoin open source wallets. That is the reason I will not recommend Exodus because it is a close source wallet. I do not know if you also mean Electrum bitcoin wallet for Android or you mean Electrum and bitcoin wallet for Android. If it is the later, bitcoin wallet for Android is an open source wallet but does not support seed phrase backup which is the reason I do not like the wallet. You have to backup the encrypted wallet file. Because more wallets work for BIP39, I prefer not to use the wallet. The best bitcoin Android wallets that I have used are Electrum, Bluewallet and Samurai but you will need to go to settings to enable somethings like RBF to make it worth it if you want to use Samurai.

[hosseinimr93]

I am sorry but I do not seem to get this. Can you explain custom seed phrase and how to know if that is what a wallet uses?

I think Zaguru12 means a seed phrase that is not BIP39.

I now know that both Sparrow and Blue Wallet doesn't have a mobile version.

Bluewallet is available for mobile phones. It supports both android and IOS.

Now I know, I would have to use Electrum Bitcoin wallet for Android, Exodus wallet or any other reputable bitcoin mobile wallet.

Exodus is close-source and therefore it can't be called a reputable bitcoin wallet. There is no way to know how the keys are generated in Exodus.

[electronicash]

this is very convenient these days. we are all thinking of some flood and wildfire since it's the usual thing that could happen already or even war. seems not farfetch anymore.  i guess you have to keep your 12 seed phrase safe for you to be able to import the wallet when phone is lost.

i have done this before when my laptop is cranky. it takes so long to sync the wallet so i import the seed to the mobile version.

[Z-tight]

i have done this before when my laptop is cranky. it takes so long to sync the wallet so i import the seed to the mobile version.

What wallet is that, if your wallet is affected by bugs or is not recommended, importing it into a different device or into another wallet software does not really solve the problem. You should create a new wallet that is recommended and move all your funds there, that is the safest option.