Bruno Krauss
Blockchain.com’s wallet is a very popular app because it can be accessed both on the smartphone and via the browser. In addition, users also have the option to buy cryptocurrencies directly into their wallets. Although the company as the operator is a centralized provider, the user has full control when it comes to custody. Therefore, Blockchain.com does not directly assist the users of the wallet with support when it comes to recovering the wallet.
In this article, we will briefly explain what the Blockchain.com wallet actually is, how it works, what you can do yourself to secure and recover your wallet and when to contact wallet recovery services for professional help.
As already mentioned, you can reach the provider via the website or the smartphone app and set up a wallet. During the setup process, a so-called Secret Recovery Phrase, also known as a seed phrase, is created, which complies with the BIP-39 standard and includes a total of 12 words.
These 12 words are randomly selected from a set of 2048 words and are the human-readable form of the cryptographic backup needed to restore the wallet or access the coins later. Once you have created the wallet, you log in to the provider using your password, email address, and 2FA. The wallet that you will access is only an interface that allows you to send and receive Bitcoin, Ethereum and other Cryptocurrencies.
Blockchain.com does not store a backup copy of your private keys or seed phrase, so it is especially important to document it yourself. There is an option to store a backup of the wallet file in the cloud in addition to the seed phrase and private keys if you use the app via your smartphone. While this is useful, it ultimately cannot replace the function of the seed which remains indispensable especially when it comes to recovering your Blockchain wallet.
If you have come across this article and have not yet lost your access to the wallet, we would like to recommend creating a wallet recovery sheet. This could be a blank sheet of paper where you write down your 12 word seed phrase.
Whether you save it digitally or rather physically is a matter of taste, because, in the end, both methods have their advantages and disadvantages. It should be mentioned, however, that in paper form at least you don’t risk being hacked or losing anything if your own data is hacked. If you want to learn more about backups and backup copies, then we have the right reading material for you in this article.
With a Blockchain.com wallet, you automatically have a wallet for Bitcoin and Bitcoin Cash. The seed restores all wallets, including Ethereum and Stellar. However, there is an option that you can back up both private keys to your XLM and ETH addresses separately without having to use the seed phrase. The private keys consist of a complex combination of letters and numbers and must both be viewed separately in your account under the menu item “Wallets & Addresses”.
Similar to Bitcoin Core wallet recovery, you have a wallet file on your smartphone when using the Blockchain.com wallet. This is backed up for you in the cloud unless you have opted not to have this file backed up in the cloud. However, a copy is made by default when the wallet is created, so only if you intentionally opt-out, you will not have a backup.
However, this backup will only help you if you still know your password. This is because it is an encrypted record that can only be used with a password. Therefore, this backup is only helpful if you want to change your smartphone or if you have lost it, for example.
The likelihood of success in recovering your password depends on how much of your password you still know so take some time to think about what your password could be. As of 2018, Blockchain.com’s password requirements are: “Passwords must contain a lowercase letter, uppercase letter, number, special character and be at least 8 characters long”.
If you lose your password, it can be especially helpful:
Stay calm. Under pressure and stress, you may make more mistakes and won’t remember the details of the password.
If you remember fragments, you can try different combinations. It is best to keep a written record of failed attempt as you’ll have an exclusion list and you are guaranteed not to try combinations twice.
It is best to have access to the seed. Therefore, take your time and check whether you have written it down somewhere.
If all this doesn’t help, then the only thing left to do is to go to a professional. Accessing the private key or the password requires technical means, knowledge and experience. Even though we can’t give you a blanket promise of success, overall we have had very good experiences with our customers when it comes to recovering Blockchain.com or older Blockchain.info wallets. After you have contacted us via our contact form, our team will get in touch with you and give you an initial assessment of your case based on your information.
The good thing about a seed phrase is that it is a universal key that is accepted by most wallets. Therefore, you can use it to recover your Blockchain.com wallet without your password. You can use your seed with a new Blockchain.com wallet or you can import your seed phrase in an other wallet.
To do this, you create a new wallet with the software of your choice. Then you are usually asked if you want to import an existing wallet or create a completely new one. Here you choose “Import exisiting Wallet” and also specify in another intermediate step that you want to restore it with a BIP-39 seed.
After that, you enter the seed phrase in order from word 1 to word 12 and continue with the setup of the wallet as usual. Once the setup is complete, you will have full access to all the coins again. This way, you can also set up your smartphone wallet on your desktop without having to visit the Blockchain.com website.
The same applies to the two backups of the private keys to your Ethereum and Stellar wallet. Here, you have to import the key into a compatible wallet and then have access to the corresponding address again.
Written By
Co-founder and CTO Bruno is a crypto native. Long before the public hype around Bitcoin, Ethereum & Co, Bruno was already active in the crypto field. The idea for ReWallet came to him a few years ago when he lost access to his own wallet.
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