Importing wallets

The wallet import feature has been reenabled in Daedalus. This feature enables you to import wallets from ‘secret.key’ files of old versions of Daedalus (Daedalus version 0.15.1 and before.) Please note, importing wallets from state directories of Daedalus 1.0 onwards is not supported by this method, this is done automatically by Daedalus 3.3.0 or newer versions, provided the wallets are on the same state directory.

Daedalus state directory

The state directory is where Daedalus stores a user’s wallets, their settings and preferences, and a copy of the Cardano blockchain. The location of the state directory varies depending on the operating system:

Windows:

C:\Users\YOUR_USERNAME\AppData\Roaming\Daedalus

macOS:

/Users/YOUR_USERNAME/Library/Application Support/Daedalus

Linux:

~/.local/share/Daedalus/mainnet

The secret.key file

The secret.key file contains the private keys for all of a user’s Daedalus wallets. If users have lost their wallet recovery phrases, they can still use the secret.key file to import wallets, even without a full state directory backup. Without the full state directory, however, Daedalus will not be able to import wallet names, making it harder to match wallets with spending passwords. Users importing from just a secret.key file will need to try their known spending passwords against all imported wallets to correctly identify them.

The secret.key file is located in a subdirectory named Secrets-1.0 on Windows and macOS platforms, and a Secrets subdirectory on Linux, within the state directory location for each operating system.

Using the import feature

1. Initiating wallet import 

The wallet import feature can also be used at any time by clicking the Add wallet button and then clicking the Import button.

Windows users must close all other versions of Daedalus before importing wallets. Attempting to import a wallet while other versions of Daedalus are still running will cause an error message to appear.

2. Selecting a state directory or a secret.key file

Daedalus will automatically select the default state directory location, based on the operating system. Click the pencil icon to choose a different location if the state directory backup is elsewhere. 

If you have backed up the state directory on a USB drive or other external device, choose Import from Daedalus secret.key file and click on the pencil icon to select the secret.key file. 

Please be sure to select a state directory which contains the Secrets or Secrets-1.0 folder with a secret.key file inside, and make sure that the old version of Daedalus is not running, or else you will experience the error message shown below.

Users with just the secret.key file should use the ‘Select Daedalus ‘secret.key’ file’ option and click the pencil icon to select the file they want to import from. Please be sure to select a valid 'secret key' file, and make sure that the old version of Daedalus is not running, or you will experience the error message below.

Click Import wallets to continue. 

3. Selecting wallets

Select wallets to import and edit wallet names if desired. Unnamed wallets will require a name to import them.

Click Import selected wallets. Wallets can be selected and imported individually, or all at once.If the wallet you are trying to import is already in the state directory, Daedalus will display that the wallet already exists.

4. Setting spending passwords

Users will need to set a spending password for any imported wallets which do not already have one. If your wallet was protected with a spending password on the old version, you need to use the same spending password to be able to create transactions from this wallet. In other words, spending passwords are mandatory and wallet functionality is locked until a spending password is set. Daedalus will prompt users to set a spending password and provide step-by-step instructions when users try to access a wallet without a spending password.

5. Moving funds from a wallet with lost recovery phrase

Important: after importing a wallet for which you have lost your wallet recovery phrase, please create a new wallet and transfer all funds from the old wallet to the new wallet. Please remember that to move funds from the imported wallet, you will need to use your old spending password. Please also remember to keep the wallet recovery phrase for your new wallet in a safe and secure location.

Troubleshooting 

File name must be secret.key

When trying to run the import always make sure the secret file is named correctly - the name MUST match: secret.keyAny other name will cause the feature to fail.

No wallets found.  File size 203 bytes

If you try to import wallets from the secret.key get the errorNo wallets found. Make sure you have selected a valid 'secret.key' file. Please check the size of your secret.key file. A file size of 203 bytes means that the file is empty and does not contain data of any wallet. In this case the only way for you to restore your wallet is using the recovery phrase.

Need help? 

For assistance, please submit a ticket to the IOHK support team from the Help menu in Daedalus, or by using the submit a request form.

For timely resolution, please be sure to send your logs with your request. Please see also How to download log files