In the majority of centralized crypto exchanges such as Binance, Coinbase, and the like, you have restricted authority over your digital assets located in the wallets connected to your account since you do not have the private keys of these wallets.
However, on non-custodial wallets, the situation is somewhat different.
Trust Wallet, a non-custodial crypto wallet, grants its users complete control over their digital assets by providing them with the 12-word recovery/seed phrase that is associated with their wallet.
Unlike other crypto wallets, Trust Wallet does not give you the individual private keys associated with your wallet. Instead, it combines the keys into a 12-word recovery phrase, which is easier to back up and recall.
In this article, we will demonstrate how to generate your Trust Wallet private key from the recovery phrase that you previously accessed in a prior article on our website. With this method, you can easily and securely obtain your private key from the recovery phase.
How Do Private Keys Work? Explained: Trust Wallet Private Key
Once a wallet is established on the blockchain (using Trust Wallet as an example), two keys will be provided – the public key and the private key associated with the wallet.
The public key of the wallet functions like an email address, allowing one to receive and send cryptocurrency transactions on the blockchain.
This is commonly referred to as a wallet address across numerous blockchains. In some cases, the wallet address may not be the public key itself, but rather a derivative of the public key.
A public key, as the name implies, can be made accessible to the public and shared with anyone. This key gives you the ability to receive and store your digital currency on the blockchain.
The private key is related to the public key and provides access to the “vault” or wallet, which contains cryptocurrency held on the blockchain.
Your personal key, as its moniker implies, should always remain “secret” and only you have access to it. Funds stored in the public key (also referred to as the wallet address) are secure and can be managed from any wallet of your selection.
What Is the Difference Between the Trust Wallet’s Private Key and Recovery Phrase?
Creating a wallet on Trust Wallet provides access to more than one thousand different assets. However, backing up the private key for each of these wallets may be a complicated process.
For this purpose, many crypto wallets, such as Trust Wallet, employ an industry-standard approach to safeguarding your private keys: generating a 12-word recovery phrase that is easy to read, rather than having users maintain multiple private keys for multiple wallets.
The 12-word recovery phrase can be used to generate the private key for any crypto asset supported by Trust Wallet.
Step-by-Step Guide To Getting Your Private Key On Trust Wallet
To access your private key on Trust Wallet, you’ll need to retrieve your wallet’s recovery phrase and then use a Mnemonic code converter to generate your private key from the recovery phrase.
Here’s how to export your private key from Trust Wallet.
Step 1: Open the Trust Wallet app and choose [Settings] > [Wallets].
To access the Settings tab on the Trust Wallet mobile app, tap on [Settings] on the bottom navigation bar of your device.
On the Settings tab, select [Wallets] to view a list of all your wallets.
Step 2: Click the 3-dot icon next to the wallet of your choosing.
Click the 3-dot icon alongside the wallet whose private key you wish to export, then proceed.
Step 3: Press the [Show Recovery Phrase] button.
On the Wallets page, select [Show Recovery Phrase]. Check the boxes on the subsequent page and press [Continue] to display the recovery phrase.
Press [COPY] to save your recovery phrase to your clipboard. You may also want to write it down in a secure place as this will be used to generate the private key.
Step 4: Launch your browser and the BIP39 Mnemonic Code Converter Tool.
In order to create the private keys for the wallets linked to your recovery phrase, you must utilize a particular BIP39 Mnemonic Code Converter Tool through your web browser.
You can access this tool in two ways: by visiting the website directly via the given URL (https://iancoleman.io/bip39/) or by downloading the tool and running it on your browser offline.
It is strongly advised that you download the HTML file and run it on your own computer, as this offers increased safety compared to using the online version, as there is a much lower risk of someone obtaining your recovery phrase.
For downloading the tool on your device, go to the following website (https://github.com/iancoleman/bip39/releases) and download the file labeled “bip39-standalone.html” in the most recent version as shown in the image below.
Once the download is completed, click on the HTML file and open it with Google Chrome. We strongly suggest you use Google Chrome for this.
Step 5: In the “BIP39 Mnemonic” field, paste your recovery phrase.
Once the file has been opened, put the mnemonic phrase you got previously from Trust Wallet (or from your backup) into the “BIP39 Mnemonic” field.
Step 6: Choose the coin.
Scroll down and choose the cryptocurrency you need the private key for. For instance, if you require the private key for your Ethereum wallet on Trust Wallet, select Ethereum. This also applies to Bitcoin, Litecoin, and other cryptos available on the list.
Step 7: To the clipboard, copy the generated private key.
Go to the “Derived Addresses” section and copy the private key from the first row since it is associated with the recovery phrase’s default/first wallet of the chosen coin.
By following the instructions, you have now created the private key for the chosen asset from your recovery phrase. You can apply the same process for all the coins available on Trust Wallet, which is compatible with the Mnemonic code converter tool.
It is essential to safeguard the generated private keys, as anyone who is in possession of them will have complete, unrestricted access to your wallet and all the funds within it.
Is It Possible To Import A Wallet Using A Private Key To Trust the Wallet?
You can use a private key to access a wallet in Trust Wallet instead of needing the recovery phrase. Importing with only the private key is possible.
To add a wallet to Trust Wallet with a private key, go to [Settings] in the Trust Wallet app and select [Wallets].
On the Wallets page, press the [+] button.
On the following page, select “I already have a wallet”.
Select the asset you wish to import by using the created private key. If you possess a private key for an Ethereum (ETH) wallet, pick Ethereum from the list. The same holds true for other cryptocurrencies.
Select [PRIVATE KEY], then insert your key into the “Private Key” field. You can paste it directly from your clipboard by hitting [PASTE].
Finally, tap on the “IMPORT” button to transfer the wallet to your Trust Wallet account using the private key you copied.
Final Thought
Unlike numerous crypto wallets, Trust Wallet does not automatically supply you with the private keys for your wallets by default. Instead, it produces a 12-word seed/recovery phrase that contains all associated private keys.
To retrieve the private key for any of your wallets, you need to first copy the recovery phrase and paste it into a mnemonic code converter tool. This will then convert the recovery phrase into the private key of the selected coin.
Once you have the private key, you can re-import the wallet into any crypto wallet application with the key. This article hopefully helps those looking for an easy method to export the Trust Wallet private key.
FAQs
Q1. What is Get the Private Key for Your Trust Wallet (And Export)?
Ans. Get the Private Key for Your Trust Wallet (And Export) is a tool that helps you access the private key for your Trust Wallet, allowing you to export it for use in other wallets or services.
Q2. What is a private key?
Ans. A private key is a string of numbers and letters that is used to encrypt and unlock a wallet. It is also used to sign transactions and prove ownership of the wallet.
Q3. How do I access the private key for my Trust Wallet?
Ans. You can access the private key for your Trust Wallet by logging in to your Trust Wallet account and then selecting “Settings” and “Private Key”.
Q4. How do I export my private key?
Ans. You can export your private key by using the Get the Private Key for Your Trust Wallet (And Export) tool. Simply provide the address of your Trust Wallet account, and the tool will generate the private key for you.
Q5. Is my private key secure?
Ans. Yes, your private key is encrypted and stored securely in the Trust Wallet system.