🖥️Desktop Browser Wallets
This guide walks you through installing a Desktop Browser Wallet.
Installing a Desktop Browser Wallet
Once you have chosen the wallet provider you wish to use, navigate to their website or find the wallet on your desktop browser extension app store.
This guide is based on the Phantom Wallet browser extension for the Brave browser. The process for installing and setting up other desktop browser wallets extensions is very similar.
Installing the wallet extension
Download and install the wallet extension onto your browser. You can do this by clicking ‘Add to Brave’ (or the browser you are using) and then clicking on the ‘Add Extension’ button.
2. Once the extension has been installed onto your browser, you’ll need to do one of the following:
Create a new wallet; or
Restore or access an existing wallet that you already own
Creating a new wallet
Follow this process if you do not have an existing SPL wallet and wish to create a new one.
Once you launch the browser extension app and select ‘Create a New Wallet’, you’ll be provided with a newly generated seed phrase – this phrase will need to be recorded somewhere securely.
This seed phrase is the only way to recover the wallet if you lose access to the device or application containing your wallet's secret key. (For example, if the plugin was uninstalled or your browser, your browser was uninstalled or your laptop was lost or stolen.)
On the other hand, if someone else were to get their hands on this seed phrase, they would be able to access your wallet and steal any funds within it.
For these reasons, it is important that you back this up in a place that is very secure.
It is generally recommended not to record the seed phrase digitally (i.e. taking a screen shot of it or storing it in a digital file that could be compromised or hacked).
Instead, it is generally advised to write the seed phrase down and store that information somewhere secure - like a safe.
2. Once you’ve recorded your seed phrase securely, you will be prompted to create a password to access your wallet extension and accept the terms and conditions set out by the wallet provider.
3. The wallet extension has now been installed and a new wallet has been created and securely stored within it. You can pin the wallet extension to be visible on your browser by clicking on the ‘jigsaw pizzle’ icon in the top-right hand side of your browser window, and then clicking the ‘pin’ icon next to the newly installed extension.
4. You can access your wallet at any time by clicking the pinned wallet icon on the top-right hand of your browser window. The wallet extension will then require you to enter your password to access it.
You can obtain the address of your wallet by clicking on the string of characters on the top of the wallet extension window.
Restoring or accessing an existing wallet
Follow this process if you have an existing wallet which you would like to restore or access via a new device, browser or application.
You may need to retore or access an existing wallet, if you:
Lost access to your wallet on another device; or
Want to be able to access the same wallet from multiple devices or browsers – e.g. you have the wallet installed on your mobile device but would like to access it from the browser on your desktop device
Once you launch the wallet extension on your browser, select ‘I already have a wallet’ (the wording may vary depending on the wallet provider – ‘Import Wallet’, ‘Recover Wallet’, etc.). You will then be prompted to enter the seed phrase of your existing wallet.
You will need to find the securely stored seed phrase for your existing wallet in order to recover it if you no longer have access to the wallet on another device or browser.
If you still have access to the wallet on another device/browser, you can request the wallet extension or app display the wallet's seed phrase for you. This is generally available within the 'settings' tab of a wallet.
2. Once you enter the correct seed phrase, your existing wallet should be recovered and secured within the browser wallet extension. Generally, multiple accounts can be derived from the same seed phrase, so the extension may prompt you to select which of those accounts you wish to recover.
3. Once you’ve recovered your wallet, you will be prompted to create a new password for the wallet extension and accept the terms and conditions set out by the wallet provider.
4. Your extension has now been installed and a new wallet has been created and securely stored within it. You can pin the wallet extension to be visible on your browser by clicking on the ‘jigsaw pizzle’ icon in the top-right hand side of your browser window, and then clicking the ‘pin’ icon next to the newly installed extension.
5. You can access the wallet at any time by clicking this icon in the top corner of your browser. After a number of minutes, the plugin will require you to provide your password as a security measure.
You can obtain the public key (address) of your wallet by clicking on the string of characters in the top of the wallet plugin's window.
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