Upload your Website to a .eth or .crypto Domain

3 min read

If you’d like to upload your very own decentralized website to an ENS or Unstoppable Domain, you will first need to purchase a domain name.

To purchase a .eth domain, you can use the Ethereum Naming Service (ENS) Manager from our Dapps section on MEW web. If you’re interested in a .crypto domain, you can use the Unstoppable Domain Manager from the same Dapp section.

You will also need either a ZIP file of your website or the IPFS hash.

How to Set Up your Decentralized Website with an ENS Domain

Step 1. Access your wallet.

• Make sure your wallet has a .eth domain attached to the public address.

Step 2. Head to the ‘Dapps’ section, and select the ENS Manager.

Step 3. Click over to the ‘Manage’ tab, then select the ENS domain that should host your website.

Step 4. Click ‘Manage’ again at this step to be taken to the domain details section. Scroll down to the ‘IPFS Hash’ section.

Step 5. If you have a ZIP file, click ‘Upload your website’ and select the file. Otherwise, paste your IPFS hash directly into the box.

Step 6. Select ‘Set IPFS Hash’.

• You will need to confirm some transactions. If you’re using a device to access your wallet, remember you may need to confirm the transaction on your device.

Step 7. Your web content will process. Once your transaction posts, your website will be ready!

• It will take some time for your website to upload.
• You may need to refresh the MEW web interface to see your IPFS set.

Step 8. You’re done! Your website is now viewable by using your .eth domain name with MetaMask or the Unstoppable Domains browser extension, or by adding .link to the end of it on your normal browser (i.e. myfavoritewallet.eth.link).

How to Set Up your Decentralized Website with an Unstoppable Domain

Step 1. Access your wallet.

• Make sure your wallet has a .crypto domain attached to the public address.

Step 2. Head to the ‘Dapps’ section, and select the Unstoppable Domains Manager.

Step 3. Click over to the ‘Manage’ tab, then select the Unstoppable Domain that should host your website.

Step 4. Scroll down to the ‘IPFS Hash’ section.

Step 5. If you have a ZIP file, click ‘Upload your website’ and select the file. Otherwise, paste your IPFS hash directly into the box.

Step 6. Select ‘Set IPFS Hash’.

• You will need to confirm some transactions. If you’re using a device to access your wallet, remember you may need to confirm the transaction on your device.

Step 7. Your web content will process. Once your transaction posts, your website will be ready!

• It will take some time for your website to upload.
• You may need to refresh the MEW web interface to see your IPFS set.

Step 8. You’re done! Your website is now viewable by typing your .crypto domain into the Unstoppable Domain Browser, using it with the Unstoppable Domains Browser extension, or by using the Opera browser.

Earn on your Deposits with Aave

4 min read

Aave allows you to deposit and borrow 16 different types of cryptocurrencies while earning on your deposited collateral. Borrowed assets will accrue an annual interest that needs to be paid back when you’re done with the loan, but this accrual can be switched between a variable or stable rate..

If you’d like to deposit or borrow assets with Aave, you will need a wallet you can access with our interface. If you do not have a wallet, check out out guide on how to create a wallet to set one up.

Using Aave to earn on deposited assets

Step 1. Head to MEW and select ‘Access My Wallet’.

Step 2. Select ‘Dapps’ from the menu on the left or scroll down to our ‘Dapps’ section, then choose ‘Aave’.

Step 3. Click the green button that says ‘Deposit’ to see the full list of assets you can deposit. The earning rates for each currency are listed under the ‘APY’ section.

• Different assets have different earning rates and borrowing power. Browse the selection before making your choice.
• Remember, you can always swap for the asset you want to deposit using our Swap page.
• Your “Aggregated Balance” shows the Total Balance for your deposits. If you’ve deposited more than one type of asset, you will see the total value covered by all your deposited assets.

Step 4. After you deposit, you will be sent a token in the form of ‘a_Token_’, which will be pegged 1:1 with the asset you’ve deposited. Once you withdraw your deposited assets, extra funds earned through the ‘a_Token_’ will be credited to your account.

• For example, depositing 1 ETH will give you 1 aETH, which will slowly grow in balance as time goes on. When you withdraw, that extra balance will be credited to you.

Using Aave to borrow ERC20 tokens and stablecoins

Step 1. You’ll first need to deposit assets to use as collateral, which can be completed in the section above. After you’re done, head to the ‘Borrowings’ tab on the Dapp.

• The “You Borrowed” section refers to the Total Amount you’ve borrowed, including different types of assets. It will also show you how much you have left to borrow, signified by the “__% Available” phrase.
• “Your Collateral” shows the total you have deposited for use as collateral. This is similar to the “Aggregated Balance” from your Deposits page.
• Note the ‘Loan to value’ percentage at the bottom of this page. This is the amount of borrowing power your deposited assets hold displayed in a weighted average. For example, 1 ETH at 80% Loan to value will allow 0.8 ETH’s worth of assets to be borrowed.

Step 2. Select the green button that says ‘Borrow’ to see the full list of assets you can borrow. Each asset has different interest rates that will need to be paid back after you’re done with the loan.

• You can filter the list between Stablecoins and All using the ticker located at the top-left of the list.

Step 3. Once you begin the borrowing process, you will need to choose between a Stable and Variable rate of interest. Choose the rates that work best for you, listed under the ‘Stable APY’ and ‘Variable APY’ categories. Some assets offer both options, while others are tied to just one.

• If your asset offers both, you can switch between the two rate types whenever you want.

Step 4. You can borrow multiple types of assets, but keep an eye on your Health Factor. This number represents the amount you’ve borrowed in relation to the amount you’ve deposited. If your Health Factor reaches 1 or below, your deposited assets become at risk of being liquidated.

• To raise your health factor, pay back some of your borrowed assets or deposit more for collateral.

Step 5. When you’re paying back your borrowed assets, you’ll need to pay a little extra to cover any interest accrued during the loan period. All of the assets listed can be swapped from our Swap section through one of our providers.

Register and Manage .eth Domains with ENS

3 min read

The Ethereum Name Service, also known as ENS, is a domain service that assigns a user-specific domain tied to your wallet’s account address.

ENS domains take the format of YourDomainHere.eth. The intention behind this is to simplify the normal public address into a form that is easier to use and send to others. There are other use cases as well, but this is the main reason for this service as of right now.

An easy example of this is our MEW donation address:

Normal donation address: 0xDECAF9CD2367cdbb726E904cD6397eDFcAe6068D

.eth donation address: mewtopia.eth

Both of these addresses lead to the same wallet destination, but the ENS domain is much more convenient.

How to Register an ENS Domain

Step 1. Head to MyEtherWallet.com.

• Always check the URL to make sure you’re on our legit site!

Step 2. Access your wallet.

• If you don’t already have a wallet, you will need to create a new wallet.
• You will also need a small amount of ETH for gas. We generally recommend .01 ETH for 1 - 2 transactions. Initializing and finalizing ENS domains both count as a transactions.

Step 3. Head to the Dapps section, to the left of your wallet’s overview page. It can also be found at the bottom of the page, under the ‘Dapps’ section.

• Here you will see the ‘ENS Manager’ option. Click there!

Step 4. Enter your desired domain name to see if it is available.

• ENS domains must be 3 characters or longer.
• Keep in mind that the final product will look like YourDomainHere.eth.
• You can also search Etherscan.io for available ENS domains.

Step 5. If your domain is available, you can register it. Select the amount of time you wish to own the domain and click Register.

• Most longer domains cost the equivalent of $5/year in ETH to maintain, but the shorter the domain, the more expensive it becomes.
• They can be owned indefinitely, as long as this annual fee is paid.

Step 6. After confirming the transaction, your domain request will process for a moment. When it’s done, select Register again and confirm the second transaction.

Step 7. Check your transaction on Etherscan.io. It should show your public address under the ‘Owner’ field.

This process will set your address as the owner of the domain.

Multi-Coin Domain Support (BTC, LTC, and more!)

Step 1. In order to set up your new domain for other cryptocurrencies, search it once again on MyEtherWallet in the ENS Manager Dapp.

Step 2. Once you’ve found your domain, click ‘Manage’.

Step 3. Select the coin you’d like this domain to interact with from the drop-down menu on the right. Enter the address you’d like all funds to be directed to in the coin’s empty address field.

Step 4. Confirm three separate transactions, and your domain will be ready to receive funds through a different address!

Transferring Ownership

Step 1. If you want to transfer ownership of your domain, search it once again on MyEtherWallet in the ENS Manager Dapp.

Step 2. Click ‘Manage’, and enter the address you’d like to transfer the ownership to under the ‘Transfer ENS domain to:’ field.

Step 3. Confirm the transaction, and the ownership of your domain will be transferred.

Set up Recurring Payments with Ambrpay

1 min read

Ambrpay has integrated with MEW to set up and manage recurring payments. This can be utilized in a variety of ways, like setting up subscriptions for services or managing frequent payments to friends, etc.

If you’d like to set up a payment system with Ambrpay, you will need a wallet you can access with our interface. If you do not have a wallet, check out our guide on how to create a wallet to set one up.

Using Ambrpay with MEW

Step 1. Access your wallet.

• Choose your preferred method of access.

Step 2. Head to the Dapps section to the left of your wallet’s dashboard.

• Select Ambrpay from our list of Dapps.

Step 3. Add funds to your balance by selecting ‘Add Funds’.

• Ambrpay pulls your subscription payments from a pool of funds you deposit into the contract. Select how much you’d like to send to this pool.
• Ambrpay takes a 1% fee for this service.

Step 4. Set up the subscription.

• Fill in the details of your subscription. Determine how much you’d like to pay and how often you’d like this payment to occur (in days).

After your subscription is set up, you can cancel it at any time through the ‘My Subscriptions’ section.

You can also ‘Withdraw Funds’ from the contract, found in the same area as ‘Add Funds’.

Schedule a Transaction with ChronoLogic

1 min read

The Ethereum Alarm Clock Protocol hosted by ChronoLogic allows users to schedule their transactions right on MEW’s interface, enabling users to set a later date and time for their transaction.

Using the Ethereum Alarm Clock Protocol

Step 1. Access your wallet.

Step 2. Head to the Dapps page on your Wallet Dashboard.

Step 3. Select “Schedule a Transaction”.

Step 4. Fill in your transaction information.

• Select the type of crypto you’re sending and the amount you’d like to send.
• Fill in the ‘To Address’ with the final address you’d like the payment to be delivered to.
• Set a Date & Time when you’d like the transaction to post, and make sure you’re using the correct timezone.
• Set a ‘Time Bounty’ as the amount of ETH you’d like to use as gas for your future transaction.

Step 5. When you’re done, select ‘Schedule Transaction’ and confirm the transaction on your device, if you’re using one.

Step 6. You’re done! Your transaction will post on the scheduled date & time.

Buy a .crypto Domain with Unstoppable Domains

2 min read

Unstoppable Domains is a service that assigns a user-specific domain tied to your wallet’s account address.

Unstoppable Domains take the format of YourDomainHere.crypto. The intention behind this is to simplify the normal public address into a form that is easier to use and send to others.

An easy example of this is our MEW donation address:

Normal donation address: 0xDECAF9CD2367cdbb726E904cD6397eDFcAe6068D

.crypto donation address: mewtopia.crypto

Both of these addresses lead to the same wallet destination, but the Unstoppable Domain version is much more convenient.

How to Register an Unstoppable Domain

Step 1. Head to MyEtherWallet.com.

• Always check the URL to make sure you’re on our legit site!

Step 2. Access your wallet.

• If you don’t already have a wallet, you will need to create a new wallet.
• You will also need $40 worth of ETH for the domain, and a small amount of ETH for gas. We generally recommend .01 ETH for 1 - 2 transactions.

Step 3. Head to the Dapps section, to the left of your wallet’s overview page. It can also be found at the bottom of the page, under the ‘Dapps’ section.

• Here you will see the ‘Unstoppable Domains’ option. Click there!

Step 4. Enter your desired domain name to see if it is available.

• Unstoppable Domains must be 6 characters or longer.
• Keep in mind that the final product will look like YourDomainHere.crypto.

Step 5. If your domain is available, you can buy it for $40 by clicking ‘Buy’.

• Unstoppable Domains allows you to purchase the domain with fiat through a Credit Card, if you want to. This process is handled by a third party service called Stripe.

Step 6. After confirming the transaction, your domain request will process for a moment. When it’s done, you will be redirected to a page that tells you to wait around 5 - 10 minutes.

Step 7. After the processing is completed, you’re done! Your new domain will be transferred to the wallet you used to purchase it.

• The address your domain points to should automatically be set as the same one you used to purchase it.

This process will set your address as the owner of the domain. To view more information about your domain, you’ll need to set up an account at the Unstoppable Domains website, or search your new .crypto domain on their homepage.

Stake on Eth2 using MEW web

3 min read

MEW has integrated Staked.us to make it easier than ever to create a validator on Eth2 and earn rewards.

Once you stake on Eth2 to create a validator, no further action is required. Staked.us will maintain and update your validator for you.

In order to create a validator, you’ll need at least 32 ETH to stake. Your stake will live on the Beacon Chain, which is the foundation for Eth2. For more information on Eth2, the Beacon Chain, and creating a validator, read our write-up on Phase 0 of Eth2.

You will also need an Eth2 withdrawal address. Eth2 withdrawal addresses are used to withdraw your staked ETH and rewards. Each user will receive an Eth2 withdrawal address, a keystore file, and a recovery phrase for their Eth2 stake. If you stake more than 32 ETH, additional validators will all be tied to this same address. You can generate your very own Eth2 withdrawal address on the MEW web interface.

When you generate your Eth2 withdrawal address, you will enter a password. This password is tied to your keystore file. You will also receive a recovery phrase, which in this case is a list of 24 words. Make sure you write these words down and keep them safe.

You can also verify your Eth2 withdrawal address with your keystore file to make sure everything is working properly.

Don’t lose your Eth2 keystore file + password and recovery phrase! They hold your keys and are necessary for future access. No one can recover these for you, so it’s very important you take care of them.

Staking and the Risks Involved

Staked.us is the provider for our Staking integration. Staked.us will not have access to your stake or rewards, but they will be responsible for maintaining your validator. If a validator is down for a prolonged period of time, there are risks of having your staked ETH slashed. Therefore, your stake is in the hands of Staked.us.

In addition, all staked ETH and rewards from your validator will be unable to be withdrawn until a later phase of Eth2 released on an unknown date in the future. It’s very important that you understand all ETH staked during Phase 0 will be unavailable for withdrawal until Eth2 transfers are enabled in a later phase.

Stake your ETH on Eth2 with MEW web

Step 1. Access MEW web through your preferred access method. If you use the MEW wallet app, you can stake on Eth2 directly from the MEW wallet app.

Step 2. Head to the DApps section, and select ‘Staked’.

Step 3. Enter or select a multiple of 32 ETH. For each stake of 32 ETH, Staked.us will create a validator on your behalf.

Step 4. Upload your Eth2 keystore file from when you generated your Eth2 withdrawal address.

Step 5. Review your staking information and double-check your Eth2 withdrawal address for accuracy. Then select ‘Enable Staking’.

Step 6. You will need to wait a few seconds to a few minutes for Staked to create your validator(s). After that, you can click ‘Stake on Eth2’ to confirm the transaction and finish the staking process.

Step 7. Your validator is now ready to go on Eth2, although it may take up to 48 hours for it to be finalized. You can view your transaction on Etherscan. Staked.us will maintain and update your validator(s) for you, so all you have to do is reap the rewards.

Open a Multi-Collateral Vault with MakerDAO

2 min read

If you’d like to open a Vault using our MakerDAO Dapp, you will need a wallet you can access with our interface. If you do not have one yet, check out our guide on how to set up a new wallet.

Opening Your Vault

Step 1. Unlock your wallet on our site by selecting ‘Access My Wallet’, then choosing the method of access you prefer.

Step 2. Head to our Dapps section to the left of your Wallet Overview page, then select ‘MakerDAO’.

Step 3. Select ‘Create a Vault’ to get started.

Step 4. Set the amount of ETH you would like to offer as collateral. Remember to leave some wiggle room to account for the shifting markets. 200% and above is usually a safe bet.

• Before you generate your vault, you’ll need to select ‘Create Proxy’.
• Make sure to confirm the transactions on your device, if you’re using one.

Step 5. The MakerDAO page will shift to show new details about your holdings.

Earning Interest With DAI

Step 1. Head to the MakerDAO Dapp page and select ‘DAI Savings’.

Step 2. Choose ‘Set’ to set allowance for Maker to interact with your DAI.

• You will need to ‘Deploy Proxy’ if it’s your first time. Select ‘Setup’ in the top area of this section.

Step 3. Choose how much DAI you’d like to deposit. Interest rates are accrued annually.

Step 4. To withdraw, you can follow the same procedure, but select ‘Withdraw’.

Closing Your Vault

Step 1. When you’re ready, head back to the Dapps section and select ‘MakerDAO’.

Step 2. Click ‘Manage Your Vault’ to see your holdings.

Step 3. You will need to pay your DAI back in order to withdraw your ETH. Under ‘DAI Position’, select ‘Pay back >’.

• You will have to ‘Approve’ the DAI amount in order to pay it back, which will count as a separate transaction.
• Please wait for both transactions to post as ‘Success’ before continuing.

Step 4. Once approved and paid back, you can withdraw your ETH. Under ‘ETH Collateral’, select ‘Withdraw >’.

Step 5. Your vault doesn’t actually close, but remains empty and ready should you ever need to use it again.

Here’s a video showing the process:

What’s DeFi?

Uses, Benefits, and Risks

3 min read

DeFi is an abbreviation of the phrase Decentralized Finance, and it encompasses all financial tools and applications built on decentralized cryptocurrency networks. Recently, it’s most frequently used specifically to describe lending, borrowing, and yield farming (also called liquidity mining) on the Ethereum blockchain.

What can I do with DeFi?

While there are a multitude of DeFi protocols and combinations (in fact, they are called ‘DeFi legos’ because of their endless combinability), the varied uses of DeFi can be simplified down to two categories: lending and borrowing.

When you lend crypto, whether by putting it into a savings-account-like smart contract or into a pool to provide liquidity, you can earn interest on your crypto, with the returns often exceeding those provided by traditional finance instruments. You can also gather rewards in the form of the protocol’s governance tokens. These tokens will allow you to vote on proposals about changes to the DeFi protocol, so that you, as an investor, have some control over the project’s direction. Of course, governance tokens can also be sold for profit like any other crypto asset.

When you borrow crypto, you can take advantage of immediate loans without the need for approval from any third parties – BUT, most of the time, you must provide collateral. This means that you would deposit some ETH, for example, and take out a loan of the stablecoin DAI, to be used in any way you see fit.

The loan amount should always be significantly lower than the collateral, but your deposit could also be earning interest and growing in value in the meantime. Therefore, in the best case scenario, you are taking advantage of both the loan and the growing value of the collateral. On the other hand, if market volatility leads to a drop in your collateral’s price and you don’t repay the loan in time, your collateral could be liquidated.

An advanced user might leverage the borrowing and lending capabilities to combine DeFi legos, taking out loans on one platform to provide liquidity on another, earning governance tokens on multiple platforms, and maximizing returns. However, this strategy should only be used by experts who are able to navigate the complexities of the market and have a high risk tolerance.

To summarize, let’s look at the main benefits and risks of DeFi:

DeFi Benefits

• Near-instant execution without reliance on third parties
• Virtually no geographic limitations
• Full control over your funds and information
• Unlimited combinability of protocols
• Returns on investment that may be unavailable in traditional finance

DeFi Risks

• Market volatility can devalue your collateral, raising the risk of liquidation and making it more difficult to repay a loan
• Because of volatility and interest accrual over time, it’s essential to monitor the loan closely to avoid liquidation
• Many scams and projects that haven’t had their code properly audited, leading to loss of funds for most participants
• Full control over funds also means full responsibility for their security - you alone are responsible for your wallet keys, and for paying back your loans on time

Does MEW API Have a Limit on the Amount of Requests I Can Make?

2 min read

If you are a heavy user of our API or MyEtherWallet (MEW), you may get rate-limited.

If so, it typically looks something like this:

(Source for Rate-Limit Example)

MyEtherWallet, at the time of this writing, rate-limits at 400 requests per minute (or about 6 requests per second). This is in order to prevent DDOS’s like we have seen before, or people using our nodes to excess.

This should be more than enough for a single person’s use, but feel free to reach out to us about why you need more, and we can adjust.

If you are going to be using it more than 400 req per minute on average, or just want to ensure uptime, we strongly recommend you get your own node.

Our backend infrastructure is on AWS and is open-source via Docker + CloudFormation walkthrough. You can actually do it yourself and run your own public or private node via these instructions.

Or you could pay a small fee and use QuikNode, which makes it even easier.

For both of these options, you could connect to your new node via the ‘Add Custom Node’ option in the network selector in the top-right corner. Further details on how to connect to your own node can be found here, or you could connect directly via API.

Does MyEtherWallet have an API?

1 min read

MEW doesn’t have an api, but here are the API docs for Etherscan, Infura, Alchemy, and Rivet (the four main providers of public nodes):

• Infura
• Etherscan
• Alchemy
• Rivet

Our backend infrastructure is on AWS. You can actually do it yourself and run your own public or private node.

Or you could pay a small fee and use QuikNode, which makes it even easier.

For both of these options, you could also connect to your own node via the ‘Add Custom Node’ option in the network selector in the top-right corner. For more information, read our article on troubleshooting custom node issues.

Or use our API directly to it (see the docs in the above APIs).

Generate an Eth2 Withdrawal Address for Staking on Eth2

6 min read

MEW’s integration of Staked lets users stake multiples of 32 ETH on Eth2 to earn rewards.

To learn more about staking on Eth2, visit our article on how to stake on Eth2 using MEW web.

Before you stake on Eth2, it’s necessary to have an Eth2 Withdrawal Address. When you stake using the MEW wallet app, your Eth2 withdrawal address is tied to your 24 word recovery phrase. However, on MEW web, it’s necessary to create a new Eth2 withdrawal address for your stake.

Your MEW web Eth2 withdrawal address will have a keystore file + password and a 24 word recovery phrase tied to it. It’s very important you keep both your keystore file + password and recovery phrase safe, as we cannot recover these for you. This information is necessary to withdraw your stake and rewards in the future. Without these, your ETH may be locked up indefinitely.

It’s suggested that you verify your Eth2 withdrawal address with your keystore file to make sure everything is working properly. You can find the verification process halfway through this article.

Generate an Eth2 Withdrawal Address on MEW web

Step 1. Head to www.myetherwallet.com and scroll down to the footer. Here you’ll find a ‘Generate Eth2 address’ tool at the bottom of the ‘Discover’ section.

Step 2. Enter a strong password for your Eth2 keystore file, then enter it again to confirm. This password will be the key to unlock your keystore file. It’s very important that you keep track of it.

Step 3. You will be taken to a screen that shows a 24 word recovery phrase. Write down your 24 word phrase with pen and paper and store it somewhere physically secure. Taking a screenshot won’t protect you from your computer failing, and it makes your phrase vulnerable to hackers.

Step 4. Download your keystore file from this same screen. Keep it somewhere secure and offline, such as a USB. It’s advisable to download multiple copies and keep them on separate USBs, so if one fails, you’ll have backups.

Step 5. You’re done! You will see your new Eth2 withdrawal address on the success screen. It is suggested that you write this down and keep track of it. This address is not necessary for future access, but it’s a good idea to know your own withdrawal address.

Verify your Eth2 Withdrawal Address using Windows

For extra security and ease of mind, it’s recommended that you double-check your withdrawal address. This process is a bit complicated, but if you follow these steps exactly, you should be able to follow through to the end.

Step 1. Head to our Eth2 keystore verification tool on Github. Download the Windows ZIP file for your system.

Step 2. Extract the ZIP file to your computer, and head into the new ‘eth2deposit’ folders until you see ‘deposit.exe’.

Step 3. Hold shift and right-click in the empty space of this folder, then select ‘Open PowerShell’.

Step 4. Enter this command for Windows: “.\deposit verify-keystore”

Step 5. Enter the path of your Eth2 keystore file. To find your path, you can right-click on the keystore and click ‘Properties’. It will look something like: “C:\Users\since\OneDrive\Desktop” (if you have it on your desktop). Once you find this, make sure you add the keystore file’s name to the end. So it should look like: “C:\Users\since\OneDrive\Desktop\keystore-m_12381_3600_0_01607022974412.json”

Step 6. Once you enter this into the terminal and click ‘Enter’, it should ask you for your keystore file’s password. Enter it, then enter it again to confirm it.

Step 7. You’re done! Your terminal should say, “Success! Your keystore is valid.” Underneath of this message, you will see your Eth2 withdrawal address, or ‘public key’. Compare it with the address you saw when you first generated your Eth2 keystore file for accuracy.

Verify your Eth2 Withdrawal Address using Mac

For extra security and ease of mind, it’s recommended that you double-check your withdrawal address. This process is a bit complicated, but if you follow these steps exactly, you should be able to follow through to the end.

Step 1. Head to our Eth2 keystore verification tool on Github. Download the Mac (darwin) TAR.ZG file for your system.

Step 2. Extract the ZIP file to your computer, and head into the new ‘eth2deposit’ folders until you see ‘deposit’. Click the gear icon and select the option that says “Copy ‘eth2deposit….’ as Pathname”.

Step 3. Hold Cmd + space and type in the word ‘Terminal’ to open the terminal for your Mac. Here, type “cd “ and paste the Pathname you copied from the previous step, then press ‘Enter’.

Step 4. Enter this command for Mac: “./deposit verify-keystore” and press ‘Enter’.

Step 5. Enter the path of your Eth2 keystore file. To find your path, you can hold Option + right-click on the keystore file and click “Copy ‘keystore-m….json’ as Pathname”. After that, head back to the terminal and paste it in. It will look something like: “/Users/stephen/Desktop/keystore-m_12381_3600_0_0-1607370800275.json” (if you have it on your desktop).

Step 6. Once you enter this into the terminal and click ‘Enter’, it should ask you for your keystore file’s password. Enter it, then enter it again to confirm it.

Step 7. You’re done! Your terminal should say, “Success! Your keystore is valid.” Underneath of this message, you will see your Eth2 withdrawal address, or ‘public key’. Compare it with the address you saw when you first generated your Eth2 keystore file for accuracy.

How to Interact with a Multisig Contract

2 min read

Step 1. Access your wallet and head to the ‘Contracts’ section, to the left of your wallet interface.

Step 2. Locate your preferred Multisig Contract ABI in the dropdown, or manually enter the contract’s ABI.

Step 3. Check the contract address to make sure it’s the one you’re looking for, then press ‘Continue’.

• You may need to enter your contract address in the ‘Contract Address’ field at the top.

Step 4. Select ‘Execute’ from the dropdown menu.

• Enter the address you want to send to in the _To field.
• Enter the amount you want to send in the _Value field.
• In the Data field, type 0x. This sets it to empty.
• Leave the Value in ETH as 0.
• Click Write.
• Confirm the transaction and send.

Step 5. Click the Transaction ID that outputs with the ‘Success’ message. Copy this ID.

Step 6. If it’s a multisig contract with two owners, you will need to refresh this page and choose ‘Confirm’.

• In Step 5, you opened the Transaction ID from the ‘Execute’ call. Your page should look like this example of a transaction hash.
• Click the ‘Event Logs’ tab.
• For reference, in this example of event logs (note this is not YOUR information, it’s an example), the _h value would be 9228aeaf3ed560274899483646ea4ce9b322bccffac60cac2d035d08752617f4.
• Check the link above where it says that string, and then compare it to find what YOUR _h value is. It will be different than what we provided as an example.
• Go back to MEW, where you have the ‘Confirm’ page open, and paste your string into the _h field.
• Click ‘Write’ again.
• Confirm and send the transaction.

Step 7. Double-check to confirm everything went as intended.

Step 8. If your multisig is a 3 of 5 multisig, you will repeat the confirm process outlined in Step 6 until it reaches the necessary approvals. Luckily, the _h value will remain the same for each of them.

Step 9. You can view another approval from our example of the event logs from before.

Step 10. Feel free to repeat this process whenever you want to send ETH.

Using MEW as a Progressive Web App (PWA)

1 min read

You can now use MEW as a Progressive Web App (PWA), allowing access to a faster and more stable version of our site directly from a shortcut on your computer desktop or smartphone. Using a PWA on your computer eliminates the risk of accessing a fake website or a compromised DNS, adding to the security of interacting with crypto services online.

On a smartphone, it enables the use of MEW’s interface as a real app accessible right from your phone’s app directory. This allows our interface to send notifications and be used offline, the same as any traditional smartphone app.

To make use of this feature, you first need to be on a supported browser (Chrome and Brave are MEW-recommended browsers).

Head to our web page and check in your browser settings for the option “Install MyEtherWallet…”

This will install the website to your computer as a PWA shortcut, making it available for easy access and providing an improved user experience.

How to Submit a Pull Request to MEW’s GitHub

1 min read

MyEtherWallet (MEW) is an open-source platform, meaning we believe in transparency and offer our code freely to all who choose to view it, via GitHub.

This also means that we are always ready and willing to accept community support, through the use of pull requests. To make a pull request for MEW, you need only follow a simple process.

Submit a Pull Request

Step 1. Login or join GitHub.

Step 2. Navigate to the file you wish to modify.

Step 3. Click the pencil icon in the upper right corner.

Step 4. Make the changes you wish to see reflected on MEW.

Step 5. At the bottom of the same screen, type a short message explaining what you changed and why in the title box.

Step 6. Click the green ‘Propose File Change’ button.

Step 7. Click ‘Create Pull Request’, twice.

Step 8. Celebrate, you’re done! We will review the changes made and include them with our next release, if everything looks good.

What is an Ethereum Smart Contract?

3 min read

First, let’s look at what a contract is. A contract generally outlines a relationship between two parties, bound by law. If one party violates that contract, actions can be taken against them for essentially breaking the law. Many beginning users confuse contracts and smart contracts, and while they can hold similar functionality, they are used for different purposes.

A smart contract is a self-executing contract, written in code, the primary purpose of which is to achieve a goal without the interference of a middleman. Smart contracts can be used to exchange money, property, shares, data, or anything of real value, while remaining decentralized and transparent. The contract itself regulates what action is taken, based on its code. Smart contracts will always achieve the same end goal, based on what input is being used. While regular contracts are meant to be permanently (or temporarily) binding to the law, smart contracts actually are permanent. They make their own laws with their behavior. Using a smart contract for any other purpose than their primary one is impossible. They are immutable, bound to the Ethereum blockchain and unable to be edited. This may sound a bit complicated or confusing, so let’s view it in a different light.

The original creator of smart contract technology was Nick Szabo. In 1993, he hatched the idea for a system similar to a digital vending machine. A user could input a value or data string, and the digital machine would execute itself based on the input to return a finite item. This is how smart contracts were developed. A simple example of this would be a user sending ETH to their friend, but only at a specified time. They could create their own smart contract to send the funds at a later date, deposit their funds, and the smart contract would self-execute to send the funds as specified without any further external input.

The Ethereum blockchain was created specifically to write and execute smart contracts. While Bitcoin technically supported the very basic smart contract of transferring BTC, this is generally regarded as only the tip of the iceberg. With a little innovation and creativity, smart contracts can be built on top of one another to create completely decentralized applications (Dapps) and decentralized autonomous organizations (DAOs). In these cases, each smart contract performs a function, which triggers another function in another contract, which continues to develop until a complicated action is completed without needing any centralized authority to monitor it.

Some generally well-known use cases for smart contracts are:

• Multi-signature wallets, which require a majority of the wallet’s owners to agree on spending before the contract executes.
• Managing relationship agreements between two users, i.e. buying insurance or property ownership.
• Providing information or utility for other contracts to pull from.
• Storing information, such as personal information, medical data, membership records, consensus ledgers, etc.

The use cases for smart contracts are endless. We are only beginning to scratch the surface of what this technology can offer, and how it will revolutionize the world.

Eth2 and Staking

3 min read

Eth2 (also called Ethereum v 2.0 or ETH 2.0) refers to the substantial upgrade that is coming to the Ethereum blockchain over the next couple of years. Phase 0 — the launch of staking and the Beacon Chain — is scheduled to take place in December 2020/January 2021, with other phases to follow as they become ready. The full transition to Eth2 will not be complete until 2022, at the earliest.

What does this mean, and how is it going to affect current users of Ethereum and MEW specifically?

Currently, the Ethereum blockchain is maintained through the Proof of Work (PoW) model. This is the original blockchain model, also used by the Bitcoin blockchain. While effective, it is not the best option for scaling to a large amount of transactions and requires a lot of electrical power to run. As Ethereum grows, the Proof of Work model is becoming unsustainable.

Eth2 will employ the Proof of Stake model (PoS), which will significantly improve transaction throughput and reduce dependency on electricity. In this system, users who have staked 32 ETH in the new network become validators who maintain the blockchain. Being a validator means running specific software on a computer that must be connected to the internet 24/7. Validators will be rewarded with ETH for validating blocks, and penalized if they are not performing validation duties as required. This validation process replaces the Proof of Work process.

The other big change for Eth2 is the introduction of shard chains, with Beacon Chain being the main one. Shard chains are smaller chains which will run alongside the main Ethereum blockchain, increasing the amount of transactions that can be validated and improving efficiency. Block validations will happen on shard chains, and will be recorded and verified on the Beacon Chain.

As these changes take place, current Ethereum users do not need to do anything for the upgrade. Eth2 will be fully compatible with the current Ethereum blockchain, ETH, ERC20 tokens, NFTs, DApps, and MEW.

However, depending on the amount of funds you have available and your commitment to the Ethereum ecosystem, you may choose to stake your ETH and become part of the Proof of Stake model.

As mentioned above, to become a validator, a user needs to stake an exact amount of 32 ETH. Staking 32 ETH multiple times allows a user to run multiple validators, increasing chances of block rewards.

Staking ETH means depositing it into an Eth2 staking contract through a specialized interface (DO NOT send funds directly to the Eth2 deposit contract). This ETH gets locked in the contract for the foreseeable future as Eth2 phases of development move forward. To become a validator, in addition to staking 32 ETH, a user needs to run their own node software and make sure that it is kept well-maintained. Staking in a pool is also possible: this way, the user does not need to perform the validation duties, but the rewards are also reduced.

To stay informed about the progress of Eth2, please follow MEW on official social media channels, such as Twitter or Facebook, as well as our Medium and MEWtopia blogs.

What Happens if MEW Goes Down?

1 min read

Short answer:

Nothing, besides looking for another wallet interface.

Longer answer:

Your funds and information are not ‘in’ MyEtherWallet (MEW). Your wallet exists on the blockchain itself, and MEW just offers a way for anyone to interact with the blockchain easily. If MEW went down, you would simply have to find another Ethereum blockchain interface that would allow you to access your wallet.

The information used to unlock your MEW wallet is the same information that can be used to unlock your wallet on another platform. We always suggest doing research before entering your information into an unfamiliar site.

You can also run MyEtherWallet locally and/or connect it to your own node.

Back to the Basics: 10 MEW Tips for Ethereum Beginners

3 min read

1. Check the URL to make sure it says ‘MyEtherWallet.com’.

• Keep us bookmarked for future use.
• Phishers are tricky, so make sure there are no dots or accents on any of the letters.
• If you find a phishing site, send it to us so we can take it down!
• Download EAL, PhishFort, or Cryptonite for up-to-date alerts when visiting known phishing sites.

2. Use the checksummed version of your address.

• This is the version of your address that includes both capital and lowercase letters.
• Check out our article for more information on checksummed addresses.

3. Send a small amount first, to test the waters.

• We cannot reverse, cancel, or refund transactions. Make sure you know the process inside and out!
• Read our user-guide all about sending transactions.

4. Keep your information off the computer.

• Write down everything in physical backups.
• Pen and paper is highly underrated. No one can hack your notebook!
• However, you can lose your notebook – so make extra copies.
• Use MEW offline for extra security!

5. Do not share your private information with anyone.

• Including us! We will never ask for your private key, keystore file, or recovery phrase.

6. We will never email you first.

• If you got an email from us without emailing us first, it’s not us.

7. Google can be your best friend or your worst enemy.

• Do your research and remain skeptical!
• Before sending to a third-party or using a new service, Google the service name + ‘scam’ or ‘reviews’.

8. Pay very close attention to the address you’re sending to.

• Sending to a wrong address can mean the permanent loss of your funds. Make sure you know who you’re sending to.
• Double and triple check everything. Even one wrong character will make a difference and lead to loss of funds.
• Never hand type anything. Copy & paste is your best friend!
• Make sure you’re not sending to a contract address! Funds sent directly to a contract address can not be recovered.

9. Buy a hardware wallet.

• Hardware wallets are generally around ~100 USD and offer the best protection for your crypto assets.
• Ledger and Trezor are two great options we highly recommend!

10. Ask for help.

• This is still a very new field, but it has a strong community to back it up.
• Social media platforms like Reddit and Twitter are filled with real people who live and breathe crypto, ourselves included!
• Reach out to our support team directly if you’re ever confused or have concerns. We can be reached at support@myetherwallet.com.

Checking Your Balance on the Ethereum Blockchain

3 min read

It’s easy to check your balance and transaction history on an Ethereum blockchain explorer like EthVM, Etherscan, or Ethplorer.

These websites offer a full history of your activity. All you have to do is search your public Ethereum address, which is the 42 character string beginning with ‘0x’. It is not recommended to unlock your wallet on a wallet interface like MEW every time you’d like to check your balance, for the security of your information.

Be aware that when checking balances from different blockchains, like ETC, you will need to use a different blockchain explorer.

EthVM

Step 1. Head to EthVM.

Step 2. In the search bar, enter your Ethereum public address, (0x…..).

Step 3. You will be taken to a wallet overview.

• At the top, the checksummed version of your address will be displayed. Read our article about the differences between checksummed and non-checksummed addresses.
• Just below your address, you will see your total ETH balance, USD value equivalent, and the total number of different types of tokens you hold.
• In the first tab, ‘Transaction History’, you will find a list of all your recent transactions.
• In the ‘ERC20 Tokens’ tab, you can find your token balances. When looking for custom token information, this is where you can select a specific token to find its contract address, decimal count, and symbol. Check out our guide to learn more about adding custom tokens to MEW.
• The last tab, ‘NFTs’, shows all your Non-Fungible ERC721 tokens.

Etherscan

Step 1. Head to Etherscan.io.

Step 2. In the search bar, enter your Ethereum public address, (0x…..).

Step 3. You will be taken to a wallet overview.

• At the top, you will see the checksummed version of your address. Read our article about the differences between checksummed and non-checksummed addresses.
• In the ‘Overview’ section, you will see your ETH balance and value.
• Under ‘Token’, you can find your Token Balances. When looking for custom token information, this is where you can select a specific token to find its contract address, decimal count, and symbol. Check out our guide to learn more about adding custom tokens to MEW.
• The tabs at the bottom of the screen show the history of ETH, ERC20 token, and ERC721 token transactions.

Ethplorer

Step 1. Head to Ethplorer.io.

Step 2. In the search bar, enter your Ethereum public address, (0x…..).

Step 3. You will be taken to a wallet overview.

• To the left, you will see the checksummed version of your address. Read our article about the differences between checksummed and non-checksummed addresses.
• You can also find your ETH balance to the left, under ‘Address Information’.
• To the right, you can find your Token Balances. When looking for custom token information, this is where you can select a specific token to find its contract address, decimal count, and symbol. Check out our guide to learn more about adding custom tokens to MEW.
• The bottom of the screen shows the history of ETH, ERC20 token, and ERC721 token transactions. You can apply filters if you want to see just ETH or tokens, using tick marks at the top.

How to Access Your Wallet on MEW web

This article is meant for those that already have an ETH wallet. If you would like to create a wallet from scratch, please refer to this article on how to create a wallet.

9 min read

MyEtherWallet (MEW) offers a variety of ways to access one’s Ethereum wallet, by selecting the ‘Access My Wallet’ option on the front page.

They are, from most to least recommended:

• Hardware Wallets (Ledger Nano S, Trezor, Digital Bitbox, Finney, etc.)
• MEW wallet, MEW’s official mobile app for iOS and Android, and WalletLink / WalletConnect
• Browser Extensions a.k.a. Web3 (MEW CX, MetaMask, etc.)
• Software
  • Keystore/JSON File + password
  • Mnemonic Phrase + extra word (optional)
  • Private Key

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Most Recommended:

Hardware Wallets

Hardware wallets use the highest security measures to encrypt a private key within the device itself, keeping phishers and hackers at bay. Users of most hardwares wallets do not receive their private key, but instead receive a 24-word mnemonic phrase for recovery purposes. The devices are also usually accompanied by a pin code or password used to unlock the device, and all information about each wallet is kept on the actual physical device itself.

To learn more about accessing MEW with hardware wallets, reference our Migrating to/from MEW category.

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MEW wallet

This is our fully fledged MEW mobile app for iOS and Android smartphones. It’s simple, fast, and secure to use. When creating a wallet with MEW wallet, your private key is kept encrypted on a secure, local vault in your phone. For backup, you are given a mnemonic phrase (much like the hardware wallets above). The wallet is also accompanied by a pin or password, which is used to unlock it on your device.

To learn more about accessing MEW with MEW wallet, reference our MEW wallet User Guide.

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WalletLink / WalletConnect

WalletLink is a connection protocol used by the mobile app Coinbase Wallet, and WalletConnect is another connection protocol that’s already being used by over 20 mobile wallets like Trust Wallet, MetaMask, Coinomi, etc. By integrating support for all these wallets to connect with MEW, it’s now possible to explore all of Ethereum from many different outlets.

These wallets each have their own connection processes, but it always boils down to the same action- scanning a QR code with your app to connect to MEW.

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Browser Extension (Web3) Wallets:

What is Web3?

MEW CX

MEW CX is MyEtherWallet’s offical Web3 Chrome Extension wallet. It offers all the functionality of the web-version of MEW in the convenience of an toolbar extension. It also hosts the ability to interact with web-based Dapps, such as CryptoKitties.

MEW CX will come in conflict with any other Web3 wallets you have, such as MetaMask or Brave Browser’s in-house wallet. Make sure all other Web3 wallets are disabled before using MEW CX.

To connect MEW with MEW CX

Step 1. Install the MEW CX wallet via our Chrome Extension.

Step 2. Open the extension and select ‘Add Wallet’ to create a new wallet or add an existing one.

Step 2. Once you’ve saved a wallet, head to the MEW website. On the front page, select ‘Access My Wallet’.

Step 3. Select the ‘Browser Extension’ option to connect.

Step 4. Read and accept the ‘Terms and Conditions’, then select ‘Access My Wallet’.

Step 5. Confirm which wallet you’d like to connect with in the MEW CX pop-up window, or select ‘Burner Account’ for a temporary wallet.

Step 6. You’re done!

MetaMask

This is a Chrome Extension that allows the creation of an ethereum-based wallet that keeps one’s private key encrypted within the extension itself. It also generates a 12-word mnemonic phrase for recovery purposes. MetaMask allows users to name their separate wallets, see funds within the extension, and offers the option to import the private key information of a previously created wallet, if desired.

To connect MEW with MetaMask:

This assumes you already have a MetaMask wallet.

Step 1. Login to your MetaMask wallet via their Chrome Extension.

Step 2. On the MEW front page, select ‘Access My Wallet’.

Step 3. Select the ‘Browser Extension’ option to connect.

Step 4. Read and accept the ‘Terms and Conditions’, then select ‘Access My Wallet’.

Step 5. Confirm connection in the MetaMask pop-up window.

Step 6. You’re done!

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These methods are not recommended:

Keystore/JSON + Password

The Keystore/JSON is a file that holds an encrypted version of one’s private key. This key is encrypted with a chosen password by the user. As such, it is impossible to change the password for these files. The only way to change the password is to make a completely new Keystore file, which can be achieved in our MEW Chrome Extension with one’s private key. Keystore files should not be opened. They are only to be utilized when accessing the Keystore/JSON option on our site and when prompted for one’s ‘JSON file’. Check out our article about the functionality of a Keystore/JSON file.

To connect with Keystore/JSON + Password:

This is not a recommended way to connect. We highly suggest using MEW offline for this option.

Step 1. On the MEW front page, select ‘Access My Wallet’.

Step 2. Choose the ‘Software’ option to connect, then select ‘JSON File’ and click ‘Continue’.

Step 3. Locate your Keystore/JSON file in the pop-up window. It should begin with ‘UTC–’.

Step 4. Enter your password, and click ‘Unlock wallet’.

Step 5. You’re done!

Mnemonic Phrase (+ Extra Word)

This is a list of 12 to 24 words that are generated and given to users upon certain forms of wallet creation (i.e. the MEW wallet app, MetaMask, Hardware Wallets, JAXX wallets, etc.). Sometimes these phrases have an extra word associated with them, and sometimes they do not. The order and spelling of the words in a mnemonic phrase is directly tied to one’s private key, and therefore is not recommended as a regular way to access a wallet. It is best to only use this phrase for recovery purposes.

To connect with Mnemonic Phrase (+ Extra Word):

This is not a recommended way to connect. We highly suggest using MEW offline for this option.

Step 1. On the MEW front page, select ‘Access My Wallet’.

Step 2. Choose the ‘Software’ option to connect, then select ‘Mnemonic Phrase’ and click ‘Continue’.

Step 3. Choose whether it was a 12 or 24 word phrase, then fill out the form.

Step 4. Enter your extra word (leave this blank if you’re using a the MEW wallet app phrase), and click ‘Unlock wallet’.

Step 5. Choose your wallet’s address amongst the list generated, and you’re done!

Private Key

The private key is a string of 64 characters tied permanently to a public address. This is sometimes given to users when wallets are created and sometimes kept encrypted (in the case of the MEW wallet app, MetaMask, and Hardware Wallets). Using one’s private key should always be a last-ditch effort of access, only to be utilized when all else fails. This should not be the main method of entry for anyone to access their wallets. Private keys are the number one most sensitive information anyone can have for a wallet, because private keys allow immediate access and can never be changed. Therefore, it is extremely important to keep this safe, secure, and secret.

To connect with Private Key:

This is not a recommended way to connect. We highly suggest using MEW offline for this option.

Step 1. On the MEW front page, select ‘Access My Wallet’.

Step 2. Choose the ‘Software’ option to connect, then select ‘Private Key’ and click ‘Continue’.

Step 3. Copy and paste your private key into the value field.

Step 4. Click ‘Unlock Wallet’ and you’re done!

A Glossary of Common Terms in the Ethereum / Crypto Community

Here is a list of terms you may encounter while using MyEtherWallet (MEW).
You can also read in Spanish, thanks to faraggi.

8 min read

Wallet

• The interface / client that you use to manage your account(s).
• Example: MyEtherWallet.com, the MEW wallet app, MetaMask, a hardware wallet (i.e. Ledger, Trezor, BitBox, Secalot, etc..), a Multisig Wallet Contract.

Account

• A public & private keypair that “holds” your funds.
• Your funds are actually stored on the blockchain, not in the wallet or account.
• Just like your Reddit account has a username (public) and password (private), so does your Ethereum account. For additional security, you can use a password to encrypt your private key which would result in a username (public) and password (private) and password for that password (private + more secure). This method is referred to as access by keystore file.

(Account / Ethereum / Public) Address

• You use this to send funds to an account.
• Sometimes referred to as the “public key”, which is not accurate (as explained below).
• A string made up of 0x + 40 hexadecimal characters (42 total characters).
• In Ethereum, the address begins with ‘0x’.
• Example: 0x06A85356DCb5b307096726FB86A78c59D38e08ee

Public Key

• In cryptography, you have a keypair: the public and private key.
• You can derive a public key from a private key, but cannot derive a private key from a public key.
• In Ethereum, the address “acts” like the public key, but it’s not actually the public key.
• (Advanced) In Ethereum, the public key is derived from the private key and is 128 hex characters. You then take the “SHA3” (Keccak-256) hash of this (64 characters), take the last 40 characters, and prefix with 0x, give you your 42-character address.

Private Key

• The secret half of your Address / public key pairing.
• A string of 64 hexadecimal characters.
• (Almost) every string of 64 hexadecimal characters is a private key.
• If you hand-type a private key differently today than yesterday, you will access a different wallet.
• Never hand-type your private key.
• This is the key you need to keep safe. Without it you cannot access your funds. Although, you don’t need to save this raw, unencrypted private key in this format. You can save a more secure version of it (i.e. the Keystore File / Mnemonic Phrase).
• Example: afdfd9c3d2095ef696594f6cedcae59e72dcd697e2a7521b1578140422a4f890

Keystore File

• Encrypted version of your private key in JSON format (though it does not have a JSON extension).
• A fancy version of your private key that is protected by a password of your choosing.
• Safer than a private key because you need the password.
• File name usually is in the format:
  UTC + -- + DATE_CREATED + -- + YOUR_ADDRESS_WITHOUT_THE_Ox
• Example of file name:
  UTC--2017-07-02T20-33-09.177Z--06a85356dcb5b307096726fb86a78c59d38e08ee
• Example of Contents:
  {"version":3,"id":"aa811d53-fe9a-44a2-bd1c-e737007b5591","address":"06a85356dcb5b307096726fb86a78c59d38e08ee","Crypto":{"ciphertext":"f5a7cc8d4b8cf93510b0d0d057f3a52ac79fd48e619e0638c4ffd978ca180248","cipherparams":{"iv":"975ab00192e2dd74170e91ca59c0b0bd"},"cipher":"aes-128-ctr","kdf":"scrypt","kdfparams":{"dklen":32,"salt":"0210f0d0b99e440dfbceb36373304638bac093a367ee7da6411cd165f7aa907a","n":1024,"r":8,"":1},"mac":"8197a747a3855a10546a2ff939c36470daed78e393b670efa0c12fe3b23dd7e3"}}

Mnemonic Phrase (Recovery Phrase)

• Another fancy version of your private key, that is actually used to derive multiple private keys.
• Usually, a 12 or 24 word phrase that allows you to access an infinite number of accounts.
• Sometimes includes an extra 13th or 25th word chosen by the user, for added security.
• Used by Ledger, Trezor, the MEW wallet app, MetaMask, Jaxx, and others.
• Originates from BIP 39 Spec.
• The accounts you can access with this phrase are determined by the “derivation path”.
• Example 12-words:
  brain surround have swap horror body response double fire dumb bring hazard
• Example 24-words:
  card enrich gesture connect kick topple fan body blind engine lemon swarm venue praise addict agent unaware equal bean sing govern income link leg

Hardware Wallet

• Typically, a device that “holds” your private key(s), ensuring these keys are safe.
• They generally use a 24-word phrase. This phrase you should write down on paper (not on your computer) and store separately from your hardware wallet, in multiple locations.
• If you lose your hardware wallet, you can still gain access to your accounts & funds via the mnemonic phrase you wrote down.
• Never type the recovery phrase on your computer. It defeats the purpose of your hardware wallet.
• Check out our Hardware Wallet category for more information about Hardware Wallets.

Address Identicon / Address Icon

• The colorful blob of colors that corresponds to your address.
• It is an easy way to see if your address is correct.
• Identicon Example 1
• Identicon Example 2
• Note: The above addresses are a single character different but have remarkably different icons & colors. Even one difference in character will result in a completely separate wallet.

Hexadecimal

• Used all over Ethereum for a variety of things, a hexadecimal string is comprised of the numbers 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 and A B C D E F.

Seed

• The input given to derive a private key.
• Some use this as another way of saying ‘Recovery Phrase’ or ‘Mnemonic Phrase’.
• This should always be generated in a truly random way, not something you make up with your brain.
• If you chose the seed, it is known as a brain wallet.

Brain Wallet

• An account generated from a seed / password / passphrase of your choosing.
• Humans are not capable of generating enough entropy, so the wallets derived from these phrases are insecure.
• Brain wallets can generally be brute-forced easily by super fast computers.
• Don’t use brain wallets.

Entropy

• Also known as “randomness”.
• The more random something is, the more entropy it has, and the more secure it is.
• Usually defined in “bits of entropy”, or the number of years it would take to brute-force a ____ (i.e. private key) derived with that much entropy.
• Ethereum private keys are 256-bit keys
• 24-Word mnemonic phrases are also 256 bits of entropy. 2048 words in the dictionary. 11 bits of entropy (the words). 11 * 24 = 264. The last word is a checksum (check out our guide on checksums for more information).

Derive / Derivation

• To derive something is to obtain it from an original source.
• For example, if we were to derive a Keystore from a private key and a password, this means that the Keystore is made from these two sources.
• The Keystore is a product of the two, thus it is derived from them.

Encryption

• Encryption is the act of taking a string of letters/numbers, like your private key, and turning them into another string of letters/numbers through a method of private translation.
• There are various different encryption methods.
• Encryption offers protection against those trying to steal your information!

Encrypted vs Unencrypted Keys

• An unencrypted private key is 64 characters long, and it is used to restore wallets.
• An encrypted key is also 64 letters long and is a regular private key that has gone through the process of encryption, as defined above.
• Example: If the world ‘Apple’ was your shortened private key, then it was encrypted three letters down the alphabet, your new shortened encrypted key would be ‘Dssoh’. Since you know the way to encrypt this key, you could derive the original private key from it by reversing the method of encryption.
• Usually, encrypted private keys are kept within the extension or device they are encrypted by, and they remain out of sight from the user. This is meant to add another layer of security to keep a user’s wallet information safe.

Decentralize / Decentralization

• The process of transferring authority from a single entity (ex. Government or large corporation) to multiple smaller entities.

Smart Contracts

• A piece of code (or program) that is stored on the blockchain network.
• Conditions of the contract are predefined by the users, if all conditions are met, certain actions are executed by the contract (program).
• Check out our article about smart contracts.

Blockchain

• A decentralized, publicly-owned ledger.
• Immutable, unable to be edited, permanent.
• Maintained by remote miners all over the world.

All feedback, rewrites, clarification, typo-fixing, and requests for additions are more than welcome.

How to Create an Ethereum Wallet with MEW

If you are currently using a Hardware wallet (such as Ledger or Trezor) or another wallet service (such as MetaMask), this article is not for you. This is only for new users, looking to begin from scratch.

3 min read

MyEtherWallet (MEW) offers four ways to create a new ETH wallet.

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Recommended Methods:

MEW wallet - MEW’s official mobile app

This is the best option for the security and safekeeping of your information. Explore Ethereum on your mobile device.

Read our guide to learn more about creating your wallet with MEW wallet.

MEW CX - MEW’s Browser Extension

The entirety of MEW is available in a bite-size extension. Connect to your favorite DApps and make use of the QuickSend feature.

Read our guide to learn more about creating your wallet with MEW CX.

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Not Recommended:

These are not recommended ways to create and access your wallet.

We highly suggest you access MEW offline when using these options.

Before we continue, a few words of caution:

• Never share this information with anyone. This information gives complete and permanent access to your wallet.
• Do not keep this information on a device connected to the internet. Hackers can and will find it in your hard drive.
• Choose strong passwords and write everything down, in multiple locations.
• We cannot recover this information for you.

Keystore/JSON

Check out our guide to learn more about keystore/json files.

Step 1. Head to www.myetherwallet.com.

Step 2. Click ‘Create a New Wallet’.

Step 3. Choose the ‘By JSON File’ option.

Step 4. Enter a strong password, and write it down on paper.

• We cannot recover or reset your password for you. Write it down!

Step 5. Download your JSON File, preferably to a USB device.

• Do not open this file. It is meant to be used by our interface.

Step 6. Now you’re done, and ready to access your wallet!

Mnemonic Phrase

Check out our guide to learn more about Mnemonic Phrases.

Step 1. Head to www.myetherwallet.com.

Step 2. Click ‘Create a New Wallet’.

Step 3. Choose the ‘By Mnemonic Phrase’ option.

Step 4. Choose a 12 or 24 word phrase, and WRITE IT DOWN!

• Do not store this on your computer. It is meant to be written down multiple times.

Step 5. There is an option for an extra word here, for added security. Choosing to include an extra word keeps your phrase more secure, but it limits the accessibility of your phrase with other wallets. Other wallets may not allow for an extra word, making your phrase incompatible.

• We cannot recover or reset your phrase or extra word for you. Write it down!

Step 6. Now pass a quick test, and you’re done! You’re ready to access your wallet.

__

Now that you have a wallet, read our article about how to access your wallet.

What’s the Difference Between an Exchange (i.e. Coinbase, Kraken, Gemini, Binance, etc.) and MyEtherWallet?

3 min read

Your ETH & tokens are on the Ethereum blockchain, regardless of what service you use to access them. When you move them, you are sending them from one address on the blockchain to another. These are lines of code. Your wallet file, hardware wallet, the interface you interact with, or your private key do not have funds in them. These are ways of access, which give you the ability to prove ownership over digital coins that are on the blockchain itself.

If you use a client-side tool like MyEtherWallet or Mist, Metamask, Exodus, or Jaxx, then you have the private key (or a similar method of access), and you control your funds and your key. You do not rely on Coinbase or Gemini sending your funds from their account to yours.

The upside is that you, and only you, control your keys. An exchange getting hacked won’t affect you. The downside is that you, and only you, control your keys. No one else has them, nor can they recover them, should they be lost.

If you do lose your private key or wallet file and password, you cannot prove ownership of an account, and you permanently lose access to your funds.

If you use an exchange like Coinbase, Gemini, Kraken, Polonix, Bittrex, then you have an account with that company, and they hold your ETH and your keys for you. They have their own account on the blockchain with all their and their customers’ funds in it. Then you have a username / password with them, on their servers, and they keep track of how much ETH they “owe” you.

This allows you to have the more traditional username / password account dynamic and do things like reset your password if you forget it, change your password if your password is compromised, and turn on 2FA. However, it also means that if the exchange loses ETH, it’s your ETH that is lost.

If you choose to move from an exchange to a wallet where you control your keys, you need to make sure that you have multiple backups, stored in separate locations, of your private key / keystore file / recovery phrase. This will prevent loss in case your computer crashes or your house burns down or anything else.

You also need to ensure you keep these keys secure. This means:

• Don’t enter it on random websites.
• Always ensure you are on the correct site or downloading from the legitimate repo / website.
• Don’t email your key, send it to anyone, or post it online.
• Don’t save it to cloud storage.
• Don’t have Team Viewer or other remote access software on your computer.
• And last but not least, use MEW offline!!

If this seems very overwhelming, we recommend purchasing a Ledger or Trezor hardware wallet. These help keep your keys safe and stored in an “offline” device, rather than on your computer. In this case, you don’t have to worry about files or strings of characters; instead you just connect your hardware wallet to your computer.

Does MEW Support BTC or other Coins?

1 min read

MyEtherWallet (MEW) supports all Ethereum assets, including ETH and ERC20 tokens.

You can access the full list of supported networks and switch between them through our Network/Node list, which can be found on your Wallet Overview page after accessing your wallet. We support a wide variety of nodes hosted from other providers, such as ETC.

You can use our swap function to swap between BTC and ETH, thanks to our partner Bity, but we do not offer support for BTC. We just offer the option to swap it. To receive the BTC, you’ll need a BTC wallet.

MEW CX User Guide

2 min read

MEW CX allows users to have the entirety of MEW in a bite-sized Chrome Extension accessible from their toolbar.

Create and manage your wallets, interact with Dapps, and send transactions quick using our QuickSend feature.

Installing MEW CX

Step 1. On Google Chrome, head to the download page for MEW CX. Then select ‘Add to Chrome’.

• To avoid downloading a fake client, double-check the provider for MyEtherWallet Inc, and check the rating / number of users.

• Google Chrome will require you to accept permissions. Read our article for more information about what permissions are required. Rest assured that MEW will never store or share any of your data. This permission is necessary for checking URLs for known phishing sites, or interacting with a DApp on another website.

Step 2. After you’ve installed MEW CX, click the MEW icon in your toolbar. A pop-up will appear asking you to add a wallet. Click there.

Step 3. Choose how you’d like to access your wallet, or generate a new one. And you’re done!

• Check out our guide on access methods for more information on the subject.

Your wallet will remain saved in the Chrome Extension until you remove the wallet or the extension. Remember, it’s always best to keep your wallet information on physical paper somewhere safe and easy to remember, in case anything happens to your device.

__

Using MEW CX

MEW CX can be used to interact with various Dapps all across the cryptosphere. Check out our Dapps page a full record of Dapps that work with MEW CX!

When you’re ready to interact with a Dapp, you can choose which wallet you’d like to use for communicating with the Dapps interface.

You can also create a ‘burner account’ for temporary access to Dapps, like browsing around the site.

Unable to Connect to Hardware Wallet with MEW

1 min read

Most issues with connection can be solved by following these troubleshooting tips:

• Restart your computer. (Don’t be lazy, restart it first!)
• Use Google Chrome and perform a hard refresh (CTRL+F5 or Command+F5).
• Make sure you don’t have any other applications open that may be using your hardware wallet, i.e. Ledger Live for Ledger. (This opens automatically).
• Try a different USB cable.
• Make sure all your firmware is updated to its most recent version.

If none of these options work, email us at support@myetherwallet.com. Please include as much information about your process as possible.

MyEtherWallet: An Introduction

5 min read

MyEtherWallet (MEW) is an open-source, client-side interface that allows users to interact directly with the Ethereum blockchain, without having to join a centralized exchange.

What can I do with MEW?

• Create your own unique Ethereum wallet.
• Send and receive ETH and tokens.
• Access a variety of wallet types, including our MEW wallet mobile app, our browser extension MEW CX, the MetaMask Chrome extension, and partnering hardware wallets.
• Swap a growing number of cryptocurrencies including ERC20 tokens, ETH, ETC, BTC, and more!
• Explore our DApp store where you can earn on your deposits with Aave, open a vault with MakerDAO, or register and manage your ENS domains.
• Send offline through the use of our Offline Helper.
• Deploy and interact with smart contracts.
• Access a wealth of educational material from our Knowledge Base.

What do ‘open-source’ and ‘client-side’ mean?

• Open-source means anyone can view, copy, or make suggestions to our code on GitHub.
• Client-side means we do not have behind-the-scenes servers.
• We don’t see your funds, we don’t know your IP. No information or funds are stored on our site.
• The user is in complete control of their own security and privacy.

Where are my funds stored then?

• All ETH and tokens are stored on the Ethereum blockchain.
• When using any site, exchange, hardware wallet, or interface based on the blockchain, all crypto is stored on the blockchain itself. These platforms and hardware wallets just allow us to interact with the blockchain in a simplified way.
• The Ethereum blockchain is not owned by a centralized entity, but is verified and maintained by thousands of remote people called ‘miners’ who use their time and energy to keep it all in check.
• This is why our site, and sites like Etherscan and Ethplorer, are able to pull your wallet information. Not because of behind-the-scenes servers, but because they are pulling information from the blockchain itself.

__

MEW is NOT a bank or exchange.

What does that mean?

• We cannot cancel, reverse, or refund transactions.
• We cannot recover phished funds.
• We cannot recover lost passwords, nor can we reset passwords.
• We do not store names, emails, or any information about our users.
• The only one who has access to your funds is you.

__

How do I remain secure?

• The most secure way to access your funds is through a hardware wallet, like a Ledger Nano S or Trezor. If you have over $200 in crypto, there is little excuse not to get one.
• Download our fully-fledged mobile app MEW wallet. It’s simple, fast, and secure.
• Follow our educational blog MEWtopia for the latest on MEW and Ethereum.
• When using a private key, keystore/JSON file, or mnemonic phrase, make sure to keep them solely on physical paper and offline computers. This information is extremely sensitive. And make backups! If you lose this information, it’s gone forever.
• Always check the URL you are using to make sure it says www.myetherwallet.com. And bookmark us for future use!
• Make sure the URL bar shows a secure padlock on the left. If you click it, you should see “Certificate (Valid) Issued to: MyEtherWallet Inc [US]”.
• Install EAL, PhishFort, or Cryptonite to block malicious websites.
• Do not trust any messages sent to you randomly from ‘our team’. We do not have your information, and they are likely trying to scam you. We never email our users first.
• Install an AdBlocker, and do not click on any ads you see on your search engine.
• Do your research! If something seems fishy to you, it’s likely been talked about by the community.
• If you have additional questions or concerns, reach out to us! Our support team is always happy to help. They can be reached at support@myetherwallet.com

Check out our article detailing pro-tips on how to avoid phishing to read more about security.

Using a Digital BitBox Hardware Wallet with MEW

4 min read

Digital BitBox Hardware Wallets are leading wallets for their security and interface usability standards. If you don’t have one, they are available for purchase through BitBox’s website.

Please purchase hardware wallets from the original source. Hardware wallets bought off ebay or from other vendors cannot be guaranteed secure.

Hardware wallets often support multiple cryptocurrencies, but this guide is specifically made for accessing Ethereum and ERC-20 tokens while using MyEtherWallet (MEW).

This part is very important. Your Digital BitBox device comes as its own SEPARATE wallet. You should not import your old MEW address into this, or use your old wallet with it. It has its own private key, encrypted into the device itself. You will be choosing a new ethereum address on this device, and using it as your new main wallet.

Without further ado, let’s begin!

The Initial Set-Up

Step 1. Unbox your Digital BitBox! Plug it into your computer and download the Digital BitBox Desktop App.

• You may want to pin it to your taskbar.

Step 2. In the Digital BitBox Desktop App interface, select ‘Create a new wallet’.

Step 3. Set up a password to access your Digital BitBox. Make it something that is very easy to remember for you. Write it down in a couple places. Remember it!! This is how you will unlock your wallet everytime you want to access it.

Step 4. This is one of the most important steps. To recover your device in the future, you will need both the SD card AND your choice of recovery password. Do not write this recovery password down on your computer, do not take a picture of the password. Make sure you write down your recovery password in multiple places. DO NOT LOSE IT. If you lose this password and the SD card it’s attached to, you’ve lost all your cryptocurrency. We suggest using multiple pieces of paper to write this down. Again, do not write this password down on your computer. Use pen and paper.

• Make sure you remove and take good care of that SD card!

Step 5. Great, your device is now ready! Now let’s figure out how to use it with MyEtherWallet.

Using Digital BitBox with MEW

Step 1. Attach your Digital BitBox device and head to MyEtherWallet.com.

Step 2. On MEW, select ‘Access My Wallet’ > ‘Hardware’ > ‘Digital BitBox’.

Step 3. It will ask for a password. Enter your password to connect to your wallet.

Step 4. You will see a bunch of addresses here. Make sure you’re on the Ethereum network, using the standard Ethereum derivation path, and then choose your address.

• There’s no right or wrong choice for choosing an address, it’s up to you. But choosing the first one is usually the best practice, for convenience and memory’s sake.

Step 5. You should now be taken to a screen that looks very similar to your old wallet’s access screen. Great job! You’re officially using your new Digital BitBox hardware wallet!

What About My Old Wallet???

If you are coming from an old wallet and want your ETH and tokens on your new, secure Digital BitBox address, you will need to send your funds to your new address through regular transactions. This can be achieved by accessing your old wallet through MEW wallet, MetaMask, Keystore file, or private key (however you usually did it before the Digital BitBox). From here, send your ETH and tokens to your new Digital BitBox address, ready to be accessed in a more secure fashion.

Please be advised ETH will be required for gas to move any tokens held in your old wallet. We recommend holding .01 ETH to cover 2 - 3 transactions.

How Do I Restore My Digital BitBox to a New Device?

You will need to use your mini SD card provided and the recovery password you chose to recover your wallet.

Troubleshooting

Most issues with the Digital BitBox can be fixed by performing a hard refresh (using CTRL+F5), confirming that all the firmware is updated to its latest release, and trying a new connecting cable.

As always, feel free to contact us at support@myetherwallet.com. We are always happy to help!

Using a BC Vault Hardware Wallet with MEW

4 min read

BC Vault Hardware Wallets are leading wallets for their security and interface usability standards. If you don’t have one, they are available for purchase through BC Vault’s website.

Please purchase hardware wallets from the original source. Hardware wallets bought off ebay or from other vendors cannot be guaranteed secure.

Hardware wallets often support multiple cryptocurrencies, but this guide is specifically made for accessing Ethereum and ERC-20 tokens while using MyEtherWallet (MEW).

This part is very important. Your BC Vault device comes as its own SEPARATE wallet. You should not import your old MEW address into this, or use your old wallet with it. It has its own private key, encrypted into the device itself. You will be choosing a new ethereum address on this device, and using it as your new main wallet.

Without further ado, let’s begin!

The Initial Set-Up

Step 1. Unbox your BC Vault! Plug it into your computer and download the BC Vault Desktop Application.

• You may want to pin it to your taskbar.

Step 2. Open the BC Vault Desktop Application and look to your device. The first time you set-up your device, you will need to shake it to initialize the random number generation. Once you’re done, the device should connect.

Step 3. The BC Vault desktop application will take you through a set-up tutorial for your Global Password. Make sure you pay close attention to the information shown. A few key things to remember:

• Read extra tips. This is your money, and it’s your responsibility.
• Nobody can recover or change this information for you, so you need to remember it. Write it down and store it somewhere safe.

Step 4. Once you’re done, you will see a screen to create your first wallet. Before you do that, head to the settings section in the top-right. Familiarize yourself with this section and change any settings for your comfort. You can also update your firmware here.

Step 5. It’s extremely important you back up your wallet through the Settings section. You can use an SD card or a series of QR codes, whichever you’re more comfortable with. Just don’t lose it!

Step 6. When you’re ready, head back to the main screen and select ‘Add New Wallet’. Choose Ethereum, name it, and continue to set up your new wallet.

Step 7. You’re done! You’ve now created a new wallet with BC Vault.

Using BC Vault with MEW

Step 1. Attach your BC Vault device and head to MyEtherWallet.com.

Step 2. On MEW, select ‘Access My Wallet’ > ‘Hardware’ > ‘BC Vault’.

Step 3. It will ask for a Global Password on the website and a Pin on the device. Enter your information to connect to your wallet.

Step 4. Select the address you want to use with MEW.

Step 5. You should now be taken to a screen that shows your new wallet address on MEW. Great job! You’re officially using your new BC Vault hardware wallet!

What About My Old Wallet???

If you are coming from an old wallet and want your ETH and tokens on your new, secure BC Vault address, you will need to send your funds to your new address through regular transactions. This can be achieved by accessing your old wallet through MEW wallet, MetaMask, Keystore file, or private key (however you usually did it before the BC Vault). From here, send your ETH and tokens to your new BC Vault address, ready to be accessed in a more secure fashion.

Please be advised ETH will be required for gas to move any tokens held in your old wallet. We recommend holding .01 ETH to cover 2 - 3 transactions.

How Do I Restore My BC Vault to a New Device?

You will need to use either the SD card that was backed up with your BC Vault wallet, or the QR codes that were printed out, to restore your device.

Troubleshooting

Most issues with the BC Vault can be fixed by performing a hard refresh (using CTRL+F5), confirming that all the firmware is updated to its latest release, and trying a new connecting cable.

As always, feel free to contact us at support@myetherwallet.com. We are always happy to help!

Error: ‘Window Blocked’

1 min read

If you are getting an error message saying ‘Window Blocked’ when using a Trezor, Ledger, or MetaMask to confirm a transaction, this is because you are blocking pop-ups with the browser.

To fix this issue, you will need to ‘Allow Pop-Ups’ for MyEtherWallet.com.

This allows information to safely be sent to your device/extension so that the transaction can be signed and safely sent via our infrastructure.

Using a CoolWallet Hardware Wallet with MEW

5 min read

CoolWallet Hardware Wallets are leading wallets for their sleek design, uncompromising security, and bluetooth capabilities. If you don’t have one, they are available for purchase through CoolWallet’s website.

Please purchase hardware wallets from the original source. Hardware wallets bought off ebay or from other vendors cannot be guaranteed secure.

Hardware wallets often support multiple cryptocurrencies, but this guide is specifically made for accessing Ethereum and ERC-20 tokens while using MyEtherWallet (MEW).

This part is very important. Your CoolWallet device comes as its own SEPARATE wallet. You should not import your old MEW address into this, or use your old wallet with it. It has its own private key, encrypted into the device itself. You will be choosing a new ethereum address on this device, and using it as your new main wallet.

Without further ado, let’s begin!

The Initial Set-Up

Step 1. Unbox your CoolWallet! Pull out your phone, make sure Bluetooth is turned on, and download the CoolWallet Mobile App, CoolBitX, by scanning the QR code from the CoolWallet tutorial, included with your device.

Step 2. Turn on your device by pressing and holding the main button. You will be asked to pair your device. Open the mobile app to connect the device.

• If you don’t see it, try restarting the device, the app, or turning your bluetooth on and off again.

Step 3. Enter the pin you see on your CoolWallet device into the app, then press the button on your device. This will complete the pairing process. After you’re done, you can click ‘Create’ to create your wallet.

Step 4. This is one of the most important steps. To recover your device in the future, you will need this recovery phrase. The app lets you select a length of phrase, this is your choice. Do not write this recovery phrase down on your computer, do not take a picture of the phrase. Make sure you write down your recovery phrase in multiple places. DO NOT LOSE IT. If you lose this phrase, you’ve lost all your cryptocurrency. We suggest using multiple pieces of paper to write this down. Again, do not write this phrase down on your computer. Use pen and paper.

• There is paper provided in the CoolWallet set-up box to write down this phrase.
• CoolWallet gives their recovery phrase in numeric format instead of traditional words. For more information on why, check out their answer. We recommend copying both the numbers and their word equivalents, just in case.
• After you’re done, you’ll need to add up all the numbers in your phrase to verify it was written correctly.

Step 5. Great, your device is now ready! Now let’s figure out how to use it with MyEtherWallet.

Using CoolWallet with MEW

Step 1. In the CoolWallet mobile app, go into your settings and make sure you are allowing new pairings. Then head to our site, www.myetherwallet.com.

Step 2. On MEW, select ‘Access My Wallet’ > ‘Hardware’ > ‘CoolWallet’. It should ask for a pairing password.

• Make sure the bluetooth on your computer is also turned on. You may need to manually pair it with your computer. This can be done with a pairing password generated from the CoolWallet device.

Step 3. On your CoolWallet mobile app, select ‘Show Pairing Password’. This will generate a password to pair with MEW. Type this password in then close your app before continuing. Once you’re done, select ‘Unlock CoolWallet’.

Step 4. You will see a bunch of addresses here. Feel free to choose your address.

• There’s no right or wrong choice for choosing an address, it’s up to you. But choosing the first one is usually the best practice, for convenience and memory’s sake.

Step 5. You should now be taken to a screen that shows your CoolWallet public address. Great job! You’re officially using your new CoolWallet hardware wallet!

What About My Old Wallet???

If you are coming from an old wallet and want your ETH and tokens on your new, secure CoolWallet address, you will need to send your funds to your new address through regular transactions. This can be achieved by accessing your old wallet through MEW wallet, MetaMask, Keystore file, or private key (however you usually did it before the CoolWallet). From here, send your ETH and tokens to your new CoolWallet address, ready to be accessed in a more secure fashion.

Please be advised ETH will be required for gas to move any tokens held in your old wallet. We recommend holding .01 ETH to cover 2 - 3 transactions.

How Do I Restore My CoolWallet to a New Device?

You will need to use your recovery phrase to recover your wallet.

Troubleshooting

Most issues with the CoolWallet can be fixed by performing a hard refresh (using CTRL+F5), confirming that all the firmware is updated to its latest release, and turning Bluetooth on and off again.

As always, feel free to contact us at support@myetherwallet.com. We are always happy to help!

Using a Hardware Wallet With a Custom Derivation Path

1 min read

When accessing a hardware wallet, you’re given the choice of which derivation path to use. Most of the time it’s best to use the default path for familiarity, since each path leads to a different set of addresses. However, there are occassions where a different path is necessary. We’ve included the ability to add custom derivation paths so you can connect to whichever path you’d like. Check out our article to read more about derivation paths.

Step 1. Head to the MEW homepage and select ‘Access My Wallet’, then choose ‘Hardware Wallet’.

• This can also be done via Mnemonic Phrase access.

Step 2. After selecting your Hardware Wallet, a screen like the one below should appear. Click the small arrow to expand a larger list of Derivation Path options.

Step 3. Choose ‘Custom Path’ on the bottom-right and enter the details of the custom path you’d like to connect through.

You’re all set! After you’ve added your custom path, you should see a different list of addresses to connect to.

Using a Hardware Wallet With a Custom Node

1 min read

Benjaminion wrote up an excellent guide on how to achieve this.

Using a KeepKey Hardware Wallet with MEW

5 min read

KeepKey Hardware Wallets are leading wallets for their security and interface usability standards. If you don’t have one, they are available for purchase through KeepKey’s website.

Please purchase hardware wallets from the original source. Hardware wallets bought off ebay or from other vendors cannot be guaranteed secure.

Hardware wallets often support multiple cryptocurrencies, but this guide is specifically made for accessing Ethereum and ERC-20 tokens while using MyEtherWallet (MEW).

This part is very important. Your KeepKey device comes as its own SEPARATE wallet. You should not import your old MEW address into this, or use your old wallet with it. It has its own private key, encrypted into the device itself. You will be choosing a new ethereum address on this device, and using it as your new main wallet.

Without further ado, let’s begin!

The Initial Set-Up

Step 1. Unbox your KeepKey! Plug it into your computer and download the KeepKey Client browser extension application.

• It’s not a typical browser extension that shows on your browser like MetaMask. You may want to pin it to your taskbar.

Step 2. In the KeepKey Client interface, select ‘Initialize Device’.

• Set your label (name) for your device.

Step 3. Set up a PIN code to access your KeepKey. Make it something that is very easy to remember for you. Write it down in a couple places. Remember it!! This is how you will unlock your wallet everytime you want to access it. The PIN code must be between 4 and 8 characters.

• Keep them in the correct order, too!
• The pin numbers will appear on the actual device itself.

Step 4. This is one of the most important steps. Do not write this phrase down on your computer, do not take a picture of the phrase. Make sure you write down your 12 seed words in multiple places. DO NOT LOSE THEM. If you lose these words, you’ve lost all your cryptocurrency. We suggest using multiple pieces of paper to write this down. Again, do not write this phrase down on your computer. Use pen and paper.

• The phrase also appears on the device itself.

Step 5. Great, your device is now ready! Now let’s figure out how to use it with MyEtherWallet.

Using KeepKey with MEW

Step 1. Attachand unlock your KeepKey device. Open your KeepKey Client and download the Ethereum account software to your device by choosing ‘Add Account’ in the bottom right corner.

• After you’re done, close the KeepKey client and unplug/replug your device.

Step 2. Now head to MyEtherWallet.com. Select ‘Access My Wallet’ > ‘Hardware’ > ‘KeepKey’.

Step 3. Enter your pin to connect to your wallet.

Step 4. You will see a bunch of addresses here. Make sure you’re on the Ethereum network, using the standard Ethereum derivation path, and then choose your address.

• There’s no right or wrong choice for choosing an address, it’s up to you. But choosing the first one is usually the best practice, for convenience and memory’s sake.

Step 5. You should now be taken to a screen that looks very similar to your old wallet’s access screen. Great job! You’re officially using your new KeepKey hardware wallet!

What About My Old Wallet???

If you are coming from an old wallet and want your ETH and tokens on your new, secure KeepKey address, you will need to send your funds to your new address through regular transactions. This can be achieved by accessing your old wallet through MEW wallet, MetaMask, Keystore file, or private key (however you usually did it before the KeepKey). From here, send your ETH and tokens to your new KeepKey address, ready to be accessed in a more secure fashion.

Please be advised ETH will be required for gas to move any tokens held in your old wallet. We recommend holding .01 ETH to cover 2 - 3 transactions.

How Do I Restore My KeepKey to a New Device?

You can use your recovery phrase to restore your wallet to as many devices as you’d like, as long as they accept the 12-word mnemonic phrase for recovery.

Troubleshooting

Most issues with the KeepKey can be fixed by performing a hard refresh (using CTRL+F5), confirming that all the firmware is updated to its latest release, and trying a new connecting cable.

As always, feel free to contact us at support@myetherwallet.com. We are always happy to help!

Using a Ledger Hardware Wallet With an Android Device

1 min read

If you would like to use your Ledger hardware wallet with an android device, there are a couple things you will need to prepare in advance.

Requirements

• Modern android phone or tablet, supporting USB On-The-Go (USB-OTG).

  • If you’re not sure of USB-OTG support, check it yourself using an app like the USB-OTB Checker.

• A USB-OTG adapter (found on Amazon for a couple bucks).

Setting Up Your Device

Before connecting to your Ledger, you first have to install a Ledger application. Click that URL on your Android device, and select the file android-u2f-bridge-x.x.apk. Once downloaded, open this file on your device and install it. Click ‘done’ when you are finished.

Now you can connect your Ledger hardware wallet and open the Ethereum app. Make sure ‘Contract Data’ is turned on. Now open your browser and head to MyEtherWallet.com. Under ‘Access My Wallet’, choose the ‘Hardware’ option and click ‘Ledger Wallet’ to connect to your device.

You should see this pop-up, asking to allow the app Ledger U2F to access the USB device. Select ‘OK’, and you will be connected to your Ledger!

Using a Ledger Hardware Wallet with MEW

4 min read

Ledger Hardware Wallets are some of the most secure and intuitive cryptocurrency hardware wallets out there. If you don’t have one, they are available for purchase through Ledger’s website.

Please purchase hardware wallets from the original source. Hardware wallets bought off ebay or from other vendors cannot be guaranteed secure.

This particular hardware wallet supports a wide range of cryptocurrencies, but this guide is specifically made for accessing Ethereum and ERC-20 tokens while using MyEtherWallet (MEW).

This part is very important. Your Ledger device comes as its own SEPARATE wallet. You should not import your old MEW address into this, or use your old wallet with it. It has its own private key, encrypted into the device itself. You will be choosing a new ethereum address on this device, and using it as your new main wallet.

Without further ado, let’s begin!

Using Ledger with MEW

Step 1. Attach and unlock your Ledger device. You should see a few different sections to choose from, choose the Ethereum section as shown above. Click both buttons to open it.

Step 2. Click into this Setting section with both buttons.

Step 3. You will see “Contract Data” in this section. Make sure this option is turned to “Yes”.

Step 4. Good job, it’s all ready now! Head back to the “Ethereum” section and leave your Ledger alone for a moment. Let’s head to MEW!

Step 5. Check the URL for the “MyEtherWallet Inc [US]” SSL certification to make sure you’re on our real, secure site. Are you? Great! Head to ‘Access My Wallet’ and choose the option that says ‘Hardware’. Click the ‘Ledger Wallet’ option, and choose ‘Connect With Your Device’ with your Ledger device still attached, unlocked, and ready.

Step 6. A screen showing different networks and derivation paths should appear. Choose which network you’d like to connect to, and which path you’d like to use. For regular ETH usage, you should be on an ETH network, under the Ethereum derivation path. You can also access other networks, such as Ethereum Classic (ETC), by choosing the related network path.

Step 7. You will see a list of addresses. These are your new addresses to choose from for your main wallet! Choose one out of the five that you like. (Most people choose the first one, but you don’t have to.)

Step 8. You should now be taken to a screen that looks very similar to your old wallet’s access screen. Great job! You’re officially using your new Ledger hardware wallet!

What About My Old Wallet???

If you are coming from an old wallet and want your ETH and tokens on your new, secure Ledger address, you will need to send your funds to your new address through regular transactions. This can be achieved by accessing your old wallet through MEW wallet, MetaMask, Keystore file, or private key (however you usually did it before the Ledger). From here, send your ETH and tokens to your new Ledger address, ready to be accessed in a more secure fashion.

Please be advised ETH will be required for gas to move any tokens held in your old wallet. We recommend holding .01 ETH to cover 2 - 3 transactions.

How Do I Restore My Ledger to a New Device?

Ledger made a clear and easy to follow guide on how to restore your Ledger device.

Troubleshooting

Most issues with the Ledger can be fixed by performing a hard refresh (using CTRL+F5), making sure Contract Data is turned to ‘Yes’, confirming that all the firmware is updated to its latest release, and trying a new connecting cable.

As always, feel free to contact us at support@myetherwallet.com. We are always happy to help!

Using a Secalot Hardware Wallet with MEW

4 min read

Secalot Hardware Wallets are leading wallets for their security and interface usability standards. If you don’t have one, they are available for purchase through Secalot’s website.

Please purchase hardware wallets from the original source. Hardware wallets bought off ebay or from other vendors cannot be guaranteed secure.

Hardware wallets often support multiple cryptocurrencies, but this guide is specifically made for accessing Ethereum and ERC-20 tokens while using MyEtherWallet (MEW).

This part is very important. Your Secalot device comes as its own SEPARATE wallet. You should not import your old MEW address into this, or use your old wallet with it. It has its own private key, encrypted into the device itself. You will be choosing a new ethereum address on this device, and using it as your new main wallet.

Without further ado, let’s begin!

The Initial Set-Up

Step 1. Unbox your Secalot! Plug it into your computer and download the Secalot Control Panel application.

• You may want to pin it to your taskbar.

Step 2. In the Secalot Control Panel interface, select ‘Create wallet’ under the Ethereum section.

Step 3. Set up a PIN code to access your Secalot. Make it something that is very easy to remember for you. Write it down in a couple places. Remember it!! This is how you will unlock your wallet everytime you want to access it. The PIN code must be between 4 and 8 characters.

Step 4. This is one of the most important steps. Do not write this phrase down on your computer, do not take a picture of the phrase. Make sure you write down your 12 seed words in multiple places. DO NOT LOSE THEM. If you lose these words, you’ve lost all your cryptocurrency. We suggest using multiple pieces of paper to write this down. Again, do not write this phrase down on your computer. Use pen and paper.

• Keep them in the correct order, too!

Step 5. Great, your device is now ready! Now let’s figure out how to use it with MyEtherWallet.

Using Secalot with MEW

Step 1. Attach your Secalot device and head to MyEtherWallet.com.

Step 2. On MEW, select ‘Access My Wallet’ > ‘Hardware’ > ‘Secalot’.

Step 3. It will ask for a password. Enter your pin to connect to your wallet.

Step 4. You will see a bunch of addresses here. Make sure you’re on the Ethereum network, using the standard Ethereum derivation path, and then choose your address.

• There’s no right or wrong choice for choosing an address, it’s up to you. But choosing the first one is usually the best practice, for convenience and memory’s sake.

Step 5. You should now be taken to a screen that looks very similar to your old wallet’s access screen. Great job! You’re officially using your new Secalot hardware wallet!

What About My Old Wallet???

If you are coming from an old wallet and want your ETH and tokens on your new, secure Secalot address, you will need to send your funds to your new address through regular transactions. This can be achieved by accessing your old wallet through MEW wallet, MetaMask, Keystore file, or private key (however you usually did it before the Secalot). From here, send your ETH and tokens to your new Secalot address, ready to be accessed in a more secure fashion.

Please be advised ETH will be required for gas to move any tokens held in your old wallet. We recommend holding .01 ETH to cover 2 - 3 transactions.

How Do I Restore My Secalot to a New Device?

You can use your recovery phrase to restore your wallet to as many devices as you’d like, as long as they accept the 12-word mnemonic phrase for recovery.

Troubleshooting

Most issues with the Secalot can be fixed by performing a hard refresh (using CTRL+F5), confirming that all the firmware is updated to its latest release, and trying a new connecting cable.

As always, feel free to contact us at support@myetherwallet.com. We are always happy to help!

Using a Trezor Hardware Wallet with MEW

5 min read

Trezor Hardware Wallets are some of the most secure and intuitive cryptocurrency hardware wallets out there. If you don’t have one, they are available for purchase through Trezor’s website.

Please purchase hardware wallets from the original source. Hardware wallets bought off ebay or from other vendors cannot be guaranteed secure.

This particular hardware wallet supports a wide range of cryptocurrencies, but this guide is specifically made for accessing Ethereum and ERC-20 tokens while using MyEtherWallet (MEW).

This part is very important: Your Trezor device comes as its own SEPARATE wallet. You should not import your old MEW address into this, or use your old wallet with it. It has its own private key, encrypted into the device itself. You will be choosing a new ethereum address on this device, and using it as your new main wallet.

Without further ado, let’s begin!

The Initial Set-Up

Step 1. Unbox your Trezor! You will see some cards and instructions for set-up. Follow these instructions carefully! Plug in the Trezor to your computer and get started. Visit trezor.io/start to begin the process.

Step 2. Choose ‘Create new’ on this page, and follow the steps to set up your new device.The first thing you will want to do is ‘Create a backup in 3 minutes.’

Step 3. This is one of the most important steps. Do not write this phrase down on your computer, do not take a picture of the phrase. Make sure you write down your 24 seed words in multiple places. DO NOT LOSE THEM. If you lose these words, you’ve lost all your cryptocurrency. Ledger provides cards for you to write them down for remembering, but I suggest writing them down in one extra place as well. Again, do not write this phrase down on your computer. Use pen and paper. When you’re done, you’ll see the screen below.

Step 4. Now you will be prompted to choose a name for your Trezor. This is the name you will see on your device whenever you plug it in. Choose something familiar and personal!

Step 5. You will now choose your pin. This pin will be the only way to access your device (besides the recovery phrase you wrote down, multiple times) so it’s very important to choose a secure, but easy to remember pin. Don’t just use 1111 or 1234, use something a bit more random and secure.
Don’t make this mistake! If it says it could be safer, make it longer!

Step 6. You’re all done!

Using Trezor with MEW

Step 1. Attach your Trezor device and head to MEW.

Step 2. Check the URL for the “MyEtherWallet Inc [US]” SSL certification to make sure you’re on our real, secure site. Are you? Great! Head to ‘Access My Wallet’ and choose the option that says ‘Hardware’. Click the ‘Trezor’ option, and choose ‘Connect With Your Device’ with your Trezor device still attached.

Step 3. A screen will pop-up asking for you to allow MEW permissions to read the public keys from your Trezor device. Click ‘Allow once for this session’, and feel free to select ‘Don’t ask me again’, so this step is automatic in the future. Select ‘Export’ on the next screen, enter your pin, and you’ll be redirected back to MEW.

Step 4. MEW will bring you back to a page showing different networks and derivation paths. Choose which network you’d like to connect to, and which path you’d like to use. For regular ETH usage, you should be on an ETH network, under the Ethereum derivation path. You can also access other networks, such as Ethereum Classic (ETC), by choosing the related network path.

Step 5. You will see a list of addresses. These are your new addresses to choose from for your main wallet! Choose one out of the five that you like. (Most people choose the first one, but you don’t have to.)

Step 6. You should now be taken to a screen that looks very similar to your old wallet’s access screen. Great job! You’re officially using your new Trezor hardware wallet!

What About My Old Wallet???

If you are coming from an old wallet and want your ETH and tokens on your new, secure Trezor address, you will need to send your funds to your new address through regular transactions. This can be achieved by accessing your old wallet through MEW wallet, MetaMask, Keystore file, or private key (however you usually did it before the Trezor). From here, send your ETH and tokens to your new Trezor address, ready to be accessed in a more secure fashion.

Please be advised ETH will be required for gas to move any tokens held in your old wallet. We recommend holding .01 ETH to cover 2 - 3 transactions.

How Do I Restore My Trezor to a New Device?

Trezor made a clear and easy to follow guide on how to restore your Trezor device.

Troubleshooting

Most issues with the Trezor can be fixed by performing a hard refresh (using CTRL+F5), making sure all the firmware is updated to its latest release, and trying a new connecting cable.

As always, feel free to contact us at support@myetherwallet.com. We are always happy to help!

MEWconnect app User Guide

5 min read

UPDATE: The MEWconnect app has been discontinued to make way for our fully-fledged MEW wallet app, which allows users to store ETH and tokens, send transactions, and swap directly from their phone!

Download the MEW wallet app now for iOS or Android and migrate your account for free!

** This article is outdated **

Check out our MEW wallet User Guide for more information on how to use the MEW wallet app.

1. Create a Wallet

Step 1. Open your MEWconnect app.

Step 2. Click “Create New Wallet”.

Step 3. Pick a strong password.

This step is very important. Make sure you pick a password that is not easy to guess, but also write it down with pen and paper. There is only one other way
to access your wallet, and we’ll get to that soon.

Step 4. Type it again.

Step 5. Click “Start using MEWconnect”.

You’re done! You’ll be taken to a screen that shows your new wallets address backed by a unique color-code. On this screen you’ll find all your ETH and ERC20 tokens that we support in our default list. Custom tokens can only be seen using our web interface.

2. Back it up

Step 1. Select “Back Up” on your wallets homepage.

Step 2. Click “Back Up Now”.

Step 3. Get a pen and paper ready. Then press ‘Start’.

Step 4. Enter in your password to verify you’re you.

Step 5. WRITE DOWN YOUR SEED WORDS.

This is the single most important piece of information about your wallet. These 24 words will decide the future of your funds. Do not lose them, write them down!

Step 6. Pass the seed word check test.

You’re done! All backed up and ready to connect to MEW

3. Connect with MEW

Step 1. Unlock your wallet on MEWconnect.

Step 2. Find a desktop computer. Head to the MEW site.

Check for the SSL certification that states ‘MyEtherWallet Inc [US]’ in the URL. We recommend the Google Chrome browser.

Step 3. Select ‘Access My Wallet’.

Step 4. Click ‘MEWconnect’ as the method of access.

Step 5. On the app, click ‘Scan to Connect’.

Step 6. Now use MEWconnect to scan the QR code.

You’re done! You can now use our interface as usual, with the MEWconnect app as your main method of access. Congratulations!

4. Send a Transaction

Step 1. Unlock your wallet on MEWconnect.

Step 2. Connect to the MEW site, as shown above.

Step 3. Follow the process of a regular transaction.

Fill in the ‘Type’ of crypto, the ‘Amount’ you wish to send, and the ‘To Address’ of where you’re sending it. If you have any questions, refer to our article on How to Send a Transaction.

Step 4. Confirm your transaction on the MEWconnect app.

You’re done! Your transaction is broadcasting to the network, and you’ll be able to check it’s status shortly with a provided transaction ID.

5. Overview of the Wallet

Step 1. Where to see tokens.

These can be found at the bottom of the wallet screen. MEWconnect only supports the default list of tokens featured on MyEtherWallet.

Step 2. Where to contact us.

There is an information button in the top-left, that offers a contact resource and other links of interest.

Step 3. Where to buy ETH.

You can purchase ETH in the MEWconnect app by choosing the top-right button labelled ‘Buy Ether’.

Step 4. How to share your address.

You can share your address with anyone you’d like by clicking the arrow button to the right of your address. It will give you different options like text, email, twitter, etc..

How to Change Your Password on MEWconnect

You may want to consider upgrading to the MEW wallet app instead of changing your password, as the MEWconnect app has been discontinued.

To change your password on MEWconnect, all you need is your phone and your 24-word recovery phrase.

If you still remember your password and do not have your 24-word recovery phrase, please scroll up to Section 2 of this article. Resetting your wallet without knowing your recovery phrase will result in the permanent loss of your wallet.

If you do not remember your password and do not have your 24-word recovery phrase, there is nothing we can do. Retrace your steps and try to remember your password, or your wallet will be lost forever.

Change Your Password

Step 1. Reset your wallet, either on the login screen or under our ‘Info’ section.

• Choose ‘Forgot password?’ on the home screen, or ‘Reset wallet >’ in the Info tab.

Step 2. Enter your 24-word recovery phrase. Make sure each word is in the correct order and spelled accurately.

• Do not include commas between the words, only a single space.

Step 3. Enter a new password. Please choose a difficult one, for increased security.

• Be sure to write this password down somewhere, so you don’t forget it!
• We cannot recover or change your password for you.

Step 4. Celebrate, you’re done!

The MEWconnect app has been removed from iOS and Android app stores

2 min read

The MEWconnect app has been removed from the iOS Apple Store and Android Google Play store as of August 13th, 2020.

Any users who still have MEWconnect on their phones are suggested to upgrade to the MEW wallet app, as MEWconnect will no longer be receiving updates.

MyEtherWallet (MEW) has released the MEW wallet app, which offers increased functionality and top-of-the-line security while keeping all of the connectivity features of MEWconnect. The MEW wallet app allows users to send transactions and swap crypto directly in the app, while maintaining the MEWconnect protocol for connection to MEW web. Check out our article on the similarities and differences between MEW wallet and MEWconnect.

The MEW wallet app is available now for both iOS and Android mobile devices.

Migrate from MEWconnect to the MEW wallet app:

Step 1. Make sure you’ve backed up your MEWconnect account by writing down your 24 word recovery phrase.

• You can find this phrase in MEWconnect by clicking on the small “i” icon in the top-left corner of the app, then selecting ‘View my recovery phrase’.

Step 2. Download the MEW wallet app from the Apple Store or Google Play, depending on your device.

• You can also find the app by clicking the ‘FREE UPGRADE’ button in the MEWconnect app.

Step 3. Open the MEW wallet app and click ‘Create a free wallet’. Since you have MEWconnect installed, it will ask if you wish to import your existing account over. Click ‘Import’.

Step 4. Enter the password you use for MEWconnect, then select ‘Import’ again. You’ll be asked to create a PIN. This is similar to the password used for MEWconnect, but you won’t need to use it often if you enable biometric authentication (such as a Fingerprint or FaceID).

• Make sure you remember this PIN, as we cannot recover it for you.

Step 5. MEW wallet will now ask if you want to enable Biometric Authentication, such as Face ID. After you accept or skip, it will finish importing your MEWconnect account.

Step 6. You’re done! Check out our MEW wallet User Guide to see some of the cool new things you can do with the MEW wallet app.

Create & Back Up Your MEW wallet Account

Swap using the MEW wallet app

What is the MEWconnect Protocol?

1 min read

The MEWconnect Protocol is our wallet connection method involving the act of scanning a QR code to connect the MEW wallet app to a DApp or website. MEWconnect uses no centralized server for connection, so all access remains secure and decentralized.

MEW has built this protocol to make it easier than ever for users to interact with Web3, the future of decentralized finance (DeFi) and web services.

To learn more, check out the MEWconnect website.

The MEW wallet app is a great tool you can use to see MEWconnect in action. By pressing a small camera icon on the app, MEW wallet opens your phone’s camera to scan a QR code on MEW web. This QR code is generated by MEWconnect to link the same account from your app to the MEW web interface.

Other platforms can also integrate MEWconnect in order to allow MEW users to connect directly from the MEW wallet app to their preferred platform, such as Aave and Ren - our first integrations.

To learn more about how to use MEWconnect, check out our guide on how to connect your MEW wallet account to Aave.

The MEW wallet app vs the old MEWconnect app

1 min read

UPDATE: The MEWconnect app has been discontinued to make way for our fully-fledged MEW wallet app, which allows users to store ETH and tokens, send transactions, and swap directly from their phone!

Download the MEW wallet app now for iOS or Android and migrate your account for free!

** This article is outdated **

Check out our MEW wallet User Guide for more information on how to use the MEW wallet app.

The MEWconnect app is our older connection protocol app used to connect with MEW web to sign messages.

The MEW wallet app is MEW’s official fully-fledged Ethereum wallet app, which is capable of doing everything MEWconnect can do and more.

With MEWconnect or MEW wallet, you can:

• Buy ETH
• Hold ETH and tokens
• Connect to MEW web
• Sign messages
• Receive a 24 word recovery phrase for back up

With MEW wallet, you can also:

• Buy ETH instantly with Apple Pay
• Automatically see any token, no custom info needed
• Send transactions directly from the app
• Swap through our provider DEX.AG
• Visit our Education Center
• Manage multiple accounts
• And more!

To learn more about MEW wallet, check out our article about how to use MEW wallet.

Using Aave with the MEW wallet app

1 min read

This guide details how to connect to the Aave DApp website using the MEW wallet app. If you want to use Aave within the MEW interface, check out our guide on how to use Aave with MEW web.

You will need a MEW wallet account for this guide.

Using Aave with the MEW wallet app

Step 1. Head to the Aave DApp website.

Step 2. Select the MEW wallet app and a QR code will appear.

Step 3. In your MEW wallet app, click the small camera icon in the top-right corner. This will open your phone’s camera.

Step 4. Scan the QR code with your MEW wallet app and choose an account to connect with.

Step 5. Once you’re connected, you can use the Aave DApp as normal.

Step 6. When you make any deposits or withdrawals, the MEW wallet app will ask you to confirm your actions.

Why Does MEW wallet use a Pin Code instead of a Password?

2 min read

First, it’s important to understand the underlying security and encryption methods used by MEW wallet to secure your private key.

Your pin code and biometric access, such as FaceID or Fingerprint, are the first step of accessing your private key information from the secure local storage on your mobile device. It follows this general path, with extra layers of security and encryption steps ommitted for simplicity:

PIN/biometry -> Secure Enclave Key -> Master Key -> Private Key

Since your pin code is not actually used to encrypt your private key, it is unnecessary to use a complex password for access. If a hacker managed to get ahold of your device and somehow managed to access your encrypted private key, they would have to bruteforce a proper AES 128 bit SE encryption, which would take longer than the age of our Universe to accomplish.

The other scenario is that someone gains access to your phone and tries to use your MEW wallet app to send funds directly. First they would need to unlock your phone’s main lockscreen, then they would need to unlock your MEW wallet app. (For stronger security, use different pins for your phone’s lock screen and your MEW wallet app!)

Brute-forcing a pin code requires trial and error to try and determine the correct combination. However, both your mobile device and the MEW wallet app have placed heavy restrictions on the number of attempts you can make to unlock them. For this reason, the possibility of someone accessing your app with your phone is very small, even if they have prolonged access to it.

Therefore, using a password or a pin code are both viable options. However, we chose the pin code route for simplicity, efficiency, and the ability to place restrictions on the number of attempts to unlock.

The best way to keep your funds safe using the MEW wallet app is to make sure you write down your 24 word recovery phrase on paper with pen, double-check every word, and store it somewhere safe for the long-term. Never enter your phrase on any websites online, and never share them with anyone. They offer complete and permanent access to your wallet.

Swap your crypto using MEW wallet

1 min read

We’ve partnered with DEX.AG to build a decentralized swap right in the MEW wallet app, allowing users to exchange their ETH and tokens without leaving their phone.

To access the MEW wallet swap, you’ll first need to create a MEW wallet account.

Step 1. Open the MEW wallet app.

Step 2. To find the Exchange section, click the arrow icon in the bottom-center of the app.

Step 3. When you’re ready to begin, click ‘Swap Tokens’ in the top-left corner. Select the cryptos you’d like to swap and the amount you’re offering, then click ‘Find best rate’.

Step 4. DEX.AG will list multiple exchanges that offer competitive rates. Choose the rate that works best for you, then select ‘Proceed with swap’. Make sure you review the details of your swap before continuing.

Step 5. Your swap will initiate shortly, with real-time updates in the Exchange section of MEW wallet.

Step 6. Once your swap is completed, you’ll find your balance updated immediately. For a full detail of all the assets you hold, click on the colorful account card from your main page.

How does the MEW wallet app handle Private Keys?

1 min read

The MEW wallet app does not allow users to export, import, view, or access their private keys.

This is for the security of your wallet. Your private key should remain private.

MEW wallet utilizes multi-layer encryption and isolation to keep your keys safely stored away locally in your device. Your keys are heavily encrypted and completely separate from the outside world.

That means no one has access to them, including you.

Instead, the MEW wallet app offers a 24-word recovery phrase to back up and restore your wallet. This phrase acts similarly to a private key, so it’s important to keep it written down on paper and stored in a physical location.

Don’t type your phrase into a word doc. Write it down with a pen!

What if I need my private key?

It’s always considered the best practice to keep your private key off the internet. There are rare cases where a private key is necessary to perform a specific task, like to claim tokens from a specific wallet, but most of the time the compromising nature of exposing your key doesn’t make the task worth it.

MEW wallet User Guide

4 min read

MEW wallet is MEW’s official fully-fledged mobile app. It’s simple, fast, and secure.

To begin exploring Ethereum on your mobile device, download MEW wallet on your iOS or Android phone.

__

Create a New Wallet

Receive a unique public address and color combination tied to your new account.

Step 1. Open the MEW wallet app.

Step 2. Select ‘Create a free wallet’.

Step 3. Read the safety tips! Then click ‘Create a wallet’.

Step 4. Choose a strong pin code.

• You can also enable additional biometric access, such as a fingerprint or facial recognition.

Step 5. Wait for your account to generate, then select ‘Start using MEW wallet’.

__

Back Up Your Account

This step is crucial if you plan on using your wallet in the long term. We cannot recover your account for you, so you must keep track of this information yourself.

Step 1. After creating your wallet, select ‘Back up Now’. Read the warning and continue.

• You can also head to ‘Settings’, then ‘View my recovery phrase’.

Step 2. Get a pen and a piece of paper, then write down the 24 words that appear.

• Keep these words in the same order as they appear, and double-check that it’s all spelled correctly.
• Ideally, you should write this phrase down 2 - 3 times on separate sheets of paper, stored in multiple secure locations.
• We cannot recover this phrase for you, and anyone that has access to it will have permanent access to your funds.

Step 3. Pass a quick test on the device, and you’re done!

__

Buy ETH to Start Exploring

Everything on the Ethereum blockchain requires ETH for gas. You’ll need to buy ETH to get started.

Step 1. Select ‘Buy Ether’ on the main page of the MEW wallet app.

Step 2. Select the amount you’d like to buy, or enter a custom amount (up to $250 worth).

• If you’re using an iOS device in the US, Apply Pay makes buying ETH as easy as clicking a button!

Step 3. After being redirected to Wyre or Simplex, enter your details and finish the purchase.

Step 4. Your new balance will reflect in your account shortly!

__

Add More Accounts

Create as many accounts as you want for savings, privacy, or organized token storage.

Step 1. Swipe left on your main account and select ‘Add account’.

Step 2. Think of a nickname for this account, then choose ‘Add’.

Step 3. Your new account should generate.

• This account is also tied to the recovery phrase from the ‘Back up your account’ section.
• When you restore your main account, all subsequent accounts will also be restored. You just need to add them again as regular ‘additional’ accounts.

Step 4. If you want to view all your accounts or hide any of them, you can do so through ‘Manage accounts’.

__

Send a Transaction

Send ETH or tokens right from the comfort of your own device.

Step 1. On the account card that you want to send from, click the up ‘sending’ arrow.

Step 2. Paste the address you’re sending to, then continue.

Step 3. Choose the crypto you want to send and enter an amount.

• Select a fast gas price for a smoother transaction. Gas is always paid in ETH.

Step 4. Confirm your transaction and wait a moment for it to process.

Step 5. You’re done! Your transaction will appear in ‘Recent transactions’ under your account card.

__

Connect to MEW web

Connect to our web interface to explore even more features of Ethereum, such as DeFi and Dapps.

Step 1. Head to MEW web by visiting www.myetherwallet.com.

Step 2. Select ‘Access My Wallet’ and then click ‘MEW wallet’.

Step 3. On the MEW wallet mobile app, click the small camera icon in the top-right corner of the app and scan the QR code.

• You may need to double-check your camera permissions in the settings on your phone.

Step 4. Congratulations, you’ve connected your MEW wallet mobile account to MEW web!

How does the MEW wallet app protect my funds?

2 min read

MEW wallet uses top of the line multi-layer encryption and isolated local storage to protect your funds.

Just like with all Ethereum wallets, the process begins with the generation of your crypto wallet key. This key is the foundation of your wallet, offering complete and permanent access to your account and all the funds involved. We recognize the significance of your private key, so we encrypt it with a master key. But we don’t stop there.

Your encrypted key is encrypted again with an access key depending on the method of access you use to unlock your MEW wallet mobile account. MEW wallet offers a pin code and biometric signature, such as a FaceID or fingerprint, as access methods used in the encryption process.

But we’re not done yet. This is where the process changes slightly depending on if you’re using an iOS or Android mobile device.

To make sure your key is protected, this encrypted key is encrypted again with a key generated from the Android Keystore section of your device, or the Secure Enclave if you’re using an iOS device. This specific key is not shared with us or any other apps in your phone, it is completely isolated architecturally within the local hardware of your mobile phone.

After that, we store this super encrypted key in a local SharedPreferences storage for Android devices, or the local KeyStore storage on iOS, which are also separated from the rest of the system on the software level.

This process may seem like overkill, but it’s necessary for the security of your information. When you make a new wallet with our MEW wallet app, you can rest assured that no one has access to your private key.

In fact, we don’t even allow our users to see their key. Instead, we offer a 24-word recovery phrase for backing up your accounts. This is generally viewed as the best method of recovery, which is used by most hardware wallets and wallet interfaces.

It’s recommended that you keep this phrase written down on paper, off of the internet, and stored in multiple physical locations. We cannot recover this information for you, which is a good thing. It means you have all the power and control over your accounts.

For further reading, check out our article on why MEW wallet uses a pin code for access instead of a password.

Using Ren Protocol with the MEW wallet app

1 min read

This guide details how to connect to the Ren Protocol DApp website using the MEW wallet app.

You will need a MEW wallet account for this guide.

Using Ren Protocol with the MEW wallet app

Step 1. Head to the Ren Protocol DApp website.

Step 2. Select the MEW wallet app and a QR code will appear.

Step 3. In your MEW wallet app, click the small camera icon in the top-right corner. This will open your phone’s camera.

Step 4. Scan the QR code with your MEW wallet app and choose an account to connect with.

Step 5. Once you’re connected, you can use the Ren Protocol DApp as normal.

Move Your Bitcoin to Ethereum using the MEW wallet app

3 min read

MEW wallet has partnered with RenVM to offer a Bitcoin bridge to Ethereum right in the MEW wallet app. Now users can hold their BTC with MEW wallet in the form of renBTC, which is a token that lives on the Ethereum blockchain and is pegged to BTC’s value. This token can be swapped for other tokens or moved back to BTC at any time.

To begin, you’ll need an active Bitcoin wallet with BTC and a MEW wallet app account.

Moving Bitcoin to Ethereum

Step 1. When you’re ready, head to the MEW wallet app.

Step 2. Tap the double-sided arrow in the bottom row to go to the ‘Swap’ section, then select ‘Move Bitcoin to Ethereum’.

Step 4. Once the deposit has been detected, there will be a process of 6 confirmations to confirm the deposit. This process will take a while.

Step 5. After the 6 confirmations are completed, your renBTC will be minted and sent directly to your MEW wallet account address.

Step 6. You’re done! Once you’ve received your renBTC, you can begin swapping it for other tokens, using it in DeFi apps, or you can just hold onto it.

Moving Back to Bitcoin

Step 1. When you’re ready to move back to Bitcoin, head to the MEW wallet app.

Step 2. Tap the double-sided arrow in the bottom row to go to the ‘Swap’ section, then select ‘Move Bitcoin to Ethereum’.

Step 3. From here, select ‘Move back to BTC’.

Step 4. Enter the amount of renBTC you’d like to send back, then continue.

Step 5. Set your BTC deposit address, select ‘Proceed with move’, and your transfer back to BTC will begin.

Step 6. After a few confirmations, your BTC transfer will complete, and you’ll be all set! This process may take a while.

Risks Involved:

• When you begin this process, make sure you send your Bitcoin within the 12 hour time limit and use a high gas fee. If the Bitcoin transaction and 6 confirmations don’t go through in 24 hours, the Bitcoin can get stuck. Most of the time, Ren will be able to recover it for you, but in rare edge-cases, this Bitcoin could be permanently lost.
• Don’t send your Bitcoin directly from a centralized exchange. Most centralized exchanges pool many different users together under a few addresses. If something goes wrong with the process, and your BTC is sent back to you, an exchange may have trouble knowing this BTC is meant for you.
• If you send an amount of BTC that is too small, it will all be used up in the fees for this process, so make sure you send a substantial amount.
• This transferral process is built by RenVM, so it’s important to do your research into the risks associated with their platform and product. Also, all value for renBTC is protected by RenVM, but if something happens to RenVM, we cannot guarantee the BTC peg for renBTC.

Here is a breakdown of the fees involved, which are also displayed during the transferral process:

• 1% MEW service fee
• 0.1% RenVM network fee
• 0.000007 BTC as a flat gas fee by RenVM (which can increase during times of high volume)
• Ethereum gas fee, determined by network congestion

Stake on Eth2 using the MEW wallet app

3 min read

The MEW wallet app has integrated Staked.us to make it easier than ever to stake on Eth2 to earn rewards.

Each stake of 32 ETH will create a validator. Once you stake on Eth2 to create a validator, no further action is required. Staked.us will maintain and update your validator for you.

In order to create a validator, you’ll need at least 32 ETH to stake. Your stake will live on the Beacon Chain, which is the foundation for Eth2. For more information on Eth2, the Beacon Chain, and creating a validator, read our write-up on Phase 0 of Eth2.

You will also need an Eth2 withdrawal address. Eth2 withdrawal addresses are used to withdraw your staked ETH and rewards. With the MEW wallet app, your 24 word recovery phrase will be the same phrase used for your Eth2 withdrawal address.

Don’t lose your recovery phrase! This phrase holds the keys to both your MEW wallet account and your Eth2 stake, and it is necessary for future access. No one can recover your phrase for you, so it’s very important you take care of it.

Staking and the Risks Involved

Staked.us is the provider for our Staking integration. Staked.us will not have access to your stake or rewards, but they will be responsible for maintaining your validator. If a validator is down for a prolonged period of time, there are risks of having your staked ETH slashed. Therefore, your stake is in the hands of Staked.us.

In addition, all staked ETH and rewards from your validator will be unable to be withdrawn until a later phase of Eth2 released on an unknown date in the future. It’s very important that you understand all ETH staked during Phase 0 will be unavailable for withdrawal until Eth2 transfers are enabled in a later phase.

Stake your ETH on Eth2 using the MEW wallet app

Step 1. Access the MEW wallet app and tap on the ‘Leaf’ symbol from the bottom row of icons. Read the disclaimers, and tap ‘Start Staking’.

Step 2. Select a multiple of 32 ETH for your stake. For each multiple of 32 ETH, Staked.us will create and maintain a validator on the Eth2 Beacon Chain.

Step 3. Tap ‘Enable Staking’ and wait for Staked.us to provision your validator(s). You will need to wait 10-20 seconds. After that, you can tap ‘Stake __ ETH’ to continue with the staking process.

Step 4. Read our disclaimer carefully, and confirm the details of your transaction.

Step 5. Your validator is now ready to go on Eth2, although it may take up to 48 hours for it to be finalized. Staked.us will maintain and update your validator for you, so all you have to do is reap the rewards. You can always check on your stake by heading back to this section of the app.

Migrating from Vintage MEW -> MEW

1 min read

As of October 20th, 2019 we have discontinued our VintageMEW site.

If you are like many of our other users, you may be wondering how this will affect your wallet.

Fear not! MyEtherWallet (MEW) is still going strong at our current site, www.myetherwallet.com.

Here you are able to access the same wallet you used on the Vintage version of our site, through the same method.

You do not need to create a new wallet to use the new MEW site, you can use the exact same wallet you had on Vintage.-

First, select ‘Access My Wallet’ on the homepage.

Then choose your usual method of access. For example, if you used a Keystore/JSON file on vintage you’d select ‘Software’ and choose the ‘Keystore’ option to connect.

After you’ve connected, you’ll be taken to your Wallet Dashboard page. Here you can view your balances, send transactions, interact with Dapps, swap your crypto, and even manage NFTs!

We’ve come a long way since our days in Vintage, so it’s a good idea to take a few minutes and explore our new features.

For more information, check out our guide on how to access your wallet!

Importing a V2 JSON File

1 min read

These random V2 JSON files always make things complex. We apologize in advance.

You need to convert it to the standard V3 (‘Keystore / UTC’) file. The easiest way is using geth.

Download the appropriate version of the geth based on your operating system.

Once you download it, extract the zip. Also copy your V2 JSON file into the same folder.

There are really explicit instructions you can read for PC and Mac users.

Now you have to open a command line window and type in the following command:

geth account import nameofyourwalletfile

This will import your file into geth and convert it to the latest (V3) keystore file.

Now you need to go find it in one of the following locations:

• Mac: ~/Library/Ethereum
• Linux: ~/.ethereum
• Windows: %APPDATA%\Ethereum

Copy that file, and select it on MEW, and you’re good to go!

Moving foward, use this file. Keep a backup of it (and the old file, just in case).

Using Jaxx with MEW

1 min read

You can use both MyEtherWallet (MEW) and Jaxx at the same time, as both are client-side wallets that allow access to the Ethereum blockchain. There is no need to ‘import’ or ‘sweep’ your ETH from your Jaxx wallet to a new wallet with MEW.

Instead, use your Jaxx 12-word mnemonic phrase to access your wallet. You will derive multiple addresses, choose the one you are familiar with. Both ETH and ETC can be accessed via this address, as well as various other networks we support.

To access your ETC (or other networks), access your wallet and change your network in the upper-right hand corner of your wallet’s interface. We offer multiple nodes for ETC, so choose whichever is right for you. (Don’t overthink it.)

Moving from an Exchange (Coinbase/Gemini/Binance/Kraken/etc..) to MEW

2 min read

First, it’s important to tell the difference between an exchange and MyEtherWallet (MEW).

Let’s review:

• MyEtherWallet (MEW) is not an exchange.
• MEW does not hold your information or funds.
• The user is in complete control of their security. This means:
  • If you lose your private key, we cannot retrieve it.
  • If you forget your password, we cannot locate or reset it.
  • We cannot reverse or refund any transactions.
  • If you are phished, the only way for the attacker to get your information is through your own use. We never had it.
  • We cannot look up your attacker’s IP address or information.
  • We only have access to the information that is publicly available on the blockchain.

We are decentralized, meaning there are no central servers or powers to control everything. MEW is client-side and acts as a doorway to interact with the Ethereum blockchain. In the same way that a door does not know who’s using it, cannot restore accounts, and cannot hold funds, neither can we.

What we DO offer is freedom and a true sense of security. You gain complete control over your finances and information. You have the security of knowing that even if MEW shut down, you could still access your funds with a number of other decentralized ETH wallet platforms, or even directly on the blockchain itself. You are the only one with your information, and if MEW gets hacked, it won’t affect you. Because your funds and usage are not stored in MEW. They are on the blockchain, and you access them anonymously.

Once you’ve made the distinction, you’ll be ready to create your MEW wallet. Before you do that, though, we suggest you read through our ‘Getting Started’ category. It contains all the knowledge you need to begin your crypto journey with confidence.

Bon voyage!

Using Geth / Mist With MEW

min read

Geth & Mist

Mist files are typically found in the file locations below, but it’s much easier to open Mist, select “Accounts” in the top bar, select “Backup”, and select “Accounts”. This will open the folder where your files are stored.

• Mac: ~/Library/Ethereum/keystore
• Linux: ~/.ethereum/keystore
• Windows: %APPDATA%/Ethereum/keystore

How to Add a Default Network to MEW web

1 min read

You can add your Network to our default Network list under the conditions that your network is similar to Ethereum, has it’s own unique ChainID, and has a running blockchain explorer.

Adding your Network Type

If you’re adding a completely new network, you’ll need to first add it as a ‘Type’.

Step 1. Head to https://github.com/MyEtherWallet/MyEtherWallet/tree/master/src/networks/types

• Follow this link and check if your network type is already present. If not, you will need to prepare a few pieces of information about your network, such as the name, symbol, homepage, blockExplorer, and chainID.

Step 2. If you don’t see your network in the list, click ‘Create new file’ in the top-right corner of GitHub.

Step 3. Name your folder the same name as the network you’re adding.

• Example using CLO: ‘CLO.js’

Step 4. Fill in your network type information with the format below, using CLO as an example.

• Change all the references to CLO with the appropriate information for your network.
• If you need to import tokens and contracts, you may first need to add those to the Ethereum-lists repo, found here: https://github.com/MyEtherWallet/ethereum-lists/tree/master/src
• The third import refers to your network logo image, which you can upload and import to here: https://github.com/MyEtherWallet/MyEtherWallet/tree/master/src/assets/images/networks
• It’s a good idea to keep most of your naming and linking in all lower-case, except for the naming of your Types folder (which you’ve already done in Step 3).

Note: When you fill in your blockExplorerTX and blockExplorerAddr, make sure to replace the section of the URL that usually holds transaction hashes with ‘[[txHash]]’ and the section that shows the user’s public address with ‘[[address]]’ exactly as shown above.

Step 5. Once you’re finished, click ‘Propose New File’.

• Feel free to add any additional information you’d like to let us know about.

Step 6. Review what you’ve just made, then press ‘Create Pull Request’ twice.

Step 7. That’s it. You successfully made a new pull request!

• We will now review and pull it in, and it will be made live on the site with our next release. We may also ask you questions if something is confusing, for whatever reason.

Adding your Node as a Default Network on MEW web

Step 1. Head to https://github.com/MyEtherWallet/MyEtherWallet/tree/master/src/networks/nodes

Step 2. Click ‘Create new file’ in the top-right corner of GitHub.

Step 3. Name your file the same name as the network you’re adding.

• Example using CLO: ‘clo.js’

Step 4. Fill in your network type information with the format below, using CLO as an example.

• Change all the references to CLO with the appropriate information for your network.
• It’s a good idea to keep most of your naming and linking in all lower-case. You should only capitalize the type.

Step 5. Once you’re finished, click ‘Propose New File’.

• Feel free to add any additional information you’d like to let us know about.

Step 6. Review what you’ve just made, then press ‘Create Pull Request’ twice.

Step 7. That’s it. You successfully made a new pull request!

• We will now review and pull it in, and it will be made live on the site with our next release. We may also ask you questions if something is confusing, for whatever reason.

Using MetaMask with MEW

1 min read

Many users use MetaMask for it’s ease of use and integration with many popular crypto sites, but they still want to have the functionality that MEW offers. For this reason, we offer support for MetaMask wallets right in our interface. Connecting is simple!

Initial Set-Up

Only for users who do not already have a MetaMask wallet and would like to create one.

Step 1. Find and install the MetaMask extension in the Google Chrome store.

• Make sure it’s the legitimate extension.
  Are there a lot of users and positive reviews?
• Is it offered by MetaMask.io?
• If all of the above is true, you’re likely on the correct one.

Step 2. Create your wallet.

• Make sure to choose a difficult password and record it on physical paper, just in case.
• Follow the steps carefully, and make sure you write down the 12-word recovery phrase offered by the extension. This will be the only form of recovery for your wallet. Keep it safe.

Step 3. Log into MetaMask and familiarize yourself with your new wallet.

• Take special note of your public address (0x..).

Using MetaMask with MEW

Now that you have your MetaMask wallet, you can access your wallet by following these steps:

Step 1. Login to your MetaMask wallet via their Chrome Extension.

Step 2. On the MEW front page, select ‘Access My Wallet’.

Step 3. Select the ‘Browser Extension’ option to connect.

Step 4. Read and accept the ‘Terms and Conditions’, then select ‘Access My Wallet’.

Step 5. Confirm connection in the MetaMask pop-up window.

Step 6. You’re done!

How to Change Networks (Access Ropsten, ETC, and more!)

2 min read

Have you accidentally sent ETC to your ETH address? Are you curious to try ETH, but want to fool around on the Ropsten test network first? Or maybe you’re just interested in other networks that have forked off of the Ethereum blockchain? If any of the above are true, this is the article for you.

Using the MEW wallet app, MetaMask, or a Keystore File/Mnemonic Phrase/Private Key

Step 1. Access your wallet by choosing the desired method of access.

• We do not recommend using a Keystore File/Mnemonic Phrase/Private Key to access your funds. If you use one of these methods, we highly suggest using MEW offline, or creating a new wallet with the MEW wallet app and transferring your funds.

Step 2. On your wallet’s overview page, you will see a ‘Network’ section in the upper right hand corner. Click the ‘Change’ button.

Step 3. Choose the network you would like to interact with from this list. Your address will not change, but your funds will change to reflect the selected network.

• If you see multiple networks for your choice (i.e. ETC), there is no need to overthink it. Just choose whichever one you’d like, and change it to another if it seems slow or congested!

Using a Hardware Wallet

Step 1. Access your wallet using the ‘Hardware’ option.

Step 2. Choose the network you would like to connect to, followed by the derivation path desired.

• You will notice there are separate derivation paths for ETC and ETH. You do not have to change to the ETC path in order to access your ETC. Changing the derivation path will produce a different list of Ethereum addresses than you may be used to seeing. Simply change the network to ETC, and feel free to access your familiar ETH address through the ETH derivation path.

Step 3. Connect with your device, and you’re done! You will be directed to your wallet’s overview page on the desired network.

Missing Funds Sent from Binance (BSC Network)

3 min read

Did you send ETH or tokens from Binance to your MEW address, but don’t see them on MEW?

This might be because you sent them as BEP20 tokens on the BSC network, instead of the Ethereum network. Luckily, MEW web supports the BSC network, so it’s easy to switch over and start using your funds.

Note that MEW does not support the BEP2 Binance chain (BNB), as this is separate from the Binance Smart Chain (BSC). The Binance chain uses addresses that begin with ‘bnb..’, and each transfer requires an additional memo field. It’s impossible to send funds from the Binance chain to MEW.

First, double-check that your funds are on the BSC network.

In order to check this, head to BscScan and enter the public address (0x..) used to receive your funds from Binance.

If you sent ETH or another token, it will show your balance under the ‘Token’ drop-down towards the mid-left of the page.

Once you have confirmed that your funds are on the BSC network, you can move on to accessing these funds with MEW web.

Accessing the BSC network on MEW web

If you’re using MEW CX, MetaMask, or Dapper to connect, you won’t be able to change your network to access the BSC chain. In these scenarios, if you must gain access to your funds, it is recommended to use MEW offline to achieve your transfers. This process is a bit complicated, but it’s worth it for the long-term security of your wallet.

The first step to recover your funds is to access your wallet on the MEW web interface.

Once you’ve accessed your wallet, change your network by clicking ‘Change’ in the ‘Network’ section, near the upper-right hand corner of the interface. Locate ‘BSC’ in the list of networks that appears, and select ‘bscscan.com’.

Now your interface should change to show ‘BNB’ under the ‘Balance’ section, instead of ETH.

If you’re looking for ETH or another token, you’ll need to add it as a custom token in the Token list to the right. The same rules apply for adding tokens on the BSC network as in our article detailing how to add custom tokens on Ethereum, however you’ll be using BscScan instead of Etherscan.io.

Transferring Back to Ethereum

After your find your tokens, it’s up to you whether or not you’d like to keep them on the BSC chain or send them back to Ethereum.

If you want to switch back to Ethereum, you’ll need to send these funds back to Binance to swap them over.

You will need a bit of BNB in your wallet to use as gas. This amount can be very small, such as 0.1 BNB. After sending the BNB to your wallet address, you might need to manually refresh your balance to see it reflected in the MEW web interface.

Once you’re ready, get a deposit address for Ethereum on the BSC chain on Binance. Make sure you’ve selected the BSC chain. Fill out your transaction, and send your funds through the BSC chain to Binance.

Afterwards, you can also send any leftover BNB to Binance as well, if you want.

Next time you send your funds back to MEW, make sure you choose the ‘Ethereum’ option, to see your funds on the Ethereum blockchain.

Offline MEW Looks Weird

1 min read

Make sure that you unzip all the contents of the .zip into a separate, empty folder. Then, open the index.html file in your browser.

The folder structure should look like this:

If you don’t unzip the folder, or only unzip the index.html file, the page won’t be loaded correctly. Be sure to use a modern browser like Chrome or Firefox as well.

Unable to Connect to Custom Node

1 min read

• Verify the URL you entered is correct.

• Verify the port you entered is correct.

• Verify that if you are connecting to an http:// node you are running MyEtherWallet locally (NOT over https://).

• Verify you are running with:

  • geth --rpc --rpccorsdomain "null" --keystore "dont_put_secret_files_here_ever"

  • parity --rpccorsdomain "*" --keys-path "dont_put_secret_files_here_ever"

• Verify your node is actually up and running.

• Try removing the node and adding it again.

• Try changing the node in the top-right corner to ETH (Etherscan.io) or ETH (Infurio.io).

• Try using Google Chrome, or a different browser.

• Ensure you do not have a firewall or something else that may be blocking the connection.

Using MEW Offline (Cold Storage)

3 min read

For increased security, you can run MyEtherWallet (MEW) on your local computer, instead of from the GitHub servers through our website. The main computer being used to generate the transactions should not be connected to the internet. You can generate a wallet completely offline and send transactions on a different computer, which must be connected to the internet, from our ‘Send Offline’ section. In this way, your sensitive information (i.e. private key, keystore file, mnemonic phrase) is kept on an offline device, and it is never transmitted off your device.

There are two ways to use MEW offline, through the use of PWA or by downloading the client.

Using MEW Offline as a Progressive Web App (PWA)

Step 1. In order to use MEW as a PWA, you’ll first need to head to our website on Google Chrome and install MEW.

Step 2. On your online computer, scroll down to the footer to find our Offline Helper tool.

Step 3. Enter the address you’re sending from and click ‘Export JSON File’.

• Keep this safe, you’ll need it momentarily on your offline computer. Export it onto a USB for easy transfer.

Step 4. On your offline computer, access your wallet as you would normally.

• It will look a bit strange, since you’re offline.

Step 5. To the left, select ‘Send Offline’.

Step 6. Scroll down and import the JSON file you received earlier. This will fill in a few details. After that, paste the address you’re sending to and the amount you’d like to send.

Step 7. Now select ‘Generate Transaction’ and download the JSON file, or copy the Signed Transaction.

• You’ll need to use the USB from before for this step as well.

Step 8. Back to your online computer, head to the Offline Helper tool again and enter the Signed Transaction section.

• Upload the JSON file here, or paste the Signed Transaction, then press ‘Continue’. Details should generate in the next section.

Step 9. Double-check all your transaction details, then click ‘Send’.

Step 10. You’re done! You’ve just sent an offline transaction.

Downloading and Running MEW Offline

Step 1. In order to set up your local MEW, start by downloading the latest release of MEW.

Step 2. Click on MyEtherWallet-vX.X.X.X.zip to download the file. Move this file to a USB stick (or another storage transfer device), and transfer it to your permanently-offline computer.

Step 3. Plug the USB into your offline computer and extract all the files into the archive of the computer. Extracting the files is important, otherwise MEW will not open correctly and will look like a bunch of nonsense. You should end up with a folder containing these files:

Step 4. To open MEW, double-click the ‘index.html’ file. This will open MEW in your browser. You will get a warning saying it is unable to connect to the network, which is normal. You’re not connected to the internet. You won’t be able to see your ETH or token balances because of this, but these are viewable in a secure, public way by using an Ethereum blockchain explorer such as etherscan.io or ethplorer.io.

Congratulations, you’re running MEW offline! Make sure to repeat this process periodically, to ensure you’re on the most up-to-date version of our interface.

Read this article for more information on how to create a wallet.
Read this article if you’d like to know how to send an offline transaction.

Making an Offline Transaction

3 min read

If you are using MyEtherWallet (MEW) offline and locally, it is not possible to send transactions directly from the offline computer. To send or broadcast a transaction, an internet connection is required. To do this, you should use a second computer that is connected to the internet. This has the advantage of keeping your private key on a separate offline device that won’t be afflicted by malware or hackers.

Find the Nonce & Transaction Details

Step 1. Head to MyEtherWallet.com on your online computer.

Step 2. At the bottom, in the footer, choose the ‘Send Offline Helper’ tool.

Step 3. Choose the network you are interacting with.

• Leave it on ‘ETH’ if you are using Ether or ERC20 tokens.

Step 4. Fill in the address you are sending from, and our interface will generate a gas price and nonce for your transaction, along with other details

Step 5. Make a note of your nonce, export the JSON file, and move this file onto a USB.

Generate Your Offline Transaction

Step 1. Plug in the USB to your offline computer.

Step 2. Access the offline version of MEW on this same offline device.

• This is done by opening ‘Index’ from the file list with your browser.
• If you do not have MEW downloaded for offline use, this article will help you download the MEW web interface.

Step 3. Access your wallet like you would normally, and choose ‘Send Offline’ from the menu to the left.

• It’s important to use the ‘Send Offline’ tab instead of the regular Transaction tab, because the ‘Send Offline’ interface allows you to select any token for sending.
• In order to see the tokens in the ‘Type’ dropdown, you may need to refresh the token list to the right. Keep in mind that you will not see a connection, since you’re not connected to the internet, but this will refresh the token information so that it appears in the dropdown.

Step 4. Import your JSON file from the connected USB.

• Alternatively, you can manually fill in your nonce, transaction details, and the address you are sending to, as well as other relevant data.

Step 5. If you’re sending to a contract, extra data may cause you to need a higher gas limit.

• Excess gas will be refunded, so don’t be afraid to raise it as high as 100,000.

Step 6. Click ‘Generate Transaction’, then copy the long string that says ‘Signed Transaction’ and paste it in a text file, or download a new JSON file holding your signed transaction’s details. Drag this text file or JSON file into your USB for the final step in the process.

Sign and Send Your Transaction

Step 1. Head to MyEtherWallet.com once more on your online computer.

Step 2. At the bottom, in the footer, choose again the ‘Send Offline Helper’ tool.

Step 3. Paste in your signed transaction, or import the new JSON file you just received, then press ‘Continue’.

Step 4. Review the details of your transaction then press ‘Send’.

You’re done! Your transaction will show on an Ethereum blockchain explorer once it’s been verified. It can be searched using the transaction hash shown at the end of the process.

Lost Private Key

2 min read

MyEtherWallet does not manage accounts with information such as passwords, private keys, or emails. In order to ensure your security and privacy, no sensitive data is ever saved, stored, or transmitted when you use MyEtherWallet. We only have access to the information that is publicly available on the blockchain. We do not have servers and we do not hold your assets.

Only users themselves can access and control their funds – this is the purpose of decentralized networks. Your funds are stored on the Ethereum blockchain itself, and we are simply an interface that allows you to easily interact with them. Passwords and private keys are in the users’ hands and are the users’ responsibility.

Unfortunately, this means we cannot:

• Recover your private key
• Access your account
• Recover or reset your password
• Reverse or cancel transactions
• Recover your account
• Send your ETH or Tokens from one address to another

There may be a chance that you saved your Keystore/JSON file without realizing it. We recommend:

• Do a full search of your computer for ‘UTC–’ and see if the file shows up.
• Do a full search of your computer for your address, without the 0x at the beginning.
• If you know when you created it, look through all files during that time period for any documents or screenshots.
• Generate a new wallet via our interface and take a look at the different options you may have downloaded or saved. Sometimes backtracking can help jog your memory.

In the future, we strongly recommend you use our fully fledged mobile app MEW wallet, or purchase a hardware wallet for higher security. If you must use a private key, print out a paper version of your wallet, keep it in multiple physical locations, and only use it with an offline version of MEW.

You can read more about how to safely back up your wallet.

Ensuring MEW Doesn’t Give Different People the Same Public Address

min read

The first thing to understand is that MyEtherWallet (MEW) does not ‘create’ any private keys or public addresses. MEW (and other ETH wallet services) randomly generate private key/public address pairings for a user when ‘creating a new wallet’.

Every ETH address begins with ‘0x’ and is followed by 40 hexadecimal characters, for a total of 42 characters. Hexadecimal characters can be any character between the ranges of ‘a - f’ and ‘0 - 9’. This means there are 16^40 possible ETH addresses, which is the same as 2^160 possible addresses.

That means there are 1,461,501,637,330,902,918,203,684,832,716,283,019,655,932,542,976 possible addresses to choose from.

Keys are not ‘picked’, though. The reason randomizing this process is so crucial is because our brains are flawed. We are not capable of achieving true randomization with our choices. If you choose your own private key, you will have access to a wallet of your choice. However, if someone else also picks that private key, all of your information and funds will be at their mercy. So we let technology generate these addresses for us, for true entropic generation.

To put all of this in perspective, there are approximately 7.5 x 10^18 grains of sand on Earth. That’s

7,500,000,000,000,000,000 grains of sand

compared to

1,461,501,637,330,902,918,203,684,832,716,283,019,655,932,542,976 addresses

That’s quite a difference. In fact, this number is so mind-blowingly big that, at one address per second, it would still take longer than the galaxy has existed (~13.21 billion years) to even make a tiny dent – and you would still be unlikely to run across an address with any activity on it! Not only that, but it would take more energy than the Sun can offer to even try and brute-force any specific address.

The estimated age of the Universe itself is ~4.32 x 10^17 seconds old. In order to use up even half of the possible addresses in that amount of time, you would need to generate around 1.6 x 10^31 addresses every second. That’s 16 nonillion addresses every second, since the dawn of the Universe. And that’s just to use up half of them!

Even if the blockchain is vigorously active for the next ten thousand years, the chances of receiving a duplicate address are basically zero.

MEW says ‘Not Recommended’ when I Access my Wallet.. Why?

2 min read

You may have noticed we have a disclaimer on our Keystore File, Mnemonic Phrase, and Private Key options for access. This disclaimer reads ‘This is NOT a recommended way of accessing a wallet.’ Why is that?

Control over your wallet

Whether you’re using your private key, keystore file, or mnemonic phrase, each method is closely tied to one thing: your private key. This is what’s unlocking your familiar wallet, this unique key. If anyone gets their hands on this key, they will have full permanent control of your funds.

This means that if someone gets ahold of your mnemonic phrase or keystore file, they have full control over your wallet. Keystore files can have their passwords brute-forced relatively easily, if the password is weak enough. And Mnemonic phrases directly link to the same root private key, everytime.

This is why we do not recommend using these types of wallets, but instead use a wallet that keeps your key separate from the online world of peering eyes. The MEW wallet app, hardware wallets, and Chrome browser extensions (MEW CX, MetaMask) are the most secure options we offer for access.

Why do you have these options if they aren’t recommended?

At MEW, we believe that the blockchain and digital assets serve as instruments of financial freedom. As such, we believe that it is our responsibility, as a gateway to the ethereum blockchain, to give users the tools they need to protect themselves from scams, malicious actors, and human error while at the same time protecting the user’s right to choose.

MEW has taken strides to make sure that the most secure options for storing your keys are also the most convenient to use. We have also taken strides to ensure users are aware of the dangers of using non-recommended methods. However, should a user decide that employing a less convenient, high risk method of transacting it is likely because they feel that it is the method that best addresses their needs, and MEW honors their right to make that decision.

If you are set on using one of these access methods, the safest and most recommended way is to use MEW offline.

Recovery Phrase: Should I Include an Extra Word?

2 min read

Creating a New Wallet

We do not suggest creating a new wallet with the recovery phrase (mnemonic phrase) option on our website, unless you are planning to use MEW offline.

When you’re creating a new wallet through the ‘Mnemonic Phrase’ option on MEW, you are given the choice of whether or not to include an extra word. This is an extra word of your own choosing tacked onto the end of your phrase. For example, if you’re making a 24 word recovery phrase, this will act as a mandatory 25th word every time you want to use this phrase.

Occasionally, this extra word is also referred to as a ‘password’, but this is misleading. It’s actually a 13th / 25th word to your phrase.

The upside to this is extra security. If someone got a hold of your 24 word recovery phrase, they would still need your extra word to act as a 25th word in order to access your funds. This greatly increases the security of your phrase.

The downside to this is integration with other platforms. Almost every other Ethereum wallet interface requires your recovery phrase to be in a 12 or 24-word format and does not offer the extra word option. Therefore, restoring this phrase through other Ethereum wallets can prove difficult. This extra word becomes necessary to see your wallet, so you will not be able to regain access through non-supporting wallets.

In the end, the choice is yours.

Accessing or Restoring a Wallet

We do not suggest accessing or restoring your wallet with your recovery phrase directly on our website, unless you are using MEW offline.

When accessing or restoring your wallet through the ‘Mnemonic Phrase’ option on MEW, you are given the choice of whether or not to include an extra word. Most of the time, the answer is no.

Most apps or extensions that use recovery phrases, such as the MEW wallet app, MetaMask, and hardware wallets, do not include an extra word in their recovery phrase. They ask you to input a password for app access, but this is different than requiring an extra word for recovery purposes.

If you made your wallet directly on MyEtherWallet.com, you may need to use the extra word you chose during creation to restore your wallet. However, most wallets made through other platforms will not require the extra word. Simply toggle this option to the ‘off’ position and proceed with your recovery process.

Private Key Not Working

1 min read

Be sure there is not a space at the beginning or end of your private key. We validate based on the number of characters. A private key has 64 characters, count to make sure you have all 64. If you saved another version (i.e. the UTC / Keystore file) it may also be worth trying that file as well. For more information about how to use a Keystore file, learn how to access your wallet.

Please be sure that you are carefully and accurately typing your private key. A single wrong character will open a different wallet than is yours.

For reference private key looks like this:
afdfd9c3d2095ef696594f6cedcae59e72dcd697e2a7521b1578140422a4f890

Pro-Tips: How to Avoid Phishing/Scams

We’ve compiled a list of tips and tricks to avoid common phishing/scam techniques.

3 min read

1. Secure your access method.

• Whether it’s by purchasing a hardware wallet, downloading MEW wallet, or by using MEW offline, secure access is the number one defense against phishing.

2. Install MEW CX, EAL, PhishFort, or Cryptonite.

• These Chrome Extensions warn you when visiting malicious sites.

3. Never click a link sent to you, even if it looks legit.

• Search for the service on Google, or find the information from an official source. Make sure it’s not an ad!

4. You should never have to enter your private key for any service, airdrop, or KYC verification.

• Do not give your private key, mnemonic phrase, or keystore file to anyone! These are best used with MEW offline.

5. Check the URL very closely, to make sure it’s the one you are expecting.

• Phishers are very clever with their tiny dots and accents over and under the letters.
• Bookmark all the sites you frequent most!

6. Always Google search any token sales or ICOs you’re interested in.

• If it’s a scam, others will likely be posting about it.
• Check their Twitter, Reddit, etc. (Follow us on Twitter and Reddit while you’re at it!)

7. Search smart and look for common signs of scams – lack of followers in common, angry comments, etc.

• Remember, there are many fake bots and accounts out there!

8. Before sending crypto to any address, search it on Etherscan first.

• There is a comment section there that is likely to be full of angry people if the address is known for stealing funds.

9. Double and triple-check everything!

• Make sure every address is 100% correct, as even one wrong character will lead to a completely different wallet.
• While you’re at it, register an ENS domain name so your friends can send to “MyName.eth” instead of “0xab3c4edf…”.
  • Read more about registering a human-readable ENS domain.
• We cannot reverse or refund transactions, so this is very important!

10. Last, but not least, don’t be afraid to ask for help!

• We can always be reached at support@myetherwallet.com.
• Our support team is happy to help with any issue, big or small.

__

Below are two common scams and how to spot them:

What is a Keystore/JSON file? Can I Change my Password?

Keystore/JSON files are not a recommended way of accessing MyEtherWallet (MEW). For more information on other methods of access, check out our article on how to access a wallet.

min read

Your Keystore/JSON file holds an encrypted version of your private key, which is simply your private key encoded into a cool, secret string of characters. Take, for example, the word ‘apple’. If you encrypted this word with a 4-character difference down the alphabet, it would look something like ‘dssoh’. At face value, you’d have no idea what ‘dssoh’ meant. However, if you gave someone this word and told them the way you encrypted it, they could then decode it back to the world ‘apple’! This is a very simplified version of how encryption works, but it gets the point across.

When you enter your password upon generation of your wallet, it takes your password and uses it to encrypt your Private Key into a Keystore/JSON file. The result is a file that looks a lot like gibberish if you open it, (which there is no reason to do, do not open your JSON file!). This file simply holds your encrypted private key within it, which is why you have to use your chosen password to unlock your wallet via this method. You cannot change your password without generating an entirely new Keystore/JSON file.

It’s important to note that the strength of your password is directly related to the integrity of your Keystore/JSON file. If you choose a weak password, and a hacker gets hold of your encrypted key, they can bruteforce it until they discover what password you used. Pick a strong password for a strong encryption!

To change your Keystore/JSON file + password:

As mentioned above, you cannot change your password without generating a completely new JSON file.

Step 1. Download and install our MEW Chrome Extension.

Step 2. In the extension, add a ‘new wallet’ by entering your private key.

• This does not mean generating an entirely new wallet. It means to add your existing wallet as a ‘new wallet’ into the extension.

Step 3. Enter a strong password, and save the wallet.

• This will be the new password for your JSON file, so choose wisely.

Step 4. Head to the ‘My Wallets’ area of the extension and click the three vertical dots in the top-right corner of your wallet, then click ‘View’.

Step 5. Enter in the password you just made.

Step 6. You will be taken to an area that shows your wallet’s information. You can download a new Keystore/JSON file from this area, and use that for future access.

After downloading the new Keystore/JSON file, you can choose to continue using our Chrome Extension, or go back to using regular MEW. However, since you’re using a Keystore/JSON file, we highly suggest learning how to use MEW offline, for the security of your information.

Should I Keep My ETH and ERC20 Tokens on Multiple Addresses?

1 min read

MyEtherWallet (MEW) is a front-end interface that enables direct interaction with the Ethereum blockchain. Any Ethereum address (0x….) can hold both ETH and ERC20 tokens. MEW allows users to manage a variety of different funds on a single address.

Many exchanges will give separate addresses for separate tokens, but this is not necessary on MEW. Whether you store all your funds on one address or spread your crypto portfolio across multiple addresses is ultimately up to you.

Some users prefer to have their funds distributed across multiple addresses for the purposes of security, organization, or personal preference. Others find that keeping track of one wallet is easier. We suggest using whichever method best fits your needs.

However, remember that all Ethereum blockchain transactions require gas, which is always paid in ETH. We recommend having at least .01 ETH on all your addresses, for sending transactions when needed. Also, make sure to keep all your information organized. The more addresses you have, the easier it can be to lose track and forget essential details about your wallets.

Swap Was Canceled or Wasn’t Completed

min read

Time-constricted transactions can be tough in times of high volume due to various factors, like the transaction queue, ongoing token sales, the current state of the network, etc.

If you sent coins or tokens to the specified swap address, but have not received your funds in return, please reach out to both support@myetherwallet.com and the provider you made your swap through.

What is a Recovery Phrase?

Recovery phrases are not a recommended way of accessing MyEtherWallet (MEW). For more information on other methods of access, check out our article on how to access a wallet.

3 min read

Recovery phrases, also known as ‘seed words’ or ‘mnemonic phrases’, are ordered lists of 12 - 24 words which bring you to specific and unique wallet addresses. Each phrase leads to a near infinite amount of addresses, but most wallet interfaces pick the first one from the list to use as your public address. When you use a phrase on MEW web, you’ll see the first five addresses with the option to view more. If you’re using our MEW wallet app, each additional account you add is just the next address down the list of addresses that is generated from your phrase.

These phrases are typically used for recovery, and they are not meant to be used as the main method of access for anyone’s wallet. These phrases offer permanent and direct access to one’s wallet, so they should be treated carefully.

They can sometimes be paired with an extra word as well, for added encryption and security. When wallets offer this service, the extra word is used as an extra added word to the end of the phrase. For example, 12-word phrases become 13 words, and 24-word phrases become 25 words. MyEtherWallet offers this service, but MEW wallet does not. This means that recovery phrases generated directly on MEW’s website will have the option for an extra word at the end. But if you are restoring a MEW wallet app recovery phrase on the web interface, you should leave the extra word field blank.

Recovery phrases are just as sensitive as your private key, in terms of privacy. With your phrase, anyone can permanently access your wallet. These phrases cannot be changed, so keeping them safe is crucial.

Popular wallets that offer recovery phrases for back up are:

• MEW! As well as our companion smartphone app, MEW wallet.
• Hardware wallets, such as Ledger Nano S or Trezor.
• MetaMask, JAXX, and various other ETH wallets.

Here are some tips for using Recovery phrases:

• Use MEW offline!
• Don’t keep the words on a computer, write them down on physical paper.
• Write them down again. And one more time. Keep these lists in easy-to-remember, separate locations.
• Make sure your spelling is 100% correct. Always double-check your work.
• Order is important – the phrase will not work in the wrong sequence.
• Avoid hand-typing your phrase into computers that are connected to the internet.

My phrase brings me to unfamiliar addresses. Why?

• Think back to where you first created the wallet. Did the service require an extra word (13th or 25th word)?
  • If it did, try entering your recovery phrase with the extra word you made.
  • If you already tried that, try entering the phrase leaving the extra word field blank.
• If neither of these options worked, double-check the order and spelling of all words.
• If you’re still stuck, reach out to our support team. We’re always happy to help.

What to Do if You’ve Had Your Funds Stolen

min read

Phishing and hacking are (unfortunately) very common in the crypto space. Don’t let it discourage you though, as most attacks are completely preventable. We will not be able to recover your funds for you, but we’re here to help however we can. Education is the biggest defense against these attacks. Being able to recognize and prepare yourself for future phishing attempts is very important.

Step 1: Identify the method.

The first step is identifying how it happened. Phishers make their living by being sneaky, so being able to figure out their methodology will be tremendously helpful.

• Check your history. Have you recently visited any sketchy sites? Did you recently enter your information on a fake MEW after clicking a link?
  • Look at the URLs. Do you see any tiny dots or accents over (or under) the letters?
• Scan your computer for malware. It’s possible your files have been compromised.
• Do you have any remote-access software installed, i.e. Teamviewer? These can be hacked remotely to view the information right from your screen.
• What method do you use to access your wallet? Private keys, keystore/JSON files, and mnemonic phrases are not generally recommended because they allow easy access to one’s wallet.

Step 2: Make a new wallet.

Since your old wallet was compromised, you will need to discontinue its use and set up a new wallet. There are multiple safer options to choose from besides keystore/JSON files, mnemonic phrases, or private keys.

• The best thing you can do for your security is purchase a hardware wallet, such as the Ledger Nano S or Trezor. These are generally around ~$100, but can save you thousands in the long run.
• MEW wallet is our fully fledged mobile app, which allows users to buy, hold, and send Ether and tokens right from their smartphone. It’s simple, fast, and secure.
• MetaMask is a free Google Chrome Extension that allows you to set up an Ethereum wallet, which can be used with MEW. MetaMask also warns you when visiting known phishing sites.

Step 3: Educate yourself.

When it comes to crypto, there is no such thing as being too educated. This is a very new field, so even the experts have more to learn. The more you know, the more prepared you’ll be.

• A great place to start is with our Knowledge Base. MEW maintains a variety of articles that can help. Start with our Pro-Tips on how to avoid phishers.
• The force is strong with this community. Follow us on Twitter and Reddit for any current MEW-related scams or updates that might be going on.
• Google everything! Before sending money to any service, search it on Google. Read people’s opinions on it, check Twitter and Reddit. Do your research!

Step 4: Let the world know!

To avoid these scams, we need to know they’re happening. Take screenshots and write down what happened, while it’s still fresh.

• Send us the information! We cannot recover stolen funds, but we can help warn others. We’re always available at support@myetherwallet.com.
  • To make the process easier, make sure to include all relevant addresses, transaction hashes, screenshots, and details about how it happened.
• Let people know on Twitter, Reddit, Etherscan, etc. Blow up those comments. Let your voice be heard

We know these attacks can be very demoralizing, but let it be an opportunity for learning. If these phishers deter you from using crypto, then they win. Show them that you’re a force to be reckoned with!

Swapping ETH & ERC20 Tokens via DEX.AG and Changelly

1 min read

Here at MyEtherWallet (MEW), we’re all about fostering a seamless user experience, built on a foundation of security. This is why we’ve partnered with multiple exchanges, such as DEX.AG and Changelly, to bring you competitive price points for your swaps.

To utilize our swap feature, first you must access your wallet.

In the wallet overview area of your account, you’ll see a ‘Swap’ option to the left. Click there to be redirected to our exchanging interface.

Choose the cryptocurrency you’d like to swap, and the second list will auto-populate with the choices we offer for that swap. The bottom of our interface will show which exchange is offering this price point, compared to other exchanges.

If all the information looks correct to you, simply enter the address you’d like to send the new funds to (feel free to use the same address as the one you’re sending from!) and press ‘Continue’.

A timer of 10 minutes will begin for you to review all your information, confirm the details, and send the transaction.

If you have issues with your swap, please reach out to the relevant exchange’s support team and our own, at support@myetherwallet.com.

Buy ETH via Simplex

1 min read

Our partner Simplex allows MEW users to securely buy ETH with a credit card!

All you have to do is click ‘Buy ETH’ at the top of our interface.

A couple things to keep in mind during this process:

• There is a $50 minimum and a $10k maximum for first purchases.
• Simplex has a daily limit of $20k, with a monthly limit of $50k.

If you are having issues with your purchase, Simplex can be reached at support@simplex.com.

Move your BTC to the Ethereum Blockchain with MEW swap

4 min read

MEW has integrated DEX.AG and Changelly to offer the ability to move your Bitcoin to the Ethereum blockchain through wrapped tokens.

Wrapped tokens have their value pegged to a specific crypto, such as Bitcoin, so that they keep the same price despite the volatility of the crypto market. Some examples include the ERC20 tokens renBTC, wBTC, and BTC++, all of which are available through MEW web’s swap portal.

Moving your Bitcoin to Ethereum has many different applications. The main benefit is bringing Bitcoin’s value, community, and liquidity to Ethereum. Although Ethereum boasts powerful smart contract technology, Bitcoin is by far the largest crypto in terms of total market cap. Bridging the gap between Bitcoin and Ethereum allows for more DeFi opportunities, more innovation, and less isolation between chains.

It’s important to remember the risks involved when swapping for any crypto assets. Do your own research to determine the authenticity of a project or team before jumping into any investments, and never invest more than you are prepared to lose.

renBTC

Ren Project has built a RenVM protocol capable of exchanging BTC to ERC20 token renBTC and back again. Each renBTC is pegged 1:1 with a real BTC to back it up, so you can rest assured that you’ll be able to swap your renBTC back to BTC at any time without any liquidity issues. The MEW wallet app has integrated this bridge right into the mobile interface.

Ren is working on making renBTC the first truly decentralized solution for moving BTC to Ethereum. Because of this, sometimes it can take longer to reach all the confirmations necessary to move your BTC over. It’s always recommended to do your own research before fully committing to any crypto asset.

Read up on RenVM’s website for more information about the project and what else you can do with RenVM. You can also read a Medium post on RenVM’s road to decentralization.

PBTC

pBTC is a token by pNetwork and its flagship project pTokens, a cross-chain system that enables assets to move frictionlessly from one blockchain to another.

Each pBTC is backed 1:1 by real bitcoin secured within the pTokens system, with which users can automatically and transparently peg-in their underlying BTC for Ethereum-compatible pBTC, or peg-out to redeem its underlying bitcoin, as needed.

pNetwork is the progressively decentralized governance layer operating the pTokens bridges among major blockchain protocols, including Bitcoin, Ethereum, EOS, and Litecoin. It is home to the pNetwork DAO and the ecosystem’s governance token PNT. Read more at p.Network.com/learn, or by reviewing this Medium post on the project’s commitment to security and progressive decentralization.

WBTC

The pegged token WBTC stands for ‘wrapped BTC’. It is a token initially developed through a partnership of BitGo, Ren, Dharma, Kyber, Compound, MakerDAO, and Set Protocol. Now it is managed through a Decentralized Autonomous Organization (DAO) called WBTC DAO. All Bitcoin used by WBTC is kept and maintained by BitGo as a custodial service.

It’s important to note that WBTC is a centralized solution for wrapped Bitcoin; it’s arguably the most popular as well. WBTC will never be as secure as the Bitcoin blockchain itself, since in the end it’s governed by people and not code itself, but it remains a good option for bringing BTC value to the Ethereum blockchain.

You can read more about WBTC on the WBTC website.

BTC++

BTC++ is a relatively new Bitcoin token that was created by PieDAO, an open-source organization with the main goal of expanding DeFi. BTC++ is a “BTC” token on Ethereum, but it’s made up of several different wrapped Bitcoin tokens, including wBTC, pBTC, sBTC, and imBTC. PieDAO allocates these wrapped BTC tokens in order to create a general and more balanced approach at a BTC peg while minimizing the risk of any one single wrapped BTC token collapsing from liquidity issues or malicious activity.

As always, it’s recommended that you read up on your investments before committing. Take a look at the PieDAO website for more information.

How to Add a Custom Token on MEW web

3 min read

Any ERC20 token can be added to your local MEW interface by following these instructions.

Make sure it isn’t already a default token

First you’ll want to make sure your token isn’t already listed in our interface.

Step 1. Access your wallet.

Step 2. Search our default token list for the token you are looking for.

• If you see the token, but don’t see a balance, it’s possible our default listing is for a token with the same symbol but a different contract address. In this case, continue with these steps as if you didn’t see it in the list.

Step 3. If you don’t see your token, continue with this article.

Looking for the token’s information

You will need three pieces of information to add a custom token with our interface: the contract address, decimal count, and symbol. All of this information can be found via an Ethereum blockchain explorer, like Etherscan.io or Ethplorer.io. We will show how to find this via Etherscan.io.

Step 1. Head to Etherscan.

Step 2. If you have a balance of the token you are trying to add, search for your public address (0x…) in the search bar.

• If you do not have a balance and would like to add the token before receiving it, search for the token in the search bar. Make sure you find the correct token, or you will be adding another token to your list.
• There is no harm in sending your ERC20 token to your address before adding it as a custom token. In fact, this may make it easier to find via etherscan.

Step 3. Find your token in the token balances dropdown. Select the token to be taken to a token information screen.

Step 4. Here, you will find the token’s contract address and decimal count to the right of the interface. Remember the decimal count, and click on the contract address to be taken to the token’s main screen.

Step 5. Copy this address to your clipboard, and head back to MEW. At the top of the token list, click ‘+ Custom Tokens’ to bring up the custom token addition screen.

Step 6. Paste the contract address into the top field, input the token’s symbol (abbreviation) into the second field, and enter the decimal count last. Then click ‘Save’. You’re done!

Common Issues

“Token Already Exists!”

If you see this error, there is a simple fix for it. Re-enter your custom token information, but put a ‘2’ after the symbol. I.e. If the token’s symbol is ‘XYZ’, enter is as ‘XYZ2’.

If you still get this error after submitting it with the modified symbol, then your token is likely already a default token. Try searching the token list again for the symbol. If you see it with a balance of 0, but etherscan.io shows a balance, then you’ll likely need to change networks to another ETH node, in the upper right-hand corner.

My custom tokens are disappearing!

If your custom tokens are disappearing every time you access our interface, make sure that you do not have a cache-clearing software installed (i.e. CCleaner). Your custom token information is stored locally in your browser, so this software will clear this information and require you to re-submit the token every time you access your wallet.

What are Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs)?

1 min read

MEW supports NFTs!

What are NFTs, you ask?

NFTs (Non-Fungible Tokens) are tokens that are tied to a singular, unique thing.

For instance, take a CryptoKitty. Each CryptoKitty is their own, separate NFT. No two NFTs are the same, even though they can represent similar things.

NFTs are very useful because they simulate real products and values that can be produced and transferred to prove ownership. They’re heavily used in blockchain gaming, where having unique items are treasured.

Since they’re built on the blockchain, their code and proof of ownership are immutable. You have full control over your NFTs, and no one can take that away from you.

To use the NFT Manager:

Step 1: Access Your Wallet.

Step 2. Select the NFT Manager on your Wallet Dashboard.

Step 3. Choose which NFT you’d like to interact with.

• If you’re trying to send your NFT to someone else, make sure you have at least 0.01 ETH to pay for gas!

Default or Custom Token Already Exists

1 min read

A ‘Token Already Exists’ error can occur when an incorrect contract address was added as a custom token.

To find the correct contract address, follow these instructions:

Using Ethplorer.io

Step 1. Enter the name of the token you want to add to your MyEtherWallet interface.

Step 2. Use the contract address (not the creator address) for the custom token field in MEW. Be sure to use the correct decimal count as well.

Using Etherscan.io

Step 1. Enter the name of the token you want to add to your MyEtherWallet interface.

Step 2. Use the contract address for the custom token and be sure to use the correct decimals as well.

Other causes:

This error can also occur if the symbol of your token is the same as a symbol already in our default list. To solve this, try adding the symbol with a ‘2’ after.

Using our above example, instead of ‘SNT’, you would add the token as ‘SNT2’.

This has no actual effect on the token itself, but is just a placeholder to make organizing your tokens easier.

Why are Random Tokens Appearing in my Wallet?

1 min read

Lately, a lot of blockchain projects on Ethereum have been ‘airdropping’ tokens in the wallets of users. This is done to either spread the distribution of tokens, or to advertise the token to users.

The amount of airdropped tokens you receive depends (in a lot of airdrops) on how much Ether (ETH) you had at a specified block. Some airdrops drop the same amount of tokens to everyone.

That said, your Ethereum address is public on the blockchain, which means that anyone is able to send you ETH and/or tokens. If you want to find more information about airdropped tokens you received in your wallet, you can look them up on the internet for more information.

If an airdrop website is asking for your private key, it’s a scam and they are trying to steal your funds.

Canceling or Replacing a Transaction After it’s Been Sent

9 min read

Can I cancel, replace, or do anything once a transaction has been sent?

Most of the time, the answer is no.

Once a transaction has been mined and is included in a block on the blockchain, it cannot be canceled or replaced.

During times of normal volume, transactions are mined within seconds and do not spend any length of time in the transaction pool. There is simply not enough time to cancel, replace, or override a transaction once it has been sent.

However…

During times of extremely high volume and high gas prices, transactions could be pending for hours or days before being mined.

If your transaction is pending for a seemingly infinite amount of time, it is possible to replace it with a new transaction.

The easiest way to do this is by sending a 0 ETH transaction to your own address with the same nonce and a higher gas price. This will cancel out your first transaction.

There is no guarantee this will work, nor that it will work every time. You may end up sending two transactions if you don’t follow the process carefully, and even then there is no guarantee.

This article is not saying that you can cancel a transaction you accidentally sent to the wrong address, or that you can get your ETH back once it has been sent.

It only pertains to finding, checking, and potentially replacing transactions that have been stuck in the transaction pool for a very long period of time.

How to Check the Status of a Transaction

Step 1. Head to an Ethereum blockchain explorer, like Etherscan.io, Ethplorer.io, or EthVM.

Step 2. Copy and paste the transaction hash into the search field provided.

Step 3. Details will appear depending on the state of the transaction. It will say:

• Success: Your transaction was successfully mined and is on the blockchain.
  • If you do not see any errors, your transaction was successfully sent. Your ETH or tokens are where you sent them. If this balance has not been credited to your hosted wallet or exchange account 24 hours after sending, please contact that service. Send them the link to your transaction and ask them to look into your situation.
• Failed:
  • If you see a red ( ! ) symbol, or a “BAD INSTRUCTION” or “OUT OF GAS” error message, it means that the transaction was not successfully sent. You cannot cancel or replace this transaction. Instead, send a new transaction. If you received an “Out of Gas” error, you should double the gas limit you specified originally.
  • If you see ‘Reverted’, it’s a good idea to double-check the actions you’re taking. This is an error having to do with a smart contract user-error.
• Transaction Not Found: This transaction cannot be found. It’s possible that it did not go through, or that it cannot be found in the Ethereum blockchain explorer you are using. Try using the other one (Etherscan.io, Ethplorer.io, or EthVM). If you still can’t find it, it never went through.
• Pending: Your transaction was located in the transaction pool of the explorer you are using. It is currently pending (waiting to be mined). There is a chance you can cancel or replace this transaction, but it’s a very small chance.

If your transaction says ‘Pending’, check the gas price you used for this transaction and compare it to the gas prices seen on EthGasStation.info. If it’s much lower than the ‘Safe Low’ price listed, then you have a good chance of replacing or canceling it.

“Replacing” vs “Canceling” Transactions

• Canceling: This is when you want to ‘undo’ your transaction. You don’t want it to go through, so you generate a 0 ETH transaction to your own address with the purpose of preventing a previous transaction from “going through” / “being mined” / being included in the blockchain.
• Replacing: This is when you want your same transaction to go through faster, or you want to replace it with another transaction. You generate a XX ETH transaction to someone else’s address with the purpose of doing something (i.e. sending funds, revealing an ENS bid, etc.) while simultaneously not having a previous transaction go through.

The reason we recommend ‘Canceling’ over ‘Replacing’ is that it is not guaranteed your second transaction will actually replace your first one. Choosing to replace a transaction with a new one could lead to more confusion, headaches, and pending ETH, or ETH spent unnecessarily in the form of gas. This is especially true if your first transaction is mined anyways, which is possible.

Canceling a Transaction

Canceling means generating a 0 ETH transaction to your own address with the purpose of preventing a previous transaction from “going through” / “being mined” / “being included in the blockchain” / “being stuck”.

Step 1. Head to Etherscan.io, Ethplorer.io, or EthVM.

Step 2. Paste your transaction hash.

• If it says pending, you can still try to cancel it.
• If it says not found, click the button again, waiting a few minutes between each click. If that doesn’t work, it’s likely your transaction never went through.
• If it says success, you cannot try to cancel it.

Step 3. If it says pending, make note of the ‘Nonce’ being used by the transaction, then access the wallet you used to send the original transaction on MEW.

Step 4. In the left-side menu, click ‘Send’, then choose ‘Send offline’.

• You do not have to be offline for this method to work.

Step 5. Send a transaction to yourself with a balance of 0 ETH and a high gas price, referenced from EthGasStation.info, and use the same nonce you noted from step 3.

• Keep in mind, the higher the gas price, the higher the transaction fee (Gas Limit * Gas Price).

Step 6. Click the ‘Generate Transaction’ button, then copy the ‘Signed transaction’, which is a long string that begins with ‘0x’.

Step 7. Now close out of this pop-up and scroll down to our footer. Select ‘Send Offline Helper’.

Step 8. Head to section 3 ‘Signed Transaction’, then paste the string from step 6 and ‘Continue’.

Step 9. A new transaction hash will appear. Search it on the blockchain explorer of your choice and see if it posts as successful.

• If it doesn’t show up immediately, try refreshing in a few minutes.

Replacing a Transaction
(Advanced Users Only)

Replacing a transaction means generating a XX ETH transaction to someone else’s address with the purpose of doing something (i.e. sending a transaction, revealing an ENS bid, etc.) while simultaneously not having a previous transaction go through. This can be the same transaction as the one that’s pending or a completely different transaction.

Step 1. Repeat steps 1 - 4 from the ‘Canceling a Transaction’ section above.

Step 2. Fill the ‘To Address’ field with whatever address you wish to send to.

Step 3. Change the ‘Amount’ from 0 to the amount of ETH you wish to send, and change the nonce to the same nonce as the pending transaction.

Step 4. If you are sending a standard ETH transaction, you can use 21000 for the gas limit. If sending tokens, raise it to around 100000.

Step 5. For the ‘Gas Price’ field, use a high gas price as referenced from EthGasStation.info.

• Keep in mind, the higher the gas price, the higher the transaction fee (Gas Limit * Gas Price).

Step 6. Click the ‘Generate Transaction’ button, then copy the ‘Signed transaction’, which is a long string that begins with ‘0x’.

Step 7. Now close out of this pop-up and scroll down to our footer. Select ‘Send Offline Helper’.

Step 8. Head to section 3 ‘Signed Transaction’, then paste the string from step 6 and ‘Continue’.

Step 9. A new transaction hash will appear. Search it on the blockchain explorer of your choice and see if it posts as successful.

• If it doesn’t show up immediately, try refreshing in a few minutes.

Final Notes

• MEW does not receive any transaction fees. They are paid to the miners for including your transaction in a block. We are a free, open-source service.
• The transaction pool varies from node to node. This means that a transaction may be pending in ETH (Infura.io)’s transaction pool, but not ETH (MyEtherWallet.com)’s transaction pool. For this reason, you should try all the ETH nodes we offer.

ETH or ERC20 Tokens Sent To/From an Exchange Haven’t Shown Up

min read

If you’re missing funds, you should first confirm that the transaction was broadcast successfully. If you have your transaction hash, plug it into the search bar at Etherscan.io.

Example: A successful transaction.

Example An unsuccessful transaction.

The lack of any red symbols or errors means that your transaction was successful! You can click on the ‘To:’ address on this transaction overview to redirect yourself to the funds destination. Make sure you double check the address to confirm it was 100% the same address you meant to send to. Even one wrong character will mean your funds were sent to another wallet’s address.

If you see an error on your transaction, this means it was not successful, and your funds never left their original wallet. You will need to try sending the transaction again, making a few changes to help it broadcast successfully. Depending on the error shown, it’s usually an easy fix.

Internal Transactions: What Do They Mean?

1 min read

This is a little easier to understand if you make the distinction that every wallet has two addresses. The first address is the ‘external’ or public address most people are familiar with (0x..), while the second can be considered an ‘internal’ address. All activity through the Ethereum blockchain starts with external addresses making some sort of action, but internal addresses are used behind-the-scenes with smart contracts to make small things happen. Whenever a smart contract needs to send ETH or make some sort of mechanic on its own, they call a function originally labeled as a ‘message,’ which eventually was renamed as an ‘internal transaction’.

This is a misnomer, because internal transactions are not actually considered transactions, as they are not included directly in the blockchain. Instead, they are more like a byproduct of smart contract functionality. Most importantly, they are reflected in the overall balance. They can usually be found under an ‘Internal Transaction’ tab, via Etherscan.io

Error: Not Enough ETH to Send

1 min read

If you are getting the error that looks like this: “Not enough ETH to send”, it means you do not have enough ETH in your account to cover the cost of gas.

Each transaction (including token and contract transactions) requires gas, and that gas is paid in ETH. You can think of this like a transaction fee.

Solution: Send 0.01 ETH to that account in order to be able to make the transaction.

A standard transaction will take a gas limit of 21000 and a gas price of 0.00000002 ETH, which makes the total transaction fee 0.00042 ETH. With tokens, the amount of gas is typically 50000 gas - 100000 gas, so the total TX fee increases to 0.001 ETH - 0.002 ETH.

More Information About Gas

• A standard TX will be 21000 gas & a gas price of 0.00000002 ETH so the total TX fee will be 0.00042 ETH.
• With tokens, the amount of gas is typically 50000 gas - 100000 gas, so the total TX fee increases to 0.001 ETH - 0.002 ETH.
• The amount of ETH or tokens you are sending does not affect the amount of gas you need.
• Gas limit is the maximum amount of gas you will send with your transaction. This is in units of gas.
• Gas price is how much each unit of gas costs. It can be adjusted via the Settings page, or by adjusting the ‘Transaction Fee’ on the ‘send transaction’ page.

How to Send a Transaction with MEW web

2 min read

MyEtherWallet (MEW) makes it easy for you to send a transaction. All you need is a wallet, the Ethereum address you’d like to send funds to, and a little ETH for gas.

All transactions require ETH for gas. We suggest having at least .01 ETH for 2 - 3 transactions. Check out our article to learn more about gas.

If you plan to move large amounts of ETH or ERC20 tokens, we suggest sending a small amount first to make sure everything goes as planned.

Step 1. Access your wallet.

Step 2. Select the button that says ‘Send Transaction’, or find this section in the ‘Send’ category from the left menu.

Step 3. Fill in the type of currency you’d like to send, the amount, and the address you’d like to send to.

• Make sure to double and triple check the address you’re sending to! We cannot recover funds sent to the wrong address.
• When sending your entire balance of ETH, choose the ‘Send Entire Balance’ option, so your gas is auto-calculated out of the total.
• Gas and gas limit will auto-generate based on network congestion.
• If you don’t see the token you’d like to send, you may need to add it as a custom token.

Step 4. Click ‘Send Transaction’ and confirm the transaction on the next screen.

• If you’re using the MEW wallet app or a hardware wallet, be sure to confirm the transaction on your device as well.

Step 5. Your transaction has been posted! Copy your transaction hash, for your records.

• Check your transaction hash on Etherscan to make sure everything went through properly.

Does MEW Have a Minimum Requirement for Sending?

1 min read

There is no minimum to transfer out of MyEtherWallet (MEW). We are not an exchange and have no way of blocking your withdrawals or deposits.

The only ‘minimum’ requirement is the minimum amount of gas needed to complete the transaction. For a standard transaction, that is 0.000441 ETH.

If you have 0.000X ETH in your account and want to empty your account completely, send 0.01 ETH into the account and use the “Send Entire Balance” button to send the entire balance out. This will leave you with a balance of 0 ETH.

Error: Address is Not Checksummed

1 min read

Every Ethereum address has two versions to it, one that includes uppercase letters and one that doesn’t. These are called the checksummed and non-checksummed versions, respectively. Take for example, the MEW donation address:

Non-checksummed version: 0xdecaf9cd2367cdbb726e904cd6397edfcae6068d

Checksummed version: 0xDECAF9CD2367cdbb726E904cD6397eDFcAe6068D

These two addresses include all the same characters and lead to the same destination, the checksummed one is just a little more useful for determining the accuracy of the address. Both versions of the address are viable and usable, but the checksummed version is the preferred version to use. If even one character of an address is off, any tokens or coins sent to the wrong address will be lost forever. This is not something to be taken lightly.

Sometimes you will receive an error warning you that your address is not checksummed, preventing or warning you from making a transaction or adding a custom token. This is for your own safety. Do not be alarmed, though!

It’s very easy to find the checksummed version of any address:

Step 1. Head to Etherscan.io.

Step 2. Input the address you’re interested in viewing into the search field.

Step 3. You will be taken to a page for the address, with balances and a list of transactions

Step 4. At the top of the page, see the checksummed version with capital letters included

My Transaction Failed. Why Was I Charged?

1 min read

The Ethereum network requires gas to execute transactions. Ether (ETH) is the fuel used for this purpose. When you send tokens, interact with a contract, send ETH, or do anything else on the blockchain, you must pay for that computation. That payment is calculated in gas, and gas is always paid in ETH.

You are paying for the computation, regardless of whether your transaction succeeds or fails. Even if it fails, the miners must validate and execute your transaction, which takes computational power. You must pay for that computation, just like you would pay for a successful transaction.

You can see your transaction fee (gas limit * gas price) in ETH & USD when you search for your transaction on Etherscan.io.

This is not a fee that MyEtherWallet, or any other service provider, receives. This fee is paid to miners for mining transactions, validating them into blocks, and securing the blockchain.

Transactions are ‘Not Found’ or ‘Pending’ Forever

2 min read

Often times, a combination of new users, increased interest in Ethereum, games like CryptoKitties, and random ICOs can create quite a mess of the transaction pool, causing a lot of transactions to remain pending longer than usual. This is a network issue that affects all exchanges and ETH users.

There is simply not enough space in the blocks for the miners to mine all the transactions, and many systems are not currently set up to monitor the massive quantity of transaction requests. This is affecting all people’s ability to send transactions.

Helpful Tools and Resources to Get Your Transaction to Send

• Learn about transaction fees (gas), and how to get your transaction to go through.
• Replace a pending transaction that you sent with too low gas.
• Use EthGasStation for accurate gas prices in real-time.
• Learn about Nonce, and how it controls which transactions are mined (or not).

Other Tips

• Try switching the network in the top-right to use a different node. There are multiple nodes that allow you to interact with ETH. We default to ‘MyEtherWallet.com’. If one is not working, try another one.
• If you sent FROM an exchange, your best bet is to just be patient. Their support teams are generally flooded with requests (as are ours!), so patience is the best option.
• There are additional issues created by this increased traffic that can result in unclear error messages on MyEtherWallet. We’re sorry for this, and we’re working on improving those messages. If you get an error, try pressing the generate button again, or changing the network via the dropdown in the top-right. However, be careful that you don’t actually send the same transaction twice.

If you have any other questions, please let us know at support@myetherwallet.com.

For Visual Learners

What is Gas?

6 min read

Introduction

The Ethereum blockchain is a network. Ether (ETH) is the fuel for that network. When you send tokens, interact with a contract, send ETH or ERC20 tokens, or do anything else on the blockchain, you must pay for that computation. That payment is calculated in gas, and gas is always paid in ETH.

You are paying for the computation, regardless of whether your transaction succeeds or fails. Even if it fails, the miners must validate and execute your transaction, which takes computational power. You must pay for that computation just like you would pay for a successful transaction.

You can see your transaction fee (gas limit * gas price) in ETH & USD when you search for your transaction on Etherscan.io. This is not a fee that MyEtherWallet (MEW), or any other service provider, receives. This fee is paid to the remote miners for mining transactions, putting them into blocks, and securing the blockchain.

Overview

When you hear the term ‘gas’, the person speaking is either talking about:

• Gas Limit
• Gas Price

The total cost of a transaction (the “transaction fee”) is the Gas Limit * Gas Price.

You can think of the gas limit as the total amount of liters/gallons/units of gas a car can hold.

You can think of the gas price as the cost of that liter/gallon/unit of gas.

• With a car, it’s dollars (price) per gallon (unit).
• With Ethereum, it’s GWEI (price) per gas (unit).

So let’s say you want to fill up your 10 gallon tank.
It would take 10 gallons of gas, at $2.50 each. That total would come out to $25.

Likewise, fulfilling a gas limit of 21000 means filling 21000 units of gas.
If each unit is set at 20 GWEI, your total would come out to 0.00042.

Therefore, the total transaction fee in this scenario would be 0.00042 ETH.

Sending tokens will typically take a bit more gas than sending ETH, so we generally recommend having 0.1 ETH for 2 - 3 token transactions.

You can use our tool to calculate GWEI <-> WEI <-> USD here, which can be helpful when you want to know your transaction fee in ETH, rather than GWEI.

Gas Limit

The gas limit is called the limit because it’s the maximum amount of units of gas you are willing to spend on a transaction. This avoids situations where there is an error somewhere in a contract, and you end up spending 1 ETH, then 10 ETH, and then 1000 ETH, going in circles but arriving no where.

However, the units of gas necessary for a transaction are already defined by how much code is executed on the blockchain. If you do not want to spend as much on gas, lowering the gas limit won’t help much. You must include enough gas to cover the computational resources you use or your transaction will fail due to an ‘Out of Gas’ error.

All unused gas never leaves your wallet. So if you go to MyEtherWallet, send 1 ETH to our donation address, and use a gas limit of 400000, you will receive 400000 - 21000* = 379000 back. However, if you were sending 1 ETH to a contract, and your transaction to the contract fails, you will use the entire 400000 and receive nothing back.

*21000 is the standard gas limit for regular transactions.

Gas Price

If you want to spend less on a transaction, you can do so by lowering the amount you pay per unit of gas. The price you pay for each unit increases or decreases how quickly your transaction will be mined.

Will increasing the gas price get it mined faster? Does setting a low gas price mean it won’t ever be mined?

The transaction fees go to the miner who mines your block. When miners mine a block, they have to decide which transactions to include. They can choose to include no transactions, or they can choose to randomly select transactions. In order to encourage miners to include transactions in blocks you want to set a ‘gas price’ that is high enough to make them want to include it (since it is entirely up to them).

Most miners follow a very simple strategy for inclusion. They include transactions they received sorted from highest gas price to lowest, then include them until either the block is full, or they reach one that has a gas price set lower than they are willing to bother with.

You want to set the gas price high enough so that a miner includes your transaction in a block. If you are in a hurry, you can set the gas price even higher, so that you jump ahead of everyone in line.

If you are not in a hurry, you just need to set a number high enough so that someone eventually includes your transaction.

Why should I set a low gas price?

Because it’s cheaper, and because with the increasing price of ETH (compared to USD), a transaction that used to cost half a cent, may now cost a few cents.

More expensive transactions, like interacting with certain Dapps, can now cost a dollar or more! As a user, you should try sending non-urgent transactions with a lower gas price as the more transactions that occur at the lower gas price, the more likely miners will lower their minimums.

Where can I see what miners are accepting?

Start here, at EthGasStation.

EthGasStation’s Calculator will let you estimate how long it will be before your transaction is accepted at a specific gas price.

What is a Nonce?

1 min read

In Ethereum, every transaction has a nonce. The nonce is the number of transactions sent from a given address.

In English, a nonce is a number that can only be used once. In cryptography, a nonce is a one-time code selected in a random or pseudo-random manner that is used to securely transmit a main password, preventing replay attacks.

Each time you send a transaction, the nonce value increases by 1. There are rules about what transactions are considered valid transactions, and the nonce is used to enforce some of these rules. Specifically:

• Transactions must be in order. You cannot have a transaction with a nonce of 1 mined before one with a nonce of 0.

• No skipping! You cannot have a transaction with a nonce of 2 mined if you have not already sent transactions with a nonce of 1 and 0.

Why does it matter?

This value prevents double-spending, as the nonce will always specify the order of transactions. If a double-spend does occur, it’s typically due to the following process:

• A transaction is sent to one party.
• They wait for it to register.
• Something is collected from this first transaction.
• Another transaction is quickly sent with a high gas price.
• The second transaction is mined first, therefore invalidating the first transaction.

This is why exchanges wait for you to have a certain number of confirmations before allowing you to trade freshly-deposited funds.

When using the Ethereum blockchain, the above is not possible.

In Ethereum, this method of “double-spending” is not possible because each transaction has a nonce included with it. Even if you attempt to do the above, it will not work as the second transaction (nonce of 3) cannot be mined before the first transaction (nonce of 2).