In this brief article, we will show you how to export and import your private keys in MetaMask.
Private keys are a bunch of digits crucial to the existence of a crypto wallet address. Two unique keys are made up of crypto wallet addresses: The public keys and the private keys
A public Key is the one you disclose to the public (everyone) to transfer and receive crypto tokens to the particular crypto account/wallet.
The private key ( referred to as a secret number) is a group of numbers that permits you to spend, transfer and transact with your account. Private keys give absolute control and ownership of cryptocurrency deposits in your digital wallets therefore it’s not advisable to disclose it to everyone or lose it.
key takeaways
Digital wallets such as Metamask,Trustwallet consist of Private keys and a public key.
The public key is shareable while the private key should not be disclosed to anyone.
Private keys generate the public key but a public key can’t give out a private key.
A private key is separate from the seeds phase but they share some similarity
However, Crypto users who want to change their digital wallets without manual transfer of their crypto assets from one wallet address to another(with the aim to avoid expensive gas fees) can export the private keys from the formal wallet to the new wallet.
so here is the tip on how to export and import your private keys in MetaMask
1. Find and Export Private Keys in Metamask
A private key is unique to each account address, to find out the private key for a particular metamask account, The following steps are required:
Launch the metaMask App to view the Account dashboard
Ensure you are in the Metamask account in which you are looking for it private key, If you wish to change the account within the metamask wallets, Tap on the middle icon, and the list of created accounts will be displayed, You can click on any of the accounts you wish to find the private key for export.
View the Account details
To View, the chosen Accounts details to be exported, Click on the 3 lines at the top upper left hand
Tap on settings
Click on Security & privacy
This feature helps to alter private settings (e.g change of passwords,auto lock time frame etc) or reveal the private keys designated to the selected accounts.
Tap on ‘show private key’
Scroll down and click on ‘show private key’ to reveal your Private key. For ownership verification purposes, you will asked to input your password.
key takeaways
Since the Private Key is unique to each metamask address, you might need to find the private key built into each account to export it.
Once you copied your private key, you can import it to any wallet of your choice and control your crypto assets there.
As the name implies, a private key, it should be kept private, anyone who has access to it can control and manage your funds.
2. Import Private keys (Account) to Metamask
Importing private keys (account ) to your metamask wallet is easy and straightforward. Users who preferred metamask to other digital wallets for reasons best known to them can import their account (private keys) to Metamask via the following steps.
Tap the circle icon at the centre of the Metamask dashboard
Click on Import account on the dropdown menu
Paste your private key in the directed page
And Click Import
key takeaways
Accounts imported via private keys are referred to as imported account
Imported Accounts have ‘imported Tag’ next to them.
The account imported can not be retrieved by your secret recovery phase
It is crucial to keep the account imported private keys safe, in case you lost your device or delete the account.
Frequently Asked Question
Yes, you are allowed to import your coinbase wallet account into Metamask, However, Coinbase.com Exchange account can’t b imported since you don’t have the private keys (users are not given access to it)
is there any difference between a Private Key and Seed Phrase?
Yes there is
With the seed phrase, you can recover your whole Metamask wallet comprised of created accounts while the private key is designed to import one specific crypto account to another.
However, they are both used to secure and gain access to a crypto account.
Is a private key recoverable?
Similar to the Seed recovery phase, the Private key is not recoverable when lost, But if you are using hard drive wallets, there might be a way out, Metamask codes all your activity into your hard drive, to encode it, two things are needed; the Hard drive wallet password and the step by step guide
I hope after reading this article, you can now export and import your private keys in MetaMaskby yourself.
Dont forget to comment below if you need more clarification
