Exodus Wallet: How to Set Up, Back Up & Restore

Your Exodus wallet won’t open, the recovery phrase isn’t accepted, or the balance reads zero after a reinstall. Exodus is a software-based, self-custodial wallet: the coins live on the blockchain, and Exodus stores the keys locally on your device. The app password only unlocks that local copy; the 12-word recovery phrase, which Exodus calls the secret key and most wallets call a seed phrase, is what actually restores the wallet, on this device or a new one. A forgotten password only becomes serious when the phrase is missing too.

This guide explains how Exodus works, how to set it up and back it up, every restore route Exodus documents, and what to do when a restore fails.

What is Exodus wallet and how does it work?

Exodus is a software wallet that you install on your own computer or phone. It is self-custodial, also called non-custodial: there is no account to sign up for, and the 12-word secret key and private keys are generated on your device the first time you open the app. Exodus the company can’t see them, reset them or freeze your funds, so keeping them safe is up to you.

You can send, receive and swap crypto in the app, and stake some assets. Exodus supports more than 50 networks and lets you add custom tokens on the most popular ones. It runs as Exodus Desktop on Windows, macOS and Linux, and as Exodus Mobile on iOS and Android. The Exodus Web3 Wallet browser extension was discontinued on October 1, 2026; an installed copy can still show its 12-word secret key so you can restore that wallet elsewhere.

Exodus is a hierarchical deterministic (HD) wallet. The secret key is the master key, and every asset’s private keys and addresses are derived from it along a fixed derivation path. That is why the 12 words alone can rebuild the wallet on any device. The app password can’t: on Exodus Desktop it encrypts the wallet files on that one computer, and Exodus Mobile relies on your phone’s passcode, Face ID or fingerprint instead. Restoring from the secret key lets you set a new password.

In the Exodus Desktop interface, Portfolio shows your total value and each asset’s balance, the Wallet view holds each asset’s send, receive and history screens, and the Swap tab trades one asset for another. The Settings (gear) icon at the top right opens the Backup, Assets, Security and Devices tabs. In Exodus Mobile, the same settings sit behind the profile icon.

Exodus wallet fees and costs

Exodus doesn’t charge a fee to send or receive crypto. When you send, you pay the network’s transaction fee, and Exodus states that all of it goes to the network: to miners on proof-of-work chains such as Bitcoin, and to validators on proof-of-stake chains such as Ethereum. The fee depends on the size of the transaction and the current fee rate, not on the amount you send. Exodus shows its recommended fee before you confirm, and you can set a custom fee for Bitcoin, Ethereum and ERC-20 tokens.

Swaps run through third-party providers. The rate can include a spread, the network fee still applies, and each swap has a minimum and a maximum amount. Exodus shows exactly what you send and receive before you confirm. Buying or selling crypto through Exodus’s third-party providers adds a processing fee. Some proof-of-stake assets, including ETH, SOL, ADA and ATOM, can be staked from the wallet. Each network sets its own rules: some staked assets can’t be sent or swapped, and unstaking often involves a waiting period.

Managing bitcoin in Exodus

Bitcoin works like any other asset in Exodus, but its address types matter when you recover a wallet. By default, Exodus receives bitcoin on a Native SegWit address starting with bc1q, derived on the path m/84'/0'/0'/0/0. Exodus Desktop can also enable Legacy addresses (starting with 1) and Taproot addresses (starting with bc1p), which use other paths. If you check a restored wallet on a block explorer, look up the address type you actually used. When you send bitcoin, you can set a custom fee on Desktop and Mobile, which also turns on replace-by-fee, so a stuck transaction can be sped up later.

How to set up Exodus wallet

Download Exodus only from exodus.com or its official App Store and Google Play listings. Exodus Desktop needs 64-bit Windows 10 or later, macOS 12 or later, or a current 64-bit Linux distribution, and Exodus names 8 GB of RAM as the minimum for smooth performance. Exodus Mobile needs at least iOS 16 or Android 10.

The two apps differ in ways that matter later. Private keys can only be viewed in Exodus Desktop, and auto-lock is a Desktop feature. Passkey backups exist only in Exodus Mobile. Hardware wallets connect differently too: Trezor works with Exodus Desktop (the Trezor Safe 7 also with Exodus Mobile), and Ledger works with Exodus Mobile.

How to set up Exodus wallet: step by step

1. Download and install Exodus: Exodus Desktop from exodus.com, Exodus Mobile from the App Store or Google Play.
2. Open the app and create a new wallet. Exodus generates its 12-word secret key on your device; there is no account to register.
3. Back up at once by writing down the 12-word secret key, the step many people skip. The backup section below shows where to find it on each platform.
4. Confirm the backup by answering Exodus’s verification question about your words.
5. Lock the wallet. Exodus Desktop has you set a strong, unique password as part of the backup; in Exodus Mobile, turn on Device Lock, Face ID Lock or Fingerprint Lock in Settings.

Once set up, you can receive crypto by sharing your wallet address, send crypto by entering the recipient’s address and amount, and swap assets in the Swap tab on Desktop or with the swap icon on Mobile. Exodus doesn’t offer traditional two-factor authentication, because it holds nothing that a second login factor could unlock for you. On a computer, turn on auto-lock in Exodus Desktop (Settings, Security) for extra protection; it is off by default.

How to back up Exodus

Exodus doesn’t back up your wallet automatically, and you can’t rely on your phone’s iCloud or Google backup to restore it. The backup is the 12-word secret key: with it, you can restore the wallet after a lost, stolen or broken device, a deleted app or a forgotten password. You only need to write it down once; it stays the same when Exodus updates.

To view the words while you still have access:

• Exodus Desktop: click the Settings (gear) icon at the top right and open the Backup tab. If the wallet has no password yet, Exodus asks you to create one first, then shows the 12 words and checks your copy with a question.
• Exodus Mobile: tap the profile icon, then Settings, Backups and Secret Key (Advanced), and press and hold to reveal the words.

Exodus’s backup guide shows each screen. Then store the words the way Exodus recommends:

• Write them by hand on paper, or use a metal backup device, in the right order and spelled exactly.
• Keep at least two copies in separate, secure places, so a single fire, flood or theft can’t take both.
• Never keep an unencrypted digital copy: no screenshots or photos, no notes apps, no cloud storage. Exodus blocks screenshots of the secret key on mobile, Windows and macOS to protect it.
• Don’t copy and paste the phrase, and never type it into a website or form. Exodus Support will never ask for it, and Crypto Recovers never asks for a phrase through forms, chat or email.
• If you connect a Trezor or Ledger, back up that device’s own recovery phrase too. The Exodus secret key doesn’t cover a hardware wallet.

Exodus Mobile can also back up the wallet with a passkey. It stores an encrypted copy of the secret key in your iCloud or Google Drive account, and only the passkey in your passkey manager can decrypt it. You need both to restore, on a phone with the same operating system, and Exodus still recommends writing the 12 words down as well.

How to export your Exodus private keys (advanced)

Only Exodus Desktop shows private keys. Open the Wallet view and select the asset, and its network if it runs on several. Click the More icon at the top right, then View Private Keys, confirm with Yes, I’m sure, enter your password and click Unlock Now. On Exodus Mobile, you first sync the wallet to Exodus Desktop. Some assets, such as ETH, have a single private key; UTXO assets such as BTC and LTC have one per address (Exodus private key guide).

A private key controls its address as completely as the secret key controls the wallet, so treat an exported key the same way and clear your clipboard after copying it. Exodus doesn’t recommend managing keys by hand. One legitimate reason to export a key is moving an asset that another wallet can’t find from the 12 words, as explained in the restore section below.

Exodus wallet recovery options at a glance

Exodus’s guide to losing access to a wallet lists the same routes. If a device was lost or stolen, treat the wallet on it as compromised. Exodus advises creating a new wallet on a trusted device and sending the funds there from the old wallet, restored on a different device so that it doesn’t overwrite the new one.

How to restore Exodus with the 12-word secret recovery phrase

The 12-word secret key, which Exodus also calls the secret recovery phrase, restores the whole wallet. It is a standard seed phrase, and Exodus secret keys are always 12 words. Enter the words in the original order, in lowercase, spelled exactly as written and without numbers. Exodus’s restore guide shows each screen.

In Exodus Desktop (new installation):

1. Download Exodus Desktop from exodus.com and install it.
2. On the welcome screen, click Import Wallet, then Restart.
3. Type the 12 words in order, then click the arrow or press Enter.
4. When Restore Complete appears, click OK and wait while Exodus rescans the blockchains.
5. Set a new password. A restored wallet has none until you create one.

If Exodus Desktop is already installed and locked with a password, click Restore on the password screen instead. Without a password, the option is in the developer menu (Developer, Restore, Restore from 12-word phrase). Restoring replaces the wallet that is open now, so write down its secret key first if it holds anything.

In Exodus Mobile:

1. Install Exodus from the App Store or Google Play and tap Agree and continue.
2. Tap the profile icon, then Settings, Restore account and Secret Key (Advanced).
3. Confirm with I have it and Got it, select My wallet and tap Continue.
4. Enter the words four at a time, then tap Restore.
5. Wait for Exodus to restart and sync, then tap Continue.

Exodus asks whether the phrase is yours because scammers hand out secret keys to wallets they control and then take whatever the victim deposits. Never restore a phrase that someone else gave you.

After any restore, give the wallet time to sync, then enable the assets you held: in Exodus Desktop under Settings, Assets; in Exodus Mobile through the search icon. If the phrase is rejected or the balance is empty, check the boring causes before anything dramatic: a typo, two words in the wrong order, or the wrong phrase entirely.

Restore from a passkey backup

If you backed up Exodus Mobile with a passkey, restore it in Exodus Mobile by signing in to the same iCloud or Google account and passkey manager, on a phone with the same operating system as the one that made the backup. Backups created before November 2024 used a confirmation email or phone number instead, and they still restore that way.

Using the Exodus phrase in another wallet

The secret key follows the BIP-39 standard, so its words come from the BIP39 word list and other BIP-39 wallets can read it. That doesn’t mean they show every asset. Each asset is derived along its own path, and another wallet only finds the funds where its derivation paths match the ones Exodus uses. Exodus publishes its paths and marks Cardano, Solana, Stellar and Tezos as non-standard (derivation paths in Exodus). For those assets, importing the private key is the fallback.

Recover an overwritten Exodus wallet from backup files

If you restored a different secret key or synced another wallet over your own, the original wallet was overwritten. Exodus archives the old wallet data, including its secret key, when this happens, so you may get the wallet back even without its phrase. Treat this as a last resort, not a backup plan: formatting the device or uninstalling Exodus deletes the archive, and Exodus Desktop keeps these wallet backup files for only 90 days. If you have the old wallet’s 12 words, restore from them instead.

In Exodus Mobile, tap the profile icon, then Settings, Backups and Secret Key (Advanced), and tap the icon at the top right. The backup history lists your current and previous secret keys; select the old one and tap Restore.

In Exodus Desktop, preserve a separate copy of the entire Exodus data folder before making any changes. The developer menu can export one for you (Developer, Data Folder, Export Zipped Data Folder). Then close Exodus and follow the official Exodus rescue instructions. The archives sit in the Backups/Wallet/ folder inside the Exodus data folder: one time-stamped folder per earlier wallet, each with its own exodus.wallet folder. You rename the active exodus.wallet folder to exodus.walletBACKUP, so the original copy stays intact, and copy the archived exodus.wallet folder into its place. The usual data-folder locations are:

• Windows: C:\Users\<username>\AppData\Roaming\Exodus\
• macOS: ~/Library/Application Support/Exodus/
• Linux: ~/.config/Exodus/

If there are several archives, try them one at a time until the right wallet opens. If the earlier wallet was password-protected, reopening it requires that wallet’s original password; Exodus can’t reset it.

Restore Exodus from an email backup

Email backup links only exist for wallets created before February 2019: Exodus stopped creating new ones with version 19.2.1. An existing link still works. It is an encrypted copy of the secret key and opens only with the password the wallet had when the link was created. The email came from no-reply@exodus.io with the subject line "Exodus Backup Link [DO NOT REPLY OR ATTACH FILES]", and Exodus can’t resend it.

To use it, open Exodus Desktop on a computer whose Exodus wallet is empty, because restoring overwrites the current wallet. Close Exodus, click the link in the email and enter the original password when Exodus asks for it. If the link doesn’t open Exodus, copy it and paste it through the developer menu (Developer, Restore, Restore from recovery link). With both the link and the password, Exodus Desktop can restore the wallet (Exodus email backup guide).

Troubleshooting Exodus recovery issues

When the phrase is rejected

An “invalid recovery phrase” message means the input was not accepted: check spelling, order, completeness and whether that restore flow supports the backup format. Exodus secret keys are always 12 words, so a phrase of another length came from a different wallet and may need that wallet’s own restore flow. Every word must be on the BIP-39 list, typed in lowercase on an English keyboard with no special characters. If you have more than one phrase written down, try each one. A valid phrase belonging to another wallet is a different issue: it may be accepted but open different addresses or an empty balance. Compare the restored addresses with your records before concluding that the funds are gone. Our guide to fixing an invalid mnemonic phrase walks through the checks in order.

Forgot your Exodus password

With the 12-word secret key, a forgotten password is easy to fix. In Exodus Desktop, click Restore on the password screen, enter the 12 words and set a new password. Exodus Desktop has no lockout and allows unlimited password attempts, so you can also keep trying the candidates you remember. Exodus Mobile unlocks with your phone’s passcode, Face ID or fingerprint rather than a separate app password. If you forget the phone’s passcode, make sure you have the secret key or a passkey backup before resetting the phone, because a reset erases Exodus.

Without the secret key, Exodus can’t reset or recover the password. What remains is the encrypted wallet data on the device, so preserve a copy before you reinstall anything. How a password search works depends on the wallet type; see recovering a lost Bitcoin wallet password.

Zero balance after restore

A restored wallet that shows no balance often points to one of two things. Either Exodus hasn’t finished syncing or the asset isn’t enabled yet, or the phrase restored a different wallet: Exodus says an empty wallet with no transaction history usually means a different secret key, or one with a mistake in it, was entered. Give the wallet time to sync, then enable the assets you held. If a balance still looks wrong, refresh it: in Exodus Mobile, tap the profile icon, then Settings and Refresh Networks; in Exodus Desktop, open the asset from Portfolio, click its logo and choose Refresh. If an asset still does not appear, verify the address on a block explorer for that network before assuming anything, and check whether the asset was ever on this wallet or on a separate imported key. More causes are covered under zero balance after restore.

Exodus Mobile won’t open

If Exodus Mobile crashes or won’t open and you haven’t written down the secret key, don’t uninstall it: uninstalling can erase the key for good. Exodus’s Recovery Mode may still let you see it. On iOS, open the phone’s Settings, then Apps and Exodus, and turn on Recovery Mode. On Android, press and hold the Exodus icon and tap Recovery Mode. Open Exodus, tap Recover Secret Key, write the 12 words down and restore from them (Exodus Recovery Mode steps).

What is not recoverable

A completely lost 12-word recovery phrase, with no passkey backup, no synced device, no retained wallet data, no email backup and no other recovery material, is not recoverable — by us or anyone. No account, server or support ticket can recreate it.

When professional recovery is realistic

• The phrase is partially readable: missing, uncertain or reordered words can often be reconstructed through the BIP39 word list and checksum. Crypto Recovers works with phrases that are missing up to four words; see how missing-word recovery works.
• Encrypted wallet data remains but the password is forgotten: a password search may be possible, depending on the data and what you remember. An assessment cannot guarantee recovery.
• Work happens on copies in a controlled, offline environment, under a written agreement (NDA on request), and access is handed back to you. We never hold or move your funds. Once you’re back in, you send your crypto to a new wallet you created yourself and pay the agreed fee separately, as the contract specifies. No recovery, no fee.

Our Exodus wallet recovery page covers the Exodus cases we work on.

FAQ: Exodus wallet

Is Exodus a secure wallet?

Exodus is non-custodial: the keys stay on your device, where Exodus Desktop encrypts the wallet files with your password and Exodus Mobile relies on your phone’s lock. Exodus keeps no copy on its servers, which protects against server-side breaches but puts security on you: the 12-word phrase must stay offline, and the device must stay clean. Exodus has no traditional two-factor authentication; Exodus Desktop offers auto-lock instead. For large amounts, a hardware wallet remains the safer default.

Is Exodus a hot or cold wallet?

Exodus is a hot wallet. Exodus describes it as a software wallet, also called a hot wallet, because its data is stored on a device that connects to the internet. It is not cold storage. To keep keys offline, connect a hardware wallet: a Trezor works with Exodus Desktop and a Ledger with Exodus Mobile, and each keeps its own recovery phrase.

Is Exodus still a good wallet?

Exodus is still actively maintained. Its help center documents recent changes such as Trezor Safe 7 support in Exodus Mobile and passkey backups, and Exodus retired its browser extension on October 1, 2026. Whether it suits you depends on the amount: Exodus calls itself a hot wallet and recommends a hardware wallet such as a Trezor or Ledger for large holdings.

How do I recover my Exodus wallet?

With the 12-word secret key, install Exodus and restore: Import Wallet on the Exodus Desktop welcome screen, or Settings, Restore account in Exodus Mobile, then enter the words in order. Without the key, check the other routes Exodus supports: a synced device that still opens, a passkey backup on Exodus Mobile, a pre-2019 email backup link, or the archived data of an overwritten wallet.

How do I back up my Exodus wallet?

Write down the 12-word secret key: in Exodus Desktop under Settings, Backup; in Exodus Mobile under Settings, Backups, Secret Key (Advanced). Keep at least two copies on paper or metal in separate safe places, never as a photo or digital file. Exodus Mobile can add a passkey backup, and Exodus Desktop can show individual private keys for experienced users, but neither replaces the written 12 words.

Can I use Exodus wallet on multiple devices?

Yes. You can hold the same wallet in Exodus Desktop and Exodus Mobile, or on two phones. Pair a funded wallet with an empty one through Sync Devices in Exodus Mobile’s settings or the Devices tab in Exodus Desktop, or restore the 12-word secret key on the second device (Exodus sync guide). Never share the sync QR code: it temporarily carries your encrypted secret key, and Exodus staff will never ask for it.

What is the difference between the 12-word phrase and the app password?

The phrase is the backup: it restores the wallet anywhere. The password only unlocks the wallet data on a specific device. Forgetting the password is not a problem if the phrase exists; losing the phrase is.

Can Exodus reset my password or recover my phrase?

No. Exodus can’t reset a forgotten password or recover a lost phrase, and it keeps no server-side copy of either. You reset the password by restoring from the 12-word secret key. A retained local data folder is different from a backup held by Exodus.

I restored with my phrase but my balance is zero. What now?

Wait for the sync to finish, then enable the assets you held: Settings, Assets in Exodus Desktop, or the search icon in Exodus Mobile. If the balance is still missing, check the address on a block explorer and verify the phrase restored the correct wallet. An empty wallet with no transaction history usually means a different phrase was entered.

Can I recover Exodus without the 12-word phrase?

Sometimes. A synced device or Exodus Mobile’s Recovery Mode may still show the phrase, a passkey backup restores Exodus Mobile, a pre-2019 email backup link works with its original password, and the archived data of an overwritten wallet can bring it back, with the original password if it was protected. Without the phrase or other usable recovery material, there is nothing to restore.