Importing an Existing Account

This page explains how to add an existing account to your profile by importing its private key.
Imported accounts are not derived from the profile’s mnemonic phrase, so they must be backed up separately.

You might want to import an account if:

• You created it in another wallet or on another device.
• You are recovering an account that was not generated from your profile's seed.

Prerequisites

• Make sure you have installed the Symbol Desktop Wallet.
  If you have not done that yet, see the Installing the Wallet guide.

• You must already have a profile set up and logged in.
  See Creating a Profile or Importing a Profile if needed.

How to Import an Account

1. From the wallet’s main screen, go to the Accounts tab.

2. Click Add an account at the bottom of the screen.

3. In the Select the Type of Account dropdown, choose "I want to import an existing account private key". Enter a name in the New Account Name field to help you recognize the account later. Paste the private key into the Enter Your Private Key field. Enter your profile password into the Password field to authorize the import. Then click Confirm to import the account.

The imported account will be added to your list of managed accounts, in the Private key accounts section.

Warning

Imported accounts are not recoverable from your mnemonic phrase.

Be sure to back up your profile now so their private keys are included in the paper wallet.

Next Steps

You can now:

• Export the profile to back up both seed and imported accounts in a single paper wallet.
• Use the imported account to receive and send transactions.