<p>Bitcoin Core does not allow you to restore from a given seed or master private key (xprv). There is currently no mechanism for importing seeds or master private keys and no mechanism for exporting seeds (and a convoluted workaround for exporting master private keys).</p>

<p>Note that you can import individual private keys, not just seeds, mnemonics, or master private keys. These can be imported with <code>importmulti</code> or <code>importprivkey</code> and can be exported with <code>dumpprivkey</code>.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-09-25T11:19:20.850Z
that's too bad to hear, anyway seems as correct answer so far
Pavel Niedoba
CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-06-02T01:04:55.687Z
Has there been any recent changes to Bitcoin Core that enable backing up to paper wallet or is it still the same?
M.K. Safi
CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-06-02T01:34:59.527Z
@M.K.Safi No, there has not.
Ava Chow
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-06-15T12:46:08.140Z
there should be setting to look ahead number of addresses, I think it's 1000 by default
Pavel Niedoba
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-06-12T23:45:23.143Z
@AndrewChow What if I start a new wallet and use `sethdseed` with a fresh keypool. Then to restore the wallet, I would set the same HD seed again, and do a blockchain rescan. Would that not be sufficient?
M.K. Safi
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-06-12T23:47:29.487Z
@M.K.Safi Yes, I believe that would be sufficient to recover your private keys. However you need to be careful that the wallet you restore to is blank so that there is not already an existing seed and keypool. Otherwise you may be using keys that you did not backup.
Ava Chow
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-06-13T00:23:32.153Z
@AndrewChow Thank you! But how does the wallet know which addresses to scan for? What if, hypothetically speaking, I generate 10,000 addresses that I don't use and then end up using the address 10,001. Would Bitcoin Core be able to know that addresses from 1 to 10,000 are empty but 10,001 has balance?
M.K. Safi
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-06-13T00:40:15.457Z
@M.K.Safi No, it would not.
Ava Chow
CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-08-15T12:05:59.580Z
Is this answer still correct? `bitcoin-cli dumpwallet ~/my_test_wallet.txt` will dump the wallet with the `hdseed` in it. You can then create a blank wallet and `sethdseed`
tread
CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-09-22T19:23:53.207Z
2017-09-25T19:33:42.210Z
2017-09-25T19:33:42.210Z
Ava Chow
<p>Since bitcoin core is HD wallet, it should be possible to make "seed" like backup for it and there should be way to restore the wallet from it as well. I know there is dumpprivkey, but it needs to be done after every transaction to be safe. Other wallets have nice seed backup and restore methods, I suppose core should have one as well. </p>

<p>There is xprv method mentioned in comments, but I'm still missing restore method. Also I would like to do it from console only, since my wallet is on remote server without graphics. </p>

<p>I'm interested in "string" backup mainly because I want to store it in trezor hardware password manager, which does not support files</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-09-19T16:20:40.853Z
Core doesn't create seed mnemonics. Best you can do is backup the xprv. See here: https://bitcoin.stackexchange.com/a/56428/5273
Abdussamad
CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-09-20T10:04:40.410Z
xprv method could be good enough, but the answer does not tell how to restore hd wallet from it, I'm changing the question
Pavel Niedoba
<bitcoin-core><backup>
How to do paper backup and restore for bitcoin core
Pavel Niedoba
# How to do paper backup and restore for bitcoin core

(Asked by: username_0 on 2017-09-19)

Since bitcoin core is HD wallet, it should be possible to make "seed" like backup for it and there should be way to restore the wallet from it as well. I know there is dumpprivkey, but it needs to be done after every transaction to be safe. Other wallets have nice seed backup and restore methods, I suppose core should have one as well.

There is xprv method mentioned in comments, but I'm still missing restore method. Also I would like to do it from console only, since my wallet is on remote server without graphics.

I'm interested in "string" backup mainly because I want to store it in trezor hardware password manager, which does not support files

**Tags:** bitcoin-core, backup

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: Core doesn't create seed mnemonics. Best you can do is backup the xprv. See here: https://bitcoin.stackexchange.com/a/56428/5273  
> **username_0**: xprv method could be good enough, but the answer does not tell how to restore hd wallet from it, I'm changing the question  

---

## 1 answers

### Answer by username_2 on 2017-09-22. Score: 1 | Accepted answer

Bitcoin Core does not allow you to restore from a given seed or master private key (xprv). There is currently no mechanism for importing seeds or master private keys and no mechanism for exporting seeds (and a convoluted workaround for exporting master private keys).

Note that you can import individual private keys, not just seeds, mnemonics, or master private keys. These can be imported with `importmulti` or `importprivkey` and can be exported with `dumpprivkey`.

> **Comments:**
> **username_0**: that's too bad to hear, anyway seems as correct answer so far  
> **username_3**: Has there been any recent changes to Bitcoin Core that enable backing up to paper wallet or is it still the same?  
> **username_2**: @username_3Safi No, there has not.  
> **username_3**: @AndrewChow What if I start a new wallet and use `sethdseed` with a fresh keypool. Then to restore the wallet, I would set the same HD seed again, and do a blockchain rescan. Would that not be sufficient?  
> **username_2**: @username_3Safi Yes, I believe that would be sufficient to recover your private keys. However you need to be careful that the wallet you restore to is blank so that there is not already an existing seed and keypool. Otherwise you may be using keys that you did not backup.  
> **username_3**: @AndrewChow Thank you! But how does the wallet know which addresses to scan for? What if, hypothetically speaking, I generate 10,000 addresses that I don't use and then end up using the address 10,001. Would Bitcoin Core be able to know that addresses from 1 to 10,000 are empty but 10,001 has balance?  
> **username_2**: @username_3Safi No, it would not.  
> **username_0**: there should be setting to look ahead number of addresses, I think it's 1000 by default  
> **username_4**: Is this answer still correct? `bitcoin-cli dumpwallet ~/my_test_wallet.txt` will dump the wallet with the `hdseed` in it. You can then create a blank wallet and `sethdseed`  

---

