<p>That depends on the specific wallet’s implementation. Typically wallets will mix multiple sources of entropy to generate a random seed (user input, system time, /dev/urandom etc). Also most operating systems will provide a source of cryptographically secure randomness that is very hard, if not impossible, to replicate.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-06-14T10:55:55.297Z
2021-06-14T10:55:55.297Z
Mike D
<p>As far as I know, randomness in computers are not truly random, but rather pseudorandom, mostly derived from current timestamp. So when creating various wallets, I have saw a lot of them introduced some kind of user-generated randomness (like just moving the mouse) and then deriving the wallet and mnemonic phrase out of it, but some does not.</p>
<p>For example, TrustWallet or many others, you just install the app, it creates the wallet for you and you just write down the words.</p>
<p>Is not it possible, but highly unlikely, that two different people create the same address in the same time with the same wallet creator tool?</p>
<p>Or what if I set the timestamp to some certain precise number, would I be generating the same wallet like someone before me?</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2022-02-06T17:51:04.293Z
Most computers these days actually do have true random number generators (e.g. the `rdrand` instruction on modern Intel CPUs).
Pieter Wuille
<wallet><private-key><random>
How does randomness works in mnemonic phrase generation?
LubWn
# How does randomness works in mnemonic phrase generation?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2021-06-14)

As far as I know, randomness in computers are not truly random, but rather pseudorandom, mostly derived from current timestamp. So when creating various wallets, I have saw a lot of them introduced some kind of user-generated randomness (like just moving the mouse) and then deriving the wallet and mnemonic phrase out of it, but some does not.

For example, TrustWallet or many others, you just install the app, it creates the wallet for you and you just write down the words.

Is not it possible, but highly unlikely, that two different people create the same address in the same time with the same wallet creator tool?

Or what if I set the timestamp to some certain precise number, would I be generating the same wallet like someone before me?

**Tags:** wallet, private-key, random

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: Most computers these days actually do have true random number generators (e.g. the `rdrand` instruction on modern Intel CPUs).  

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## 1 answers

### Answer by username_2 on 2021-06-14. Score: 3

That depends on the specific wallet’s implementation. Typically wallets will mix multiple sources of entropy to generate a random seed (user input, system time, /dev/urandom etc). Also most operating systems will provide a source of cryptographically secure randomness that is very hard, if not impossible, to replicate.


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