This guide helps you troubleshoot the "Invalid Mnemonic Phrase" error you might encounter while trying to restore or import your Solflare wallet using your recovery phrase. A recovery phrase, also known as a seed phrase or mnemonic seed, is a series of words that grant access to your cryptocurrency holdings in the wallet.
Understanding the Error:
The "Invalid Mnemonic Phrase" error indicates a mismatch between the recovery phrase you're entering and the one originally used to create your Solflare wallet. This mismatch can occur due to several reasons, such as typos, incorrect case sensitivity, or using the wrong recovery phrase altogether.
Resolving the Error:
Here are steps you can take to fix the error and successfully restore your wallet:
Double-check Typing:
Meticulously review your recovery phrase for any typos or spelling errors. Even a single mistake can trigger this error.
Ensure Case Sensitivity:
Recovery phrases are case-sensitive. Make sure you're entering all words in lowercase exactly as you received them when you first created your wallet.
Verify Word List:
Standard recovery phrases use a specific list of 2048 words following the BIP39 standard (Bitcoin Improvement Proposal 39). You can verify if your words are part of the BIP39 list using these resources:
Blockplate BIP39 Wordlist (https://www.blockplate.com/blogs/blockplate)
GitHub BIP39 English Word List (https://github.com/bitcoin/bips/blob/master/bip-0039/english.txt)
Search Within the Word List:
If you're unsure about a specific word's spelling, use the search function (Ctrl+F on Windows/Command+F on Mac) within the BIP39 word list to find the exact word.
Consider Alternative Recovery Methods:
If the above steps don't resolve the issue, it's possible you might be using the wrong recovery phrase. Consider these scenarios:
Multiple Recovery Phrases: Do you have other recovery phrases for different wallets? Ensure you're using the correct one for the specific Solflare wallet you're trying to restore.
Private Key Import: Did you previously import your wallet using a private key instead of a recovery phrase? In that case, you'll need your private key to restore the wallet, not the recovery phrase.
Keystore File: Did you create your wallet using a Keystore file (JSON file)? You'll need that file to restore your wallet, not the recovery phrase.
Hardware Wallet: Did you create your wallet on a hardware wallet like Ledger Nano? You'll need to use the hardware wallet for the recovery process.
Additional Tips:
Secure Storage: Always store your recovery phrase securely in a physical location, ideally offline and separate from any digital devices.
Do Not Share: Never share your recovery phrase with anyone, including Solflare customer support or anyone claiming to represent Solflare.
By following these steps and considering the alternative scenarios, you should be able to resolve the "Invalid Mnemonic Phrase" error and successfully restore your Solflare wallet.