Ethereum wallets
The key to your digital future
Ethereum wallets are applications that let you interact with your Ethereum account. Think of it like an internet banking app – without the bank. Your wallet lets you read your balance, send transactions and connect to applications.
You need a wallet to send funds and manage your ETH.
Your wallet is only a tool for managing your Ethereum account. That means you can swap wallet providers at any time. Many wallets also let you manage several Ethereum accounts from one application.
That's because wallets don't have custody of your funds, you do. They're just a tool for managing what's really yours.
What's an Ethereum wallet?
An app for managing your funds
Your wallet shows your balances, transaction history and gives you a way to send/receive funds. Some wallets may offer more.
Your Ethereum account
Your wallet is your window into your Ethereum account – your balance, transaction history and more. But you can swap wallet providers at any time.
Your login for Ethereum applications
Your wallet lets you connect to any decentralized application using your Ethereum account. It's like a login you can use across many dapps.
Wallets, accounts, and addresses
It's worth understanding the differences between some key terms.
An Ethereum account is an entity that can send transactions and has a balance.
An Ethereum account has an Ethereum address, like an inbox has an email address. You can use this to send funds to an account.
A wallet is a product that allows you to manage your Ethereum account, like view your account balance, send transactions and more.
Most wallet products will let you generate an Ethereum account. So you don't need one before you download a wallet.
Types of wallet
Physical hardware wallets that let you keep your crypto offline – very secure
Mobile applications that make your funds accessible from anywhere
Web wallets that let you interact with your account via a web browser
Desktop applications if you prefer to manage your funds via MacOS, windows or linux
Get a wallet
There are lots of different wallets to choose from. We want to help you choose the best one for you.
Remember: this decision isn’t forever – your Ethereum account is not tied to your wallet provider.
Crypto curious?
If you’re new to crypto and just want to get a feel for it, we recommend something that will give you the opportunity to explore Ethereum applications or buy your first ETH directly from the wallet.
Crypto converted?
If you’re looking to hold some serious value, we recommend a hardware wallet as these are the most secure. Or a wallet with fraud alerts and withdrawal limits.
Prefer to choose based on features?
How to stay safe
Take responsibility for your own funds
Centralized exchanges will link your wallet to a username and password that you can recover in a traditional way. Just remember you’re trusting that exchange with custody over your funds. If that company is attacked or folds, your funds are at risk.
Write down your seed phrase
Wallets will often give you a seed phrase that you must write down somewhere safe. This is the only way you’ll be able to recover your wallet.
Here's an example:
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Don’t store it on a computer. Write it down and keep it safe.
Bookmark your wallet
If you use a web wallet, bookmark the site to protect yourself against phishing scams.
Triple check everything
Remember transactions can’t be reversed and wallets can’t be easily recovered so take care.
More tips on staying safe
Explore Ethereum
Get some ETH
ETH is the native crypto of Ethereum. You’ll need some ETH in your wallet to use Ethereum applications.
Try some dapps
Dapps are applications built on Ethereum. They’re cheaper, fairer and kinder on your data than most traditional applications.