MetaMask is a popular extension for Firefox and Chromium-based browsers, such as Chrome, Brave, and Opera. It was released in the mid-2010s and continues to be a leading choice for cryptocurrency users today.
Many early adopters used MetaMask a long time ago to store their cryptocurrencies, but they may have now forgotten where exactly those wallet files are located on their old hardware. If you find yourself in this position, you have two options: you can search for the wallet files manually or use an automatic scanning tool.
The manual way
The manual approach involves searching through your computer’s files and folders to locate specific data generated by the browser extension.
Browser extension data
If you used the Chromium-based extension, your wallet data is stored within Chromium database fragments. To find them,
you must locate a folder named nkbihfbeogaeaoehlefnkodbefgpgknn. Once inside it, look for files with the .ldb or
.log extensions.
Additionally, you should search for a file that includes the name nkbihfbeogaeaoehlefnkodbefgpgknn and has the
.localstorage extension, as this is also likely to contain your wallet data.
Seed phrases
Regardless of the version used, MetaMask provided a seed phrase (also known as a mnemonic or backup phrase) during the
wallet creation process. This is typically a series of 12 to 24 words, such as walk air source valley olympic figure stumble
roast social road fly zero. These words provide direct access to your assets and can be imported into MetaMask or a
compatible wallet. It is highly recommended to search your computer and personal belongings for any record of these
words.
Mobile device limitations
If you used MetaMask on a mobile device, manual recovery is significantly more difficult. Accessing the necessary data requires you to jailbreak your phone, which is a risky, complicated process that varies by device and voids your warranty. Because of these risks, mobile recovery is best left to professionals.
The automatic way
While manual searching is possible, it has several major failings:
- Time-consuming: You must manually scour your entire storage system.
- Error-prone: It is very easy to miss your wallet among thousands of other files.
- Version issues: Older versions of the software may have stored files differently than what is commonly expected today.
- Intentional hiding: If you renamed your wallet files or moved them to an obscure location to protect them, a manual search will likely fail.
- Lack of scalability: You cannot easily verify multiple computers or drives at once.
Introducing Treasure Hunter
This is why I created Treasure Hunter, a software that automates the search process. It is much more effective than manual searching because it is designed to detect wallet files even if you have attempted to hide them by renaming or moving them.
Treasure Hunter offers several advantages:
- Broad compatibility: It works on Windows, Mac, and Linux.
- Wide device support: It can scan HDDs, SSDs, USB keys, SD cards, and even optical media like CDs, DVDs, and Blu-ray discs.
- Free scanning: You can scan your storage devices for free to see if any wallets are present.
Instead of spending hours searching through nondescript files, let Treasure Hunter do the heavy lifting for you!