Backup & Recovery

Your Recovery Phrase

Your 12 or 24 word recovery phrase is the master key to your wallet. With it, you can restore all HD-derived addresses and funds.

Best Practices

• Write it on paper, not digitally
• Store in a secure location (safe, safety deposit box)
• Never share it with anyone
• Never enter it on a website
• Consider splitting it across multiple locations

View Your Recovery Phrase

1. Go to Wallet tab
2. Click Backup
3. Your recovery phrase is displayed
4. Click Copy All if needed

Restore a Wallet

1. Open NOUS Reasoner (fresh install or after deleting wallet data)
2. Click Import Wallet
3. Enter your recovery phrase
4. Set a new password
5. Your first address is automatically derived
6. Derive additional addresses as needed

Wallet File Location

Your encrypted wallet is stored at:

~/.nous-wallet/wallet.dat

This file is encrypted with AES-256-GCM. Without your password, it cannot be read.

What Gets Backed Up

Data	Backed up by mnemonic?	Backed up in wallet file?
HD addresses	Yes	Yes
Imported keys	No	Yes
Transaction history	No	Yes
Settings	No	No

Important: Imported private keys are only in the wallet file. If you lose the file and only have the mnemonic, imported keys are lost.