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What is a Watch-only Wallet?

What is a Watch-only Wallet?

A watch-only wallet allows users to view the balance and transaction history of a blockchain address without having access to its private key. It cannot be used for on-chain operations such as transfers or authorizations. Watch-only wallets are widely used in asset monitoring, risk management, and cold wallet integration scenarios.


Use Cases of Watch-only Wallets

  • Track Public Addresses

Want to keep an eye on a public wallet (e.g., project treasury, whale account, or institutional wallet)? Simply add it as a watch-only wallet to monitor its on-chain activity in real time.


  • Cold Wallet Companion

For cold wallets (wallets stored offline), adding the address as a watch-only wallet allows you to check balances and incoming transactions on your mobile device without exposing private keys—ensuring both security and convenience.

Key Benefits

Feature

Description

View balances and transaction history

Check all records without needing private keys

No private key risk, high security

Keys stay offline and protected

Custom wallet names supported

Easily rename wallets in Mixin Messenger

Easy to use, supports multiple chains

Add addresses from major supported networks


Important Notes

  • You don’t need to import a private key or mnemonic to add a watch-only wallet—just the address.
  • Adding a watch-only wallet does not compromise the original wallet’s security or privacy.
  • Mixin Messenger currently supports EVM chains and Solana for watch-only wallets.


Security Tips

⚠️ Beware of watch-only wallet scams: Scammers may send addresses with visible balances and trick users into “unlocking” the wallet or paying fake fees. This is a common scam targeting watch-only addresses.
  • You can never unlock a watch-only wallet by receiving funds.
  • Never trust anyone claiming to unlock balances.
  • Never share your private key or mnemonic phrase.
  • Always verify unfamiliar addresses using a trusted block explorer.


FAQs

  • Can I import multiple addresses at once?

Currently, Mixin only supports adding addresses one by one. Bulk import options may be added in the future.


  • What if I own the address and want to send funds?

Watch-only wallets are read-only. If you have the mnemonic or private key for the address, use the “How to Add a Regular Wallet?” feature to import the full wallet.

⚠️ You must delete the watch-only version first before importing it as a regular wallet!


  • How to Add a Watch-only Wallet

Add a Watch-only Wallet in Mixin Messenger


  • How to Rename a Watch-only Wallet

Rename an Imported Wallet

Updated on: 04/08/2025