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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!

### Related Articles
* [How to add a Watch-Only Address](/en/article/how-to-add-a-watch-only-address-17ifo8w/)

* [How to rename an imported wallet?](/en/article/how-to-rename-a-common-wallet-123lby8/)