What is a private key?
A private key is an alphanumeric code used to authorize transactions and prove ownership of a blockchain asset, mainly blockchain wallets. In simpler terms, a private key is like the master password to your cryptocurrency account —it’s what gives you control over your funds.
Your cryptocurrency itself is always stored on the blockchain, not within a wallet app. Instead, your wallet securely holds your private key, which allows you to manage your funds.
- 🔑 Think of it as the key to a safe – if you have the private key, you can open the safe and access the assets inside.
- 🔐 The private key represents the ownership of the wallet – It only belongs to the owner of the wallet and as such it is recommended to always keep it private. Sharing the private key means allowing anyone else to control your wallet.
- 💡 It’s different from a public key – your wallet address is also called a public key (you can share it to receive blockchain assets, like cryptocurrency), while the private key is your PIN (only you should have it).
- ⚠️ If you lose your private key, you lose access to your funds forever! There’s no "forgot password" option with self custodial crypto wallets. Just like if you lose the key to your safe, you won’t be able to access the assets inside. As crypto wallets are secured by the latest cryptography, there won’t be a keysmith to help you out.
You can export your private key in your World App wallet. We recommend only exporting your private key if you fully understand what you are doing.
IMPORTANT World App does not have access to your private key, and does not maintain control over your wallet, digital tokens, or private keys. Users are responsible for the risk of loss of their private keys and neither TFH nor World App is able to recover such keys.
What are the uses of a private key?
1. Access Your Public Wallet
- If you lose access to your World App account, your private key can help you regain access to the funds in your public wallet address, but not to your World App account.
- What you can do: Access your public wallet address and manage your funds.
- What you won’t be able to do: Access a World App account or World App features like Mini Apps.
- Some wallets allow you to import a wallet using the private key.
Example:
In MetaMask or Trust Wallet, you can go to Import Wallet, enter your private key, and gain access to a wallet. However, after importing the private key, you will see an EOA (Externally Owned Account) address—this is not your World App address. This additional step was taken for extra security.
- The EOA address is generated by your World App, but it is not where your funds are stored.
- To access and manage your funds, you must link your MetaMask wallet to a Safe UI wallet.
- For step-by-step instructions, see the Frequently Asked Questions section at the end of this article.
2. Sign Transactions
- When you send crypto, your private key is used to digitally sign the transaction.
- This proves that you own the funds and authorizes the transfer.
You don’t manually enter your private key—your wallet application does this in the background.
3. Connect to Decentralized Apps (DApps)
- Some platforms allow you to sign in using your wallet address and require signing by your private key.
- Please make sure that the DApp in question uses a public-private key pair to authenticate you without exposing your private key.
Use your private key only when necessary (like wallet recovery), and keep it offline to protect your assets.
Follow the instructions described below to find and export your private key.
Where do I find my private key in World App?
- Tap the Gear icon (⚙️) at the top of the screen to access the Settings menu
- Select Security & Privacy
- Tap on Private Key
How can I unlock and export my private key?
Once you perform the steps listed above to find its location, proceed as follows:
- To initiate the unlocking process, press the Unlock Private Key button
- Follow the prompts to confirm your request to unlock the key
- Once confirmed, an unlocking period will begin
- A countdown timer will show you the time left to unlock the key
- This period is set to prevent potential attackers from stealing your private key
- When the private key is unlocked, it will be available for display for 72 hours
- You’ll see the options to either copy or reveal the key. Select your desired action
After 72 hours have passed, the key will be locked again. If needed, a new unlocking process must be performed.
REMEMBER: Any action involving your private key is risky. Never share it with anyone, or you could lose your wallet funds to theft. World App Support will never ask you for your private key.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. Can I access my private key even if some features are blocked in my World App?
Yes, you can tap the Export Private Key option as shown in this example:
2. How can I keep my private key safe?
The best way to keep your private key safe is to never export it.
Since there is only one private key linked to your account, it is essential to store it securely. Losing it may mean losing access to your funds permanently.
To prevent this, we recommend:
- Never sharing your private key with anyone.
- Storing it in a safe place, such as a secure password manager or offline storage.
- Using a trusted and secure cryptowallet that protects your private key.
By keeping your private key safe, you ensure that only you have control over your cryptocurrency.
3. How do I import my private key into a wallet?
Below is an example using MetaMask, but any non-custodial wallet that supports the Ethereum protocol can be used.
Step 1: Import the private key into MetaMask
- Copy the private key from World App
- Go to MetaMask (App or browser extension)
- Tap on “Account” on the upper part of the screen
- Choose “Add Account or Hardware Wallet”
- Press on “Import Account”
- Paste the World App private key
- Tap on “Import”
Note: The address shown in MetaMask as imported is the EOA address of your World App, not the World App wallet address (where the funds are).
Video example:
To gain access to your World App wallet address, you’ll need to link MetaMask (or other non-custodial wallet) to Safe. See Step 2 below for more details.
Step 2: Navigate to Safe and link your MetaMask
- Go to Safe
- Tap on “Connect”
- Select the “WalletConnect” wallet icon
- Select “MetaMask”
- Safe will redirect you to MetaMask (or your wallet) to confirm
- Tap on “Connect”
- Navigate back to Safe
- The World App wallet address will be shown under Accounts
- Tap on “World Chain”
- The World App wallet address will show up in Safe
Video example:
If you’re having trouble navigating MetaMask or any other external platform, please reach out to their support team here: https://support.metamask.io/
Step 3: Gas Fees - Deposit and bridge native ETH to the EOA address
When performing crypto transactions with a non-custodial wallet, users need to hold sufficient native tokens of the blockchain network to cover the gas fees needed to perform transactions.
World App sponsors gas fees for its users when performing crypto transactions on World Chain . However, once a user imports the private key into another non-custodial wallet, the user will sign transactions through that wallet and World App will not sponsor the gas fees.
To cover the gas fees and perform transactions like sending or swapping tokens, users will need to deposit ETH to their EOA address (the one imported into the non-custodial wallet).
To bridge native ETH to World Chain, you can use:
- World Chain Superbridge provided by Superbridge, a website-hosted user interface (the "Interface") provided by Blob Engineering Pte. Ltd.: Withdraw ETH to the EOA address on any of the networks presented on Superbridge ( ETH network would be the preferred option).
To bridge native ETH to the EOA address, please follow these actions:
- Using the Ethereum network, deposit ETH to the EOA address imported into MetaMask (or other non-custodial wallet)
- When your ETH reaches your wallet on the ETH network, navigate to https://world-chain.superbridge.app/
- Connect your non-custodial wallet (MetaMask) to the World Chain Superbridge
- World Chain Superbridge will send an authorisation request to your MetaMask wallet; navigate back to MetaMask and approve the wallet connection to Safe
- Return to World Chain Superbridge and select the networks:
- From ETH
- To World Chain
- Fill in the amount
- Check the bridge order preview and ensure it corresponds to the amount you’ve chosen
- Tap on “Review Bridge”
- Review the bridging details one more time before tapping on “Continue”
- Acknowledge that the receiving wallet address (your imported EOA) supports World Chain
- Start the bridge
Video example:
Translations may differ slightly from the original English content. For the most accurate information, please refer to the article's English version if any discrepancies occur.