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Backup & Restore

Your mwen.io identity lives entirely on your device. If you get a new device, lose your current one, or reinstall your browser, you will need to restore your identity. This page explains how to export a backup and how to restore from it.

Why backups matter​

Your 24-word phrase is sufficient to recover your identity — but it only recovers the cryptographic keys. It does not restore your connected apps list, your self-attested profile (name, email, etc.), or any delegation grants you have set up.

A .mwen backup file preserves everything:

What it includesWhat it does NOT include
Your master seed (encrypted)Raw claim values in plaintext
Connected apps listExternally issued credentials (e.g. government-issued IDs)
Self-attested profile
Delegation grants

Externally issued credentials are bound to their time-to-live and must be re-obtained from the issuing organisation after a restore.

Exporting a backup​

  1. Open the wallet and click the Settings icon.
  2. Select Export Identity Backup.
  3. You will be asked to authenticate (biometric or password) to unlock the seed.
  4. Enter a transfer password — a strong, unique password used only to protect this backup file. The wallet requires a password score of 3 or higher (assessed by strength checking — short or common passwords are rejected).
  5. Click Export. Your browser will download a file named mwen-backup-<date>.mwen.

The transfer password is separate from your wallet password. Neither can recover the other.

Store the .mwen file and your transfer password together somewhere safe — such as the same physical location as your 24-word phrase.

What is in the backup file?​

The .mwen file is an encrypted JSON file. The structure:

  • Encrypted payload: Your seed, connected apps, profile, and grants — all encrypted with AES-256-GCM using a key derived from your transfer password (PBKDF2, 600,000 iterations).
  • Plaintext metadata: Your primary did:jwk identifier, a key index, and a creation timestamp. This metadata is not secret but allows the restore process to validate the decrypted content.

The file cannot be opened without the transfer password.

Restoring from a backup​

On a new device​

  1. Install the mwen.io Chrome extension on the new device.
  2. Click the extension icon and select Import from backup.
  3. Select your .mwen backup file.
  4. Enter your transfer password.
  5. The wallet decrypts the file and reconstructs your identity.
  6. Set a new local wallet password for this device.
  7. Optionally set up biometric unlock.
  8. Click Complete. You are taken to the dashboard with your full identity restored.

After a browser reinstall on the same device​

The same steps apply. A reinstall clears browser storage, so your previous wallet state is gone. Import the .mwen file to restore it.

Keeping your backup up to date​

Your backup is a snapshot of your wallet at the time you exported it. If you sign in to new apps, add profile information, or create delegation grants after the export, those changes are not in the old backup.

Re-export a fresh backup periodically — especially after:

  • Adding a new connected app.
  • Updating your profile.
  • Any significant change to your identity setup.

Backup security checklist​

  • I have exported a backup after setting up my identity.
  • I have stored the .mwen file and the transfer password in a safe place.
  • The transfer password is strong and not reused elsewhere.
  • I have a copy of my 24-word phrase as an additional fallback.
  • I re-export a backup when I make significant changes.