> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://help.xaman.app/app/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://help.xaman.app/app/learning-more-about-xaman/ive-lost-my-account-secret.md).
# I've lost my account secret!
I cannot find my Secret numbers / Family seed / Mnemonic
**Your account is not gone. Your assets are still on the XRP Ledger. But you need the right key to get back in, and this article walks you through every option you have.**
#### What is an account secret?
Have you ever heard the saying,
\*"Not your keys, not your crypto"\*
On the XRP Ledger, an account secret is the private key to your XRPL account. It is how you get full control of your XRPL account.
An account secret comes in a few forms:
* **Secret numbers** - If you created your XRP Ledger account using Xaman (formerly Xumm) on your phone, you would have received 8 rows (A-H) of 6 digits each. The first 5 digits in each row are data; the 6th is a checksum. If you mistype even one digit when entering them, Xaman immediately tells you which row is wrong.
* **Family Seed** - A 29 character string of numbers and letters starting with the letter "s".
A typical family seed looks something like this:
sn3e4r5t6ygtfr5tgy6tr4edse3wq
* **Mnemonic** - A set of 12, 16 or 24 words chosen from the [BIP 39 list](https://github.com/bitcoin/bips/blob/master/bip-0039/english.txt).
* **Xaman card (Tangem)** - If your account lives on a Tangem card, the key is generated and stored on the card's EAL6+ Secure Element chip. There are no secret numbers to write down. The card itself is the key.
Xaman is fully compatible with all of these. The phone app uses 128-bit security, which is more than enough for a hot wallet used for daily transactions. The Tangem card uses 256-bit entropy generated by a hardware True Random Number Generator on the chip, for users who want cold, air-gapped storage.
#### Why is an account secret important?
The XRP Ledger is a decentralized network. It does not have any administrator functions. It does not have any 'back doors' which allow access to an account. There is no 'secret way' to access an XRPL account. The **only** way to get full control of an XRPL account is with the **correct** account secret. An account secret is important because it is the only thing that will allow you to get full control of an XRPL account.
#### Can I view an account secret in Xaman?
No.
Xaman does not have the ability to display or recover an account secret. It was designed specifically to **not** display them, just in case your phone was ever stolen or compromised.
You can read more about this here:
[Can I view/export my account secret?](/app/learning-more-about-xaman/can-i-view-export-my-account-secret.md)
#### I cannot find my account secret. What are my options?
**Option 1 - You still have signing access on your device**
Are you able to access your XRPL account on your mobile device **and** can you still sign transactions on your account?
If so, you can create a new XRP Ledger account using Xaman, then move your assets over to the new account. Here's how to do this:
1. Press **Settings** then **Accounts**.
2. Choose **Add account** then **Create a new account**.
3. Once you have completed the steps (and written down your new secret numbers), you can activate it with 1 XRP, then start moving your assets over to your new account using the **Send** feature on the main page of Xaman.
Note: You will need to create Trust Lines for any tokens you might have and arrange to move any NFTs with your NFT platform.
By creating a new account, you will get a new set of secret numbers which you can use to access your account on your phone.
**Option 2 - You have signing access on another device**
Do you have an old phone or mobile device which still has signing access to your account? Does anyone else have signing access to your account (a family member, for example)? If so, you can run through the steps in Option 1 to create a new account from that device.
**Option 3 - You have a Xaman card**
If your account is on a Xaman card, the card **is** the key. There are no secret numbers to lose.
Unlike hardware wallets such as Ledger or Trezor, a Xaman card has no screen, no buttons, no battery, no USB port, and no moving parts. The only interface is NFC. You just tap the card to your phone. No cable to lose, no battery to degrade, no screen to crack, no firmware to brick. If it can be tapped, it works.
* **You still have the card:** Tap it to your phone and sign a transaction. Your "secret" is the card itself. Make sure you store it safely.
* **You configured a backup card:** A properly configured backup card allows you to access your Primary card's account. See: [How to configure a backup card](/app/xaman-tangem-cards/how-to-configure-a-backup-signing-account.md)
* **You have lost or damaged your primary card and did not configure a backup card:** This is a serious situation. Without the physical card, you cannot sign transactions from that account. Your assets remain on the XRP Ledger, but you cannot move them without the card.
**Option 4 - You created your account using another wallet or platform**
If you used another wallet to create your XRP Ledger account, it is possible that they might have a recovery option or utility to recover your account secret. You can try contacting them and see if they have any options for recovering your account secret.
**Option 5 - Your account was created during the Casino Coin swap**
If your account was created during the Casino Coin swap, there is a special set of instructions for recovering an account. Contact the Casino Coin team (now called Lucky Hash) via email:\
\
**Option 6 - Someone else knows your account secret**
Have you shared your account secret with anyone (a family member, for example)? Was anyone else with you when you created your XRPL account? If so, do they have a copy of your account secret? If they do, you can use it to get back into your account.
**Option 7 - You have configured a regular key**
One of the features on the XRP Ledger is the ability to configure a "regular key" on an account.\
\
See: [How to configure a regular key](/app/learning-more-about-xaman/how-to-rekey-your-account.md)
The XRP Ledger allows an account to authorize a secondary key pair, called a [regular key pair](https://xrpl.org/docs/concepts/accounts/cryptographic-keys/), to sign future transactions on an account. If you have previously configured a regular key on your account, you can still sign transactions using the regular key, even without the original account secret.
#### Be careful of "recovery" scammers
If you have posted online that you lost your account secret, you will receive messages from people claiming they can recover it for a fee. **They cannot.** No one can recover an account secret. No tool, no service, no person can derive your private key from your r-address. Anyone who claims otherwise is trying to scam you. Do not send them XRP, do not give them your address, and do not download any tool they send you.
### *Frequently asked questions*
**I can prove that I own the account. I went through the KYC process. I can provide ID that I own it. Doesn't that make a difference?**
The XRP Ledger is a decentralized network. There is no central authority for you to prove your identity to. The KYC process has nothing to do with the private keys to your XRP Ledger account. When you go through the KYC process it does not link your personal information to your private keys, nor does it grant you access to your XRPL account. The only way to access an XRP Ledger account is if you know the private keys (account secret) for it.
**If I have a bank account or an account with a crypto exchange, they can access my funds. Why can't Xaman access my funds for me?**
Banks and crypto exchanges offer 'custodial' accounts.
For example, if you were to open an account with a crypto exchange, you would go through the KYC process and they would create a record in their **internal database** containing all of your personal information. They would then create an account on their internal systems and assign you a password to access it. If you ever lost your password for your account with them, they would go into their company database and simply change it for you. They can do that because they created your account. They control your account. They control your personal information. They have full custody of your funds and have complete control over them.
Self-custody accounts on the XRP Ledger do not work that way.
When you create an XRPL account, you do not have to go through KYC. You do not have to provide personal information about yourself. You are interacting directly with the XRP Ledger. There are no internal databases. No records of your personal information. No centralized authority. No middlemen. It is just you and the XRP Ledger. Xaman is an application which allows you to interact with the XRP Ledger by managing your account secret. It does not have access to your account.
**I already have my account secret but when I enter it into Xaman, it gives me a different account!**
If you import your account secret into Xaman and you get a **different r-address**, you actually imported another XRPL account that has not been activated and does not contain your balance and tokens.
The only way to get full control of your account is by importing the **correct** account secret.
Importing the correct account secret into Xaman will always result in the same r-address, with your balance and tokens in place.
**...but I'm sure my account secret is correct...**
Xaman is just an interface to the XRP Ledger.
When you enter an account secret into Xaman, it provides you access to the XRPL account that the account secret belongs to. Xaman can only access the account that the account secret belongs to.
Imagine a big apartment building with about 340 undecillion apartments in it. Each apartment has a lock on the door and there is only one key that opens that lock. When you create an XRP Ledger account, you basically get the one and only key to one of those apartments. There are many other keys that fit other apartments, but your key is the only one that fits your apartment. When you enter your account secret into Xaman, it searches through all 340 undecillion apartments and finds the only apartment which your key opens. Your key will not open any other apartments. It will only open one apartment. Xaman cannot open another apartment with your key. It can only open the apartment that the key belongs to.
Consider the possibility that there is another account secret for your account, or that the one you have is for a different account entirely.
#### See also
* [Can I view/export my account secret?](/app/learning-more-about-xaman/can-i-view-export-my-account-secret.md)
* [How to import your Xaman card](/app/getting-started-with-xaman/importing-your-account/...a-xumm-tangem-card.md)
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