Concepts · Where your money was
Exchange versus your own wallet: why recovery is not the same thing
A great many people ask for recovery help when what they need is to fill in a support form, and just as many wait for support that does not exist. Telling the two worlds apart is the first step and requires no technical knowledge at all.
How to tell which was yours
| If this is what happened… | Then it was… |
|---|---|
| They asked for your ID or passport at sign-up | An exchange (a company) |
| You were given 12 or 24 words at the start | Your own wallet |
| You could deposit euros from your bank | An exchange |
| You logged in with a username and password from anywhere | An exchange |
| You had to install an app or extension with no sign-up | Your own wallet |
If it was an exchange
Your money is held by a company, and that company has a procedure for giving your access back: identity verification, forms, sometimes weeks of waiting, but it exists. It is done with them and only with them, always by typing their website by hand in your browser. No third party can speed it up, and anyone claiming otherwise is a scammer. I don’t charge for these cases: I tell you where to go and that’s it.
If it was your own wallet
Then there is no company, no support and no account recovery. What there is, is a secret — your phrase or your password — and some files on your devices. Recovery means rebuilding that secret from what you remember and what you kept. It is technical work, not paperwork, and it only works when something survives to hold on to.
Why it pays to know before asking for help
Because the moment you post «I lost access» on any forum or social network, private messages appear offering help. If you already know what you have, those messages collapse on their own: whoever offers to «recover your exchange account» cannot, and whoever offers to «recover your wallet» while asking for your phrase is robbing you.