MetaMask is asking for a password you can't remember, and MetaMask support can't tell you what it was. That's by design: nobody, MetaMask included, can look it up or reset it for you. What you can do next depends on two things: whether you still have your Secret Recovery Phrase, and how you created the wallet. This guide walks through each case, what to save before you reset anything, and what to do when the phrase is gone too.
This guide covers a forgotten wallet password. If you've lost your Secret Recovery Phrase, or it won't import, read our MetaMask recovery phrase guide. Locked out of a MetaMask Developer account, the website login for developers? That's a different problem: use the "forgot password" email link on that sign-in page.
We recover crypto wallets for a living, so we'll tell you what's realistic.
Which MetaMask wallet do you have?
MetaMask now offers two ways to create a wallet, and they recover differently:
- A Secret Recovery Phrase wallet. You wrote down 12 words when you set it up. Your password encrypts the wallet on your device. This is most MetaMask wallets, and most of this guide.
- A social sign-in wallet (Google, Apple, or Telegram). You created it by signing in with one of those accounts and choosing a password. Your recovery phrase is stored encrypted and split up, and your password helps unlock it. These follow different rules, covered below.
How MetaMask stores your password
On a Secret Recovery Phrase wallet, MetaMask stores your phrase, your private keys, and any accounts you've imported in an encrypted vault on your device. Your password is the key to that vault. MetaMask never sees it, so support can't reset it or look it up.
That's also what makes recovery possible. On the browser extension, the encrypted vault lives in your browser's data. If you've lost both your password and your phrase, that vault is locked by your password alone, and it can be worked on offline.
Have your Secret Recovery Phrase? Reset your password
Know your password and just want to change it? Go to Settings, then Security & privacy, then Change password. You'll need the current password, and nothing gets reset.
If you've forgotten the password but have your phrase, you can set a new one in a few minutes:
- Browser extension: on the lock screen, click Forgot password?, enter your Secret Recovery Phrase, and choose a new password.
- Mobile app: log out first, then tap Forgot password?, enter your phrase, and choose a new password.
Your funds are safe: they live on the blockchain, not in the app. But read the next section before you do this.
Before you reset: what a reset won't bring back
Resetting with your phrase rebuilds the wallet from that phrase only. Anything that didn't come from it disappears from that installation:
- Accounts you imported with a private key or JSON file. Make sure you have those keys saved separately.
- Other recovery phrases you added to the same MetaMask. If Backup and Sync was on, MetaMask says these can come back after you restore with your main phrase, but check before you rely on it.
- Some Snap accounts, which can have their own credentials and backups.
- Hardware wallet accounts need reconnecting (the keys stay on your device).
If you're not sure everything came from one phrase, don't reset yet. The encrypted vault on that computer still holds all of it, and recovering its password gets everything back at once.
Two features people mistake for backups. Backup and Sync can bring back account names, contacts, and other phrases you added, but only after you've restored your main phrase, and it never covers private-key, JSON, or hardware accounts. Passkey unlock only unlocks the MetaMask where you set it up. Neither one backs up your main Secret Recovery Phrase.
Lost your password and your phrase? Don't reset or uninstall
This is the case we see most, and the one that's easiest to make worse. If you have neither your password nor your phrase:
- Don't click "Forgot password?" On the extension, it leads to an "I don't know my Phrase" link and then a Yes, reset wallet button, which permanently deletes the wallet data on that device. On mobile, the same path offers to ERASE your wallet once you type a word to confirm. Either one destroys the vault a recovery would work from.
- Don't uninstall MetaMask, clear your browser data, or reset the browser. The encrypted vault lives in that browser profile.
- Don't wipe or sell the computer.
As long as the vault is still there, there's something to recover from.
About the "MetaMask Vault Decryptor": MetaMask publishes an official vault decryptor, but it only works if you already know the password. It turns a vault plus the right password into your Secret Recovery Phrase. It can't find a password you've forgotten. That's the part we do.
DIY recovery, step by step
1. Search your saved passwords, and your papers
Check your password manager, browser autofill, and notes for "MetaMask" or "wallet." Plenty of people find it there. Look through wherever you keep paper records too: if your Secret Recovery Phrase turns up, you can reset the password and skip the rest of this section.
2. Confirm the vault is still there
If MetaMask opens to a password prompt on that browser, the encrypted vault is still there.
3. List your password building blocks
Write down the base words you reuse, the numbers and symbols you add, how you capitalize, and the passwords you were using when you set up MetaMask. Note every variation.
4. Turn them into a testing plan
Combine those pieces in the patterns you actually use. Most forgotten passwords are a familiar pattern with one detail out of place.
For more ways to jog your memory, see our guide on how to find old passwords.
Created the wallet with Google, Apple, or Telegram?
Social sign-in wallets work differently, and the ordinary reset doesn't apply:
- If you forgot the password, MetaMask generally can't reset it from your social account alone. If your phone's biometric unlock is still turned on for that wallet, you may be able to reset it from there.
- Repeated wrong guesses are rate-limited. Unlocking happens online, and MetaMask makes you wait longer after repeated mistakes.
- If you exported and saved the recovery phrase, you can import it as a separate wallet, though that won't reconnect your social sign-in.
Because part of a social wallet's key is held online, it isn't something we can crack offline. Your realistic options are the two above: biometric unlock on a device that's still logged in, or a phrase you exported. If any device is still logged in, reveal and save your phrase now. MetaMask support can help with account access, but it can't reset the password.
On mobile only?
Try biometric unlock first. If Face ID or fingerprint unlock is still turned on, the app may open without your password. If it does, move your funds to a wallet whose phrase you hold. Newer versions of the app also let you save a password hint; once you're in, look under Settings, then Security & Privacy.
If you can't get in, MetaMask's own help says recovering a vault from an Android or iPhone isn't currently possible with its guide, and uninstalling the app can remove the data. If your only copy of the wallet is on a phone you can't unlock, and you have no phrase, the odds are poor. Contact us anyway and we'll be honest, but we can't promise anything for mobile-only wallets.
When DIY isn't enough: professional recovery
If MetaMask is still installed in your browser and you've lost both the password and the phrase, this is the work we do. Crypto Asset Recovery uses secure, offline password cracking to recover access to encrypted MetaMask vaults. You send us the encrypted vault and your list of password candidates. We run the cracking on offline, air-gapped machines, so your keys are never exposed online. When we find the password, you get your whole wallet back: your phrase, any other phrases you added, and the private keys you imported.
You only pay if we succeed. Completely risk-free.
Newer MetaMask vaults make each password guess much slower to check than older ones did, so the quality of your guesses matters more than ever. If you'd rather not share every password you use, give us close variants or only the ones you think are relevant. That lowers the odds somewhat, and it's your call.
When recovery isn't possible
With no phrase, no password, and no vault (MetaMask was uninstalled, or the browser or computer was wiped), there's nothing left to recover from, and the funds are very likely gone. Self-custody has no master key.
Once you're back in, read our MetaMask safety review for how to keep it that way.
Watch out for fake MetaMask support and "recovery" offers
MetaMask will never ask you to verify your account, upgrade to a smart account through a link, or share your Secret Recovery Phrase or password. Fake "MetaMask support" accounts, fake vault-decryptor sites, and bogus recovery services are common. Only type your phrase into MetaMask itself, and only work with a recovery service you've verified. Never with anyone who contacted you first.
Why Choose Crypto Asset Recovery to Recover Your MetaMask Wallet?
- Secure, offline recovery. The cracking runs on air-gapped, offline machines, so your keys are never exposed online.
- Thousands of wallets recovered across MetaMask, Trust Wallet, Coinbase Wallet, Blockchain.com, and more.
- Success-based pricing. You only pay if we get you back in.
- Talk to a real person. Reach out any time, and you can get on a Zoom with our founders, the father-and-son team Chris and Charles.
- Featured in BBC, Forbes, Vice, The Block, and Business Insider.
Frequently asked questions
Can MetaMask reset my password? No. MetaMask never has your password. With your Secret Recovery Phrase you can set a new one yourself using "Forgot password?". Without the phrase, don't use that option, because it ends in a reset that deletes the encrypted vault, and that vault may still be recoverable.
Can I recover my MetaMask wallet without the Secret Recovery Phrase? Sometimes. If MetaMask is still installed in your browser, the encrypted vault holds your phrase, and recovering its password gets you back in. Without the vault or the phrase, the wallet usually can't be recovered.
What is the MetaMask Vault Decryptor? An official MetaMask tool that decrypts a vault when you already know the password. It can't recover a forgotten password.
Will resetting MetaMask restore my imported accounts? Not all of them. A reset rebuilds the wallet from your main Secret Recovery Phrase. Accounts you imported with a private key or JSON file, and some Snap accounts, need their own backups. Other phrases you added may come back through Backup and Sync, if it was on.
I signed up with Google, Apple, or Telegram. Can I reset my password? Generally not from your social account alone. If biometric unlock is still enabled on your phone, you may be able to reset it there. If you saved the recovery phrase, you can import it as a separate wallet.
How long does recovery take? Anywhere from about 20 to 30 minutes to, in our longest case, over two years. Most of that time is passive. You send us your encrypted vault and your best guesses, we run the recovery on our own machines, and we come back to you for fresh guesses each time we finish a batch.
Is it safe to send you my MetaMask vault? Crypto Asset Recovery is a registered company in New Hampshire, run by a public father-and-son team, Chris and Charles, and you can talk to them on Zoom before sending anything. The vault is useless without the password, and we work on it offline.
