restore your 12 words in another wallet.

what the 12 words are

dolaramp is a non-custodial wallet: the key is created on your phone and never leaves it. the backup of that key is a 12-word phrase in the BIP-39 standard, the same one most crypto wallets use. you see it in settings → reveal 12 words, behind your PIN.

how it works, in three steps:

• entropy: the app draws 128 random bits. BIP-39 adds 4 checksum bits and splits the total into 12 pieces, each mapped to a word from a fixed list of 2,048 English words.
• seed: the words go through a key-stretching function and become a 64-byte seed. dolaramp uses no extra passphrase (the optional BIP-39 "passphrase" or "25th word"). if another wallet offers that field, leave it empty.
• key tree: the seed grows a tree with billions of possible keys. the derivation path says which branch to use for each network.

whoever has the words has the money, on every network at once. dolaramp keeps no copy and cannot recover them for you.

why another wallet shows zero

a path is an address inside the tree, something like m/44'/60'/0'/0/0. the number after 44' is the network's code in the SLIP-44 registry (501 is Solana, 195 is TRON, 60 is Ethereum and compatible chains, 607 is TON). same seed with a different path gives a different key, and a different key gives a different address. a new, empty one.

that is what is going on nearly every time someone imports their words and sees zero. the usual causes:

• the wallet uses a different default path for that network;
• the wallet opened another account from the same tree (the second, the third) instead of the first;
• the wallet is looking at another network (Ethereum instead of Base, say) or doesn't list that token.

there is one test that settles it: compare the address. open receive dollars in dolaramp, pick the network and check it against the address the other wallet shows. same address = same money. different address = different path, and the balance is still sitting at the original address. import again somewhere that follows the right path.

dolaramp's paths

these are the same values as in the app code that derives the addresses and on our support page.

step by step, per network

solana

1. in a solana wallet, choose import with a recovery phrase and type the 12 words.
2. if it lists several accounts or paths, pick the one whose address matches dolaramp's receive screen.
3. the tokens dolaramp uses on Solana are the official USDT, USDC and PYUSD. if one doesn't show up, add it by contract address, listed on contracts.

outside dolaramp, every Solana transfer is paid in SOL. inside the app we pay that fee; in a regular wallet you'll need a little SOL.

base and arbitrum

1. in an EVM wallet, import the 12 words. your dolaramp address is the first account (index 0) on m/44'/60'/0'/0/0.
2. check the 0x… address. it is the same on Base, Arbitrum and every other EVM chain.
3. add the Base or Arbitrum network to the wallet. if the token is missing, add it by contract: on Base dolaramp uses USDC; on Arbitrum, USDC and USDT0 (USD₮0).

on these networks the fee is paid in that network's ETH. the app handles it for you; in a regular wallet you need ETH on Base or Arbitrum to move the tokens.

tron and the GasFree account

this is where most of the confusion comes from. on TRON your words produce a plain address through m/44'/195'/0'/0/0. but dolaramp sends through the GasFree gasless rail, and that rail uses a second account: the GasFree account, an address computed from your plain address. that is the one shown under receive dollars in dolaramp, and it is where your USDT sits.

• import the words into a TRON wallet and the main address it shows is the plain one. it will differ from what dolaramp shows. that is expected.
• the money in the GasFree account is still controlled by your words: only a signature from the plain address's key can move it.
• wallets that support GasFree, such as TronLink, let you import the GasFree wallet together with the regular one. per TronLink's own guide, withdrawing from the GasFree account to the plain address is an on-chain transaction that needs TRX or energy on the plain address.

the reverse is also true: USDT someone sends to your plain address is under your words too, but dolaramp only sends from the GasFree account. to move that balance you use a TRON wallet and pay the network in TRX. why that costs what it does is in send USDT on TRON without TRX.

gram (ton)

wallets in the TON ecosystem use their own 24-word format, which is not BIP-39. so they won't derive your dolaramp TON account from the 12 words. today, recovering a TON balance means restoring the 12 words in dolaramp itself, which brings everything back.

restoring in dolaramp itself

on a new phone, sign in and the app opens restore wallet. type the 12 words in order. the key is rebuilt on the device and never touches our servers. if the words belong to a different wallet, the app warns you that the account is registered to another wallet before you receive anything.

safety: where never to type the words

• never on a website. no legitimate site asks for your phrase to "validate", "sync" or "unlock" a balance. that is a scam.
• nobody from dolaramp will ask for them. not by email, not by dm, not in a "support chat". anyone asking is stealing.
• paper, not photos. a screenshot in your gallery or cloud is a copy of your wallet.
• every import is one more copy. once you import into another wallet, the key lives in two places. install only from the official store and check the publisher.
• test small. after importing, move a small amount before moving everything.

if your problem is the opposite one, money sent to the wrong place, read sent USDT on the wrong network.

faq