How to Find Crypto on Your Computer that You Forgot You Ever Had (AKA “Checking the Banana Stand”)
This is a tip for people who've a) been into crypto for a few years and b) are disorganized.
Learning how to seriously scour every last corner of your hard drive for old crypto wallets & mnemonics could land you some walking around money, or, if you're lucky, a big payday.
How to Find Crypto on Your Computer that You Forgot You Ever Had (AKA "Checking the Banana Stand")
- Learn how to include "system files / hidden files" when searching your computer files and browsing your files folders.
- Do a comprehensive search on your computer(s) for crypto words and phrases that are often associated with crypto wallet files:
- common words in wallet files: "wallet", "address", "mnemonic" etc
- common wallet suffixes: "json", "dat" etc…
- cryptos you've held: "bitcoin", "district0x" etc…
- wallets you've used: "electrum", "blockchain.info" etc…
Remember, you're not just looking for wallet files … you might have taken a photo of a mnemonic written on a piece of paper. You might have an old email file with a random online wallet password. There might be airdrops on Ethereum addresses you haven't used in years.
So, take notes while you're searching of the things you find out …
What old wallet services did you use that you totally forgot about? (Jaxx? BitGo? Anx?)
What cryptos were you into that you haven't thought about in years? (Namecoin? Sumocoin?)
If you're anything like me, you're always finding new and exciting things in crypto, but then totally forgetting about the things you were doing 2 years ago, or 6 months ago, or this morning.
Lastly … the above list is just an introduction to the concept, not a comprehensive list, so if you find something, let us know how you find it! There will be hundreds of little tricks for finding these squirreled away crypto stashes so your success story will help other people in the same boat. (But don't tell us how much you found. We're happy you found it, regardless.)
Resources:
- This is a good summary of searching hidden files on a Mac.
- This is the super quick intro to searching for hidden files on a PC.
submitted by /u/WhiteyFisk
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