watch only wallet: how to access a watch only wallet on trust wallet

I see funds in my watch only wallet, but I can’t withdraw. How do I access it? This is a leading concern in the crypto space. Especially amongst the newbies. In this article, we will answer all your questions concerning the term watch-only wallet. What is watch-only wallet? Also, how to create a one? How to convert watch-only wallet to real funds? How to convert watch only trust wallet to multicoin wallet? And how to withdraw from watch-only to bank account? This and many other burning questions concerning watch-only wallet will be discussed and clarified in this article.

WHAT IS WATCH ONLY WALLET?

Watch only wallet, is a wallet that exists in a view-only format and does not permit any other transactional activities such as withdraw, send, transfer, swap, and maybe receive. However, having a view-only wallet means one has the address of the wallet. So, sending crypto to the wallet is possible, but taking the same crypto out is not guaranteed. And I’ll tell you why!

HOW COME ABOUT WATCH ONLY WALLET?

Watch only wallet is created out of the address of a given wallet on a specific chain. What does this mean? This means that one can create a view-only wallet out of whatever wallet address they have access to. Whether they own the wallet where the address is generated from or not, it can still be used to create a watch only wallet.

Consider this: if you go to your trust wallet and copy your Ethereum wallet address. Upload it as a watch only wallet; all the tokens on that wallet under the chain Ethereum will reflect. You can do this on any chain: BSC, ETH, Bitcoin, etc. Nevertheless, nothing can be done on that view-only wallet. Only in the main wallet. The same thing can be done when someone sends you their receiver address.

Additionally, the same thing can be done with a random address copied from the blockchain. Give it a try. Go to, let’s say, Bsc scan, search any token. Let’s say Ethereum peg. Go to holders and copy the address of any of the top holders.

Go to trust wallet. Import as a watch only wallet under bsc bep20 Network and you will see both the ethereum peg and every other token existing on that wallet under that chain will reflect. But you can’t withdraw. This is because it’s view-only. you can see but can’t touch. Only the person with the key to that wallet can withdraw.

WHY WATCH ONLY WALLET

Watch only wallet system was enabled to enhance the security of a wallet. While still being able to monitor the assets it holds. This enables users to keep their wallet offline and monitor the asset it holds at the same time.

Key Benefits

Monitor asset from any device without risk of lossing funds: users can monitor their cryptos from any device without any chance of vulnebility to theft.
User can get there wallet back in case of lost device.
Cryptos are not at risk in case of theft or any infiltration.
Enhanced Security – Since watch-only wallets do not store private keys, they reduce the risk of hacking, phishing, or unauthorized transactions.
Easy Portfolio Tracking – Allows users to monitor balances and transactions across multiple wallets without needing full access to the wallet.
Convenience for Auditing – Ideal for businesses, accountants, or investors who need to track crypto funds without handling private keys.
Safe for Beginners – New users can observe transactions and gain familiarity with cryptocurrency management without risking their funds.
No Risk of Unauthorized Transactions – Since watch-only wallets cannot sign transactions, even if someone gains access, they cannot move funds.
Multi-Device Access – Users can track their holdings from different devices without exposing their private keys.
Useful for Cold Storage Monitoring – If funds are stored in a hardware or paper wallet, a view-only wallet allows users to monitor transactions without accessing the private key.

Non-custodial wallets that support watch only wallet

Many cryptocurrency wallets offer a watch-only feature, allowing you to track wallet balances and transactions without having access to private keys. Here are some popular options:

Mobile & Desktop Wallets

Exodus – Supports watch-only for Bitcoin and some other assets.
Trust Wallet – Allows importing public addresses for tracking for a wide range of chains they support.
BlueWallet – Offers a dedicated watch-only feature for Bitcoin.
Electrum – One of the best Bitcoin wallets with watch-only support.
MetaMask – Can import public addresses but mainly for Ethereum-based assets.

Hardware Wallets with Watch-Only Mode

Ledger Live – Lets you monitor accounts without needing to connect the device.
Trezor Suite – Provides watch-only functionality for tracked addresses.

Blockchain Explorers (For Watching Without a Wallet)

Blockchair – Allows tracking multiple addresses.
Etherscan – You can bookmark Ethereum addresses to watch.
All Block explorers review balances too, they allow tracking of wallet balance. Even tho they are not a wallet system.

How to create a trust wallet watch-only wallet

In this case, we are using trust wallet as our case study. This is because trust wallet is the most widely use wallet for view only. You want to create a view-only wallet out of your mutlticoin wallet? follow the step:

Sign into your trust wallet
copy the address of the wallet you want to make view-only wallet. In this case, we are copying our bnb smartchain address or ethereum address. they are pretty thesame, since it’s an EVM wallet.
Click on the dropdown beside the name of the wallet.
Click on the + button at the upper right-hand side
Choose ,’ i have a wallet or adding an existing wallet’ and hit confirm
select the chain: Select the chain you want to import your watch only wallet on. In this example we are going for bsc bep20
Paste the address you copied and confirm
Congratulation. You’ve successfully created a view-only wallet.

Nonetheless, Not every single token on that chain reflects in most cases. one may have to add the token up manually uisng thier contract address.

You can only convert a watch only wallet you have the key to to multi-coin wallet. So if the wallet was actually your own. Go grab the seed phrase or private key and do the following;

Copy the seed phrase and follow thesame process as we have above. Only this time you choose recovery phrase instead.
If it’s seed phrase, choose multi-coin. However, if it’s private key, choose the chain you wish to use.
import. and Boom!!! your funds is here!!!

If after importing and the wallet is still empty. compare the address of thr imported wallet with watch only. You’ll see that you have the wrong seed phrase there.

WATCH ONLY WALLET SCAM

There are too many scam related to watch only wallet. This is because most users have a limited knowledge of how the above operate. Nonetheless, if you’ve read this article to this extend, you should be confident enough to spot watch only wallet scam.

Here are the common scenerios:

Someone sold a watch only wallet to you. And they said you should contact trust wallet to onpen it for you. That is a scam
You invested with a company and they gave you watch only wallet. that is a scam.
Someone gave you a watch only and asked you to deposit money inot it. The wallet is probably theirs and you will never have access to it. Big scam.
Someone asked you to pay for software that can be used to open the watch only wallet. Another one.
Fake Watch-Only Wallet Recovery Scam
- Scammers claim they can “unlock” or “recover” funds from a watch-only wallet. In reality, a watch-only wallet cannot send transactions since it lacks private keys.
Fake Trust Wallet or MetaMask Apps
- Fraudulent apps impersonate real wallets and request users to import a public address, tricking them into revealing their private keys later.
Watch-Only Upgrade Scam
- Scammers promise an “upgrade” that allows users to send transactions from a watch-only wallet if they pay a fee or enter private keys—leading to fund theft.
Airdrop/Reward Scams
- Some scams claim that users need to “activate” their watch-only wallet to receive an airdrop, requiring them to enter private keys or connect to a malicious site.
Fake Support Scams
- Scammers posing as customer support ask users for private keys or seed phrases to “fix” their watch-only wallet, resulting in asset theft.
QR Code Import Scam
- Fraudsters send QR codes that import fake watch-only wallets, tricking users into thinking they have funds, then request private key access to “withdraw.”
Phishing Websites & Fake Recovery Tools
- Scammers create fake sites claiming to recover locked funds in watch-only wallets, stealing private keys instead.

How to Stay Safe

Never share your private keys or seed phrase.
Avoid third-party services claiming to recover funds from a watch-only wallet.
Only download wallets from official sources.
Verify with official support before taking action.
Note that this wallet provider such as trust wallet will never email you. Or sell key to you.

CONCLUSION

If it were possible for a random person to unlock a random wallet from the blockchain, the blockchain wouldn’t be a safe space today. Finally, be aware that only a wallet you have access to can be unlock. Stay safe!

Should you need any assistance or consultation, email us at admin@btradec.com. Other channels include the recovery options on this site and our other social channels.

BTradec