# Encrypting and locking/unlocking your wallet

After your wallet has synchronized with the TWINS network, it is strongly advised to encrypt it with a password or passphrase to prevent unauthorized access.

* To encrypt your wallet, click **Settings > Encrypt Wallet**.

![](https://1656297259-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-legacy-files/o/assets%2F-LXpIa_undrOYkGQm38v%2F-LY6XiDxfm6BH6GJn14w%2F-LY6XlqkNV0XYhhVQV2F%2FTwins%20encrypt%20wallet.png?alt=media\&token=e9a2a48b-dafb-41dc-8eac-1b0e9096d7aa)

* You will be asked to enter and verify a password.

![](https://blobscdn.gitbook.com/v0/b/gitbook-28427.appspot.com/o/assets%2F-LWXgTTIFs8cVSImSrNv%2F-LWqtJQHGJniK23aALKq%2F-LWqxnhzJmr7QUdDQdrb%2Ftwin-encrypt%202.png?alt=media\&token=614ffe09-fbc7-4364-978c-a01aacf8adbd)

* Enter a password and Confirm you want to encrypt your wallet. You should use a strong, new password that you have never used somewhere else. 

{% hint style="warning" %}
**Take note of your password and store it somewhere safe or you will be locked out of your wallet and lose access to your funds.**
{% endhint %}

![](https://blobscdn.gitbook.com/v0/b/gitbook-28427.appspot.com/o/assets%2F-LWXgTTIFs8cVSImSrNv%2F-LWqtJQHGJniK23aALKq%2F-LWqyjy6NwiQMf3jg_E5%2Ftwin-encrypt%203.png?alt=media\&token=3a82b6d4-7f46-4c67-9554-4bd7d3e66056)

* When the encryption process is complete, you will see a warning that past backups of your wallet will no longer be usable, and be asked to shut down TWINS Core. When you restart TWINS Core, you will see a small blue lock in the lower right corner.

<div align="center"><img src="https://1656297259-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-legacy-files/o/assets%2F-LXpIa_undrOYkGQm38v%2F-LY6Tr9Af-TkM0hufTdM%2F-LY6Ui8K9roQo-OcjvSp%2Fwallet%20locked%20status.png?alt=media&#x26;token=f604fe16-1f66-46ea-a097-174fc70c352b" alt=""></div>

Your wallet is now encrypted and you can now begin to use your wallet to safely send and receive funds.

## Unlocking your wallet

When you start up your encrypted wallet it will be locked. You have to unlock it before you can send funds or stake your TWINS. The unlocking process is rather straightforward:

Open the “*Settings*” menu and click on “*Unlock Wallet*”:

![](https://1656297259-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-legacy-files/o/assets%2F-LXpIa_undrOYkGQm38v%2F-LY6VOEv8Gd5xvrEWUJp%2F-LY6WU7uRvTZUYFIjJN1%2Fsettings%20decrypting.png?alt=media\&token=30249fc4-991f-4416-8d3a-0c0130681625)

You can also click on the purple lock icon in the bottom right of the wallet to get to the next stage.

![](https://1656297259-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-legacy-files/o/assets%2F-LXpIa_undrOYkGQm38v%2F-LY6Tr9Af-TkM0hufTdM%2F-LY6Ui8K9roQo-OcjvSp%2Fwallet%20locked%20status.png?alt=media\&token=f604fe16-1f66-46ea-a097-174fc70c352b)

{% hint style="info" %}
The purple lock icon visually shows if the wallet is locked or unlocked.&#x20;

Hovering your mouse over it provides a tooltip telling you its status (encrypted/unencrypted, locked/unlocked and the type of unlocking).
{% endhint %}

In the next window, enter the passphrase you chose when encrypting the wallet to unlock it and either **tick the checkbox** or **leave it unticked**, depending on which type of unlocking you wish to perform.

![](https://1656297259-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-legacy-files/o/assets%2F-LXpIa_undrOYkGQm38v%2F-LY6VOEv8Gd5xvrEWUJp%2F-LY6WwMfBAJu69MZ_XqK%2Fwallet%20full%20decrypt.png?alt=media\&token=c1a48b7e-bc1b-47ed-b97e-d32ccffeedf6)

There are **two types of unlocking**:

* unlocking **only for anonymization, automint and staking**: this type lets you stake your TWINS and receive stakes (**tick** **the checkbox** if you only want to stake TWINS and do not need to make any transfers),
* full unlocking permits all of the above and **lets you send TWINS** (**leave the checkbox unticked** if you want to send TWINS).

If you want to **lock the wallet again**, open the “*Settings*” menu and click on “*Lock Wallet*”, or click on the purple lock icon in the bottom right of the wallet.


---

# Agent Instructions: Querying This Documentation

If you need additional information that is not directly available in this page, you can query the documentation dynamically by asking a question.

Perform an HTTP GET request on the current page URL with the `ask` query parameter:

```
GET https://docs.win.win/twins/english-documentation/twins-wallet/encrypting-your-wallet.md?ask=<question>
```

The question should be specific, self-contained, and written in natural language.
The response will contain a direct answer to the question and relevant excerpts and sources from the documentation.

Use this mechanism when the answer is not explicitly present in the current page, you need clarification or additional context, or you want to retrieve related documentation sections.