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What is a hard fork, and how do I claim forked assets?
What is a hard fork, and how do I claim forked assets?

A hard fork is a change in a blockchain where the new version is no longer compatible with the old, splitting the blockchain into two.

Updated over a week ago

Everything you need to know about hard forks, forked assets, and how to claim forked assets.

Need a crypto wallet that gives you full control of your assets? You can download Exodus here.


In this article:


What is a hard fork?

A hard fork is when a blockchain splits into 2 separate blockchains.

Hard forks can happen if there is a major change to a blockchain network's protocol.

If the miners, validators, and nodes don't agree to follow the new protocol, then the network splits into 2.

One blockchain network continues to follow the original protocol, while the other follows the new one.

Often, when a blockchain forks, the information from the original blockchain is copied over to the new one. If this happens, and you had funds on the original blockchain at the time of the hard fork, you would have the same balance on the newly forked blockchain.

After the hard fork, replay protection is sometimes added to ensure transactions made on one network won't affect the other. To read more about replay protection and replay attacks, visit: What is a replay attack?


Does Exodus support forked assets?

There can be many forks of different blockchains. Many of these forks might have limited support and development and offer little to no market value.

Exodus might not support the forked asset at the time of the hard fork or after the hard fork. You can always see the assets Exodus support on our status page.

For more information, visit: Which assets does Exodus support?


How do I claim my forked assets?

Because Exodus is self-custodial, and you can access your secret recovery phrase and private keys, you can always claim any forked coins from the past or future.

Do your own research and verify the legitimacy of any wallet you decide to use. Scam wallets often target people trying to claim forked coins. If you import your private keys into a scam wallet, your forked and original coins will be stolen. If you have doubts about a wallet's legitimacy, don't use it.

If you still want to claim your forked coins, you’ll need to find a wallet that supports both the forked asset and the option to import your private key.

Most software wallets will have such a feature. Once you find a wallet you consider trustworthy, it's possible to view your Exodus private key and import it into a wallet that supports the fork.

Please be very careful with your 12-word secret recovery phrase and private keys, because they control access to your funds. Never share them with anyone. Only import them into platforms you trust 100%. If you choose to import your 12-word phrase or private keys into a third-party platform, you do so at your own risk. To find out more, check out this article from our Knowledge Base: How do I keep my money safe?

Always do your own research if you want to claim forked assets. The process exposes your private keys, which can put them at risk of being stolen. Using forked assets can also put you at risk of a replay attack in certain cases.

If you would still like to claim forked assets, please do your own research to determine which legitimate wallets support the fork and the details of how to import your private keys. Keep in mind that doing so is at your own risk.

If your funds are stolen due to importing your 12-word secret recovery phrase or private keys into another wallet, nothing can be done to retrieve them.


What should I do if I have unclaimed BCH, BSV, or BTG?

If you have unclaimed Bitcoin Cash (BCH), Bitcoin SV (BSV), or Bitcoin Gold (BTG), you can contact Exodus Support for details on how it is possible to claim your assets.

If you would like to contact Exodus Support, please email [email protected].

Exodus supports Bitcoin Cash (BCH), Bitcoin SV (BSV), or Bitcoin Gold (BTG), which means you can send them to Exodus once claimed.

Claiming forked assets is only possible if you haven't claimed the funds yet and if you were eligible to claim at the time of the hard fork:

  • Bitcoin Cash (BCH): BCH was distributed to any address holding Bitcoin (BTC) at the time of the hard fork on July 31st, 2017.

  • Bitcoin SV (BSV): BSV was distributed to any address holding Bitcoin Cash (BCH) at the time of the hard fork on November 15, 2018.

  • Bitcoin Gold (BTG): BTG was distributed to any address holding Bitcoin (BTC) at the time of the hard fork on October 24, 2017.

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