If you are a user that is brand new to EOSIO, or even new to Anchor, we have established this guide to help walk you through the first steps in setting up your first account using the desktop version for Windows, macOS, or Linux.
NOTE: Anchor currently does not support account creation, so make sure you have an account established before continuing through this guide.
Installing Anchor for Desktop
The first step is going to be to download Anchor itself to your computer. We have a wiki post established below that weâll maintain with links to the current version of Anchor.
Setting up your first account
One you have the wallet downloaded and installed, youâre ready to launch the application. Youâll be greeted with this screen:
From here youâll be able to setup a new wallet using the first button in the interface.
Alternatively, if you had a backup or are an advanced user using multiple computers to setup a cold/offline wallet setup, you can start the cold wallet setup using the final button.
NOTE: If at any point you need to start this process over again, you can go into the âToolsâ section on the left navigation, and in the upper right there is a âReset Applicationâ button. Click this button will reset the entire application and bring you back to this step. It erases all keys, accounts, and settings from Anchor and will allow you to setup a brand new wallet by importing your keys again.
Enabling blockchains
Anchor supports a number of EOSIO-based blockchains and the first thing we need to do is understand which chains you plan on using. Select the checkbox for each chain youâd like to use, or just select the one you want to get started with. The blockchains that are enabled can be changed at any point in the future - so donât feel as if you have to configure them all from the start.
Once youâve made your selection, click the blue âEnable Blockchainsâ button in the upper left.
Select a blockchain
Now that Anchor understands which blockchains youâd like to enable, now we need to select one to get started with. Click on the blockchain youâd like to start using to set it as the âActive Blockchainâ.
You can also change which blockchain is active using the dropdown in the upper left, which in the screenshot below says âSelect a blockchainâ. This dropdown menu is available throughout the entire application and quickly allows you to change between different blockchains and accounts.
Setting up your first wallet
In the upper left dropdown, the EOS blockchain has been selected and itâs icon is now showing.
This next part of the setup process is where youâll establish your wallets and connect to your account. We are immediately brought here after selecting the blockchain because no accounts have been configured. You can return to this interface at any time after youâve setup your first account by clicking âManage Accountsâ from the account dropdown.
Within this interface youâll click âImport Accountâ
Wallet Import Methods
Next we need to know how youâre planning on connecting this wallet to an account.
For the purposes of this guide, we will assume you have a private key for an account, in which case youâll want to click the âImport Private Keyâ button.
NOTE: If you have an existing account already setup to use a Ledger, youâll want to Enable Ledger Support, and then Load Keys from the Ledger to continue the setup process. This cannot be used to convert an existing account to use a Ledger device, only connect to accounts that are already associated with the Ledger.
Setting up a password
Once youâve started to import a private key, weâre now interrupting the process because before importing any private keys, we need to establish a password for the wallet to use during encryption.
This popup will appear and prompt you to create a new password, and after submitting, confirm it.
Importing the private key
With a password configured, you can now import the private key to your account. Simply enter it in the text box and it will automatically attempt to retrieve any accounts associated with that key.
NOTE: This lookup is done by converting the private key entered into a public key, and performing a lookup against the public keys on the blockchain to find associated accounts. If youâve changed the API server Anchor connects with, ensure one of the lookup APIs is available. This requires either an API running the v1 history plugin to perform a get_key_accounts lookup, or the new API available in nodeos 2.0.6 called get_accounts_by_authorizers.
Selecting the matching accounts to import
After the key is entered and account lookups are complete, youâll now see a list of available accounts and permissions at the bottom. Check the checkbox next to each account youâd like to import, and click the green âImport Accountâ button towards the bottom once youâre ready.
Youâll be prompted to enter your password again (to encrypt the keys), and your accounts will be imported!
Enabling App Integration
The final prompt that appears after importing your first account is whether or not you want Anchor to listen for and be able to connect with external applications. Allowing app integration will allow âSign-in with Anchorâ type interfaces and allow a wide range of apps/dapps to send requests to your wallet.
This can be toggled on or off at any time from the home screen as well.
Welcome to Anchor!
Your account is now imported and you can now use Anchor as your wallet.
Where you go from here is up to you, but hereâs a few quick tips on other things you could do from here:
- In the upper left, the blockchain icon dropdown lets you select which blockchain youâd like to use right now or configure/add/remove blockchains from your wallet.
- Also in the upper left is an account dropdown which will let you quickly switch between accounts. You can also use the âManage Walletsâ interface to add more accounts for the currently active blockchain.
- The navigation on the left can now be used to send tokens through the âWalletâ, manage staked tokens or rent through REX via âResourcesâ, or get involved in BP voting through âGovernanceâ.
Thereâs a lot to Anchor and weâre continuing to work to make the experience easier to understand and more powerful. Check back for updates on the newest features, or join us here in the forums to discuss what we should change or get your questions answered!
