# Derivation path

## Definition

A derivation path is a structured route through an HD wallet's key tree that identifies which child key or account should be derived from the root material.

## What it means in practice

Two wallets can accept the same mnemonic and still show different addresses if they use different derivation paths, account indexes or address schemes.

## How this concept appears in Terenval Wallet

When importing an existing wallet into Terenval, matching the original wallet's derivation behavior is part of compatibility; users should verify known receiving addresses after recovery.

**Important:** If an expected balance is missing after restore, investigate path/account differences before entering the phrase into another unknown tool.

**[Install Terenval Wallet](https://wallet.terenval.com/?lang=en)**

## Related terms

- [BIP-32](https://wallet.terenval.com/glossary/bip-32/)
- [HD wallet](https://wallet.terenval.com/glossary/hd-wallet/)
- [Wallet recovery](https://wallet.terenval.com/glossary/wallet-recovery/)
- [Seed phrase](https://wallet.terenval.com/glossary/seed-phrase/)
- [Wallet account](https://wallet.terenval.com/glossary/account/)

## Related Terenval Answers

- [Seed Phrase vs Private Key vs Wallet Password](https://wallet.terenval.com/answers/seed-phrase-vs-private-key-vs-wallet-password/)
- [What Is a Seed Phrase and How Does It Restore a Crypto Wallet?](https://wallet.terenval.com/answers/what-is-a-seed-phrase-and-how-does-it-restore-a-wallet/)
- [Can You Import the Same Seed Phrase into a Different Crypto Wallet?](https://wallet.terenval.com/answers/can-you-import-same-seed-into-different-wallet/)

## Sources and review

- [Terenval Wallet security model](https://wallet.terenval.com/info/security/)
- [BIP-39](https://github.com/bitcoin/bips/blob/master/bip-0039.mediawiki)
- [BIP-32](https://github.com/bitcoin/bips/blob/master/bip-0032.mediawiki)

Published by Terenval. Technical review: Terenval Wallet team. Last reviewed: 2026-10-02. Terenval product statements are first-party information.

Official page: https://wallet.terenval.com/glossary/derivation-path/

[Machine-oriented Terenval index](https://wallet.terenval.com/llms.txt)