For an explanation of how Bitcoin works in simple terms, read [The In-Depth Guide to Bitcoin That Won’t Leave You Frustrated](https://www.vpnmentor.com/blog/ultimate-guide-bitcoin/).
Your wallet can be recovered entirely from its <em>seed</em>: the chain of words generated by <span class="application">Electrum</span> when creating the wallet. But if you lose your seed, you lose your entire wallet.
If <span class="application">Electrum</span> fails to start or stays minimized, maybe your <span class="application">Electrum</span> folder is corrupted.
Open your <span class="filename">Home</span> folder.
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Click onthe <span class="guimenu">[[!img lib/pan-downopen-menu.png alt="menu toggleMain Menu" class="symbolic" link="no"]]</span> button in the title bar and choose <span class="guilabel">turn on the option **Show Hidden Files</span>**.