Monero Restore Height Can Hide a Bridge Refund

Monero restore height tells a restored wallet where to begin scanning, so a refund sent by a bridge before that block may not appear in its balance or history. The setting affects what the wallet finds; it does not reverse, delay or change the refund transaction on the blockchain.

Monero’s official restore guide says the height should be at or before the block containing the wallet’s first incoming transaction. A bridge refund is another incoming transaction, so a wallet restored with a later height can miss it. For context on choosing between a bridge and a swap route, see this ZeroFi bridge-versus-swap guide for XMR.

What does restore height change in a Monero wallet?

Restore height sets the earliest block the wallet scans for transactions belonging to its keys. Monero’s documentation says a height set too high can leave transactions undetected and show the wrong balance; a lower height scans more blocks and takes longer.

The height is a scanning boundary, not a transaction control. It does not make a bridge issue a refund, alter the amount or confirm that the refund was sent. Those details depend on the bridge’s order record and its refund process.

How can a late restore height hide a bridge refund?

If the refund arrived in a block earlier than the wallet’s restore height, the wallet may not include it in its scanned history. That can make a completed refund look absent in the wallet, even though the wallet is using the same seed and address.

Check the bridge’s order status first: it may show whether the refund was initiated and provide a transaction reference or destination address. Then compare the refund timing with the wallet’s restore height. Monero transactions are private by design, so a reference alone may not let a third party verify the recipient or amount from public chain data.

When checking the wallet, keep these distinctions in mind:

• A missing wallet entry can mean the wallet has not scanned far enough back.
• A pending or failed bridge order is a separate issue from wallet synchronization.
• A lower restore height can find older incoming transactions, but requires scanning more blocks.
• A refund sent to a different address will not appear in the restored wallet.

How do you rescan for a missing refund?

Restore or rescan the wallet from a height earlier than the refund’s block, using the wallet’s supported recovery controls. Monero’s restore guide advises choosing a height before the first incoming transaction; if its exact block is unknown, it recommends going lower rather than higher.

Allow the wallet to finish syncing before judging the balance or history. If the refund still does not appear, confirm the destination address and status with the bridge using its order record, then check that the restored wallet uses the correct seed and any seed offset passphrase. Never share the seed to prove a refund.

The next step is to let the rescan reach the current chain tip, then compare the wallet history with the bridge’s latest order status. If the bridge has not marked the refund as sent, its refund process—not restore height—determines what happens next.