# verifyMessage

Verify that a message was signed by the provided address.

:::warning\[Warning]
This utility can only verify a message that was signed by an Externally Owned Account (EOA).
To verify messages from Contract Accounts (& EOA), use the [`publicClient.verifyMessage` Action](/docs/actions/public/verifyMessage) instead.
:::

## Usage

:::code-group

```ts [example.ts]
import { verifyMessage } from 'viem'
import { account, walletClient } from './client'

const signature = await walletClient.signMessage({
  account,
  message: 'hello world',
})

const valid = await verifyMessage({ // [!code focus:99]
  address: account.address,
  message: 'hello world',
  signature,
})
// true
```

```ts [config.ts]
import { createWalletClient, custom } from 'viem'
import { privateKeyToAccount } from 'viem/accounts'

export const walletClient = createWalletClient({
  transport: custom(window.ethereum)
})

// JSON-RPC Account
export const [account] = await walletClient.getAddresses()
// Local Account
export const account = privateKeyToAccount(...)
```

:::

## Returns

`boolean`

Whether the provided `address` generated the `signature`.

## Parameters

### address

* **Type:** [`Address`](/docs/glossary/types#address)

The Ethereum address that signed the original message.

```ts
const valid = await verifyMessage({
  address: '0xf39fd6e51aad88f6f4ce6ab8827279cfffb92266', // [!code focus:1]
  message: 'hello world',
  signature:
    '0x66edc32e2ab001213321ab7d959a2207fcef5190cc9abb6da5b0d2a8a9af2d4d2b0700e2c317c4106f337fd934fbbb0bf62efc8811a78603b33a8265d3b8f8cb1c',
})
```

### message

* **Type:** `string`

The message to be verified.

By default, viem signs the UTF-8 representation of the message.

```ts
const valid = await verifyMessage({
  address: '0xf39fd6e51aad88f6f4ce6ab8827279cfffb92266',
  message: 'hello world', // [!code focus:1]
  signature:
    '0x66edc32e2ab001213321ab7d959a2207fcef5190cc9abb6da5b0d2a8a9af2d4d2b0700e2c317c4106f337fd934fbbb0bf62efc8811a78603b33a8265d3b8f8cb1c',
})
```

To sign the data representation of the message, you can use the `raw` attribute.

```ts
const valid = await verifyMessage({
  address: '0xf39fd6e51aad88f6f4ce6ab8827279cfffb92266',
  message: { raw: '0x68656c6c6f20776f726c64' }, // [!code focus:1]
  signature:
    '0x66edc32e2ab001213321ab7d959a2207fcef5190cc9abb6da5b0d2a8a9af2d4d2b0700e2c317c4106f337fd934fbbb0bf62efc8811a78603b33a8265d3b8f8cb1c',
})
```

### signature

* **Type:** `Hex | ByteArray | Signature`

The signature that was generated by signing the message with the address's private key.

```ts
const valid = await verifyMessage({
  address: '0xf39fd6e51aad88f6f4ce6ab8827279cfffb92266',
  message: 'hello world',
  signature: // [!code focus:2]
    '0x66edc32e2ab001213321ab7d959a2207fcef5190cc9abb6da5b0d2a8a9af2d4d2b0700e2c317c4106f337fd934fbbb0bf62efc8811a78603b33a8265d3b8f8cb1c',
})
```