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How to Back Up and Protect Your Seed Phrase
Your recovery phrase is the wallet. This is how to record it, where to keep it, what to never do with it, and how to plan for fire, flood and forgetfulness.
By the CoinCrafty editorial desk · Updated 25 Jul 2026
What you will need
- The recovery sheet supplied with your wallet, or plain acid-free paper
- A pen — ballpoint or pencil, not a marker that bleeds
- A private space with no cameras, including no laptop webcam facing you
- Optionally, a stamped-metal backup plate for fire and water resistance
Step by step
Understand what you are actually protecting
A recovery phrase (also called a seed phrase) is a human-readable encoding of the master key to your wallet. Every address and every private key in that wallet can be regenerated from it. That means two things at once: anyone who reads it can take everything, and anyone who loses it loses everything. It is not a password you can reset, and there is no support desk anywhere that can help you.
Write it by hand, in order, and check it twice
Copy the words in the exact order shown, numbering them as you go. Write clearly enough that a stranger could read it under stress — several words in the standard wordlist look similar in rushed handwriting. When you have finished, read it back against the device screen word by word, then read it back a second time in reverse order, which catches transposition errors your eye skips over.
Never create a digital copy
No photograph, no screenshot, no notes app, no password manager, no cloud drive, no email to yourself, no printed copy from a computer, and no typing it in to "check" it on any website. Modern phones back photos up automatically and silently; a single screenshot can end up on a server you do not control within seconds.
Choose storage that survives ordinary disasters
Paper handles being ignored in a drawer for a decade, but not a house fire or a burst pipe. At minimum, put the sheet in a sealed bag inside a safe or a locked drawer. If the amount justifies it, transfer the words to a stamped or engraved metal plate, which survives both fire and water. Store it away from the device itself, so a single theft does not capture both.
Consider a second location
One copy in one building is a single point of failure. A second copy held somewhere you genuinely control — a trusted family member's safe, a bank deposit box — removes that. Be honest with yourself about the trade-off: every extra copy is another place it could be read. Two well-chosen locations is usually the sweet spot for ordinary holders.
Test the restore before you rely on it
A backup you have never restored from is a hope, not a backup. If your device supports a reset-and-restore cycle, do one while your holdings are still small, so you learn the process while nothing is at stake. Restore, confirm the same addresses appear, and only then scale up.
Write down what happens if you are not around
Self-custody has an inheritance problem. Without breaking the security of the phrase itself, leave instructions your family could actually follow: what the device is, where the backup lives, and who to ask for help. A sealed letter with your will is a common approach. Do not put the words themselves in the letter.
Common mistakes
- Photographing the sheet, which usually means uploading it to a cloud account.
- Storing the phrase and the hardware device in the same place.
- Entering the phrase into a website or app that offers to "verify", "sync" or "restore" it.
- Splitting the words in half and storing each half separately — this weakens security rather than improving it unless you use a proper, documented scheme.
- Using a marker that bleeds, or paper that yellows, so the words become unreadable years later.
- Never testing a restore, and only discovering the backup is wrong when the device has already failed.
Tools for this guide
Frequently asked questions
Is a password manager safe enough for a seed phrase?
We do not recommend it. A password manager is an internet-connected, syncing system with a master password that can be phished — a very different risk model from a piece of metal in a safe. The whole reason the phrase exists offline is to stay off connected systems.
What is a passphrase, and do I need one?
A passphrase (sometimes called a 25th word) is an extra secret that produces an entirely separate wallet from the same phrase. It defends against someone finding your written words, but if you forget it the funds are unrecoverable. It is a genuine security tool for people who understand the trade-off, and a way to lose money for people who do not.
Someone messaged me offering wallet support. Should I reply?
No. Unsolicited direct messages offering wallet or exchange support are, essentially without exception, theft attempts. Real support never contacts you first and never needs your phrase.
Can I change my recovery phrase if I think it was seen?
Not directly, but you can create a brand-new wallet with a fresh phrase and move your funds to it immediately. If you suspect the phrase has been exposed, do that now rather than later.