How to Store a Seed Phrase Safely

Write your seed phrase on paper (or stamp it into a steel backup), keep it offline, and store it somewhere private and safe from fire and water. Many people keep a second copy in a different place. Never store it as a photo, in email, in a notes app or in a cloud drive, and never type it into a website. The seed phrase, also called a recovery phrase, is the master key to your wallet: anyone who has it can take everything, and if you lose it and have no other backup set up in your wallet, nobody can restore your wallet for you.

Step-by-step: back up a new phrase

1. Write it down when the wallet shows itUse pen on paper. Number the words (usually 12 or 24) and write them in order. Some wallets show the phrase only once, during setup.
2. Check every wordCompare letter by letter. Most wallets ask you to confirm a few words, which catches some typos but not all.
3. Store it somewhere safePick a hidden place out of sight of guests and housemates, such as a home safe or a locked drawer, and one you'll still remember in five years. Paper can burn or get wet, which is why some people use a steel backup.
4. Consider a second copyA copy in a different building, like with a family member you trust, protects against fire or flood. Each copy is one more place it can leak, so keep the number small.
5. Check the backup safelyWith a hardware wallet, use its built-in backup check, where you enter the words on the device itself (Trezor Suite, for example, has Check backup under Wallet backup in the device settings). Don't type a hardware wallet's phrase into a phone or computer to test it. With a phone wallet, see its help center for how to check your phrase.

Do's and don'ts

Wallet makers such as MetaMask say they will never ask for your recovery phrase, and neither will Lasso. Anyone who asks for it, including someone claiming to be support, is trying to take your funds, however official they look.

Should I get a hardware wallet?

If you hold an amount you'd hate to lose, a hardware wallet such as a Ledger or Trezor is worth considering. MetaMask's own security tips suggest one for large balances. The device keeps the keys off your phone and computer, and every transaction has to be confirmed on the device itself. It still gives you a seed phrase, and the same storage rules apply to it.

What if I lose it?

If you still have access to the wallet app, move your funds right away to a new wallet with a new phrase that you back up properly. If you've lost both the phrase and access to the app, and never set up another backup option your wallet offers, the funds generally can't be recovered. Wallet support can't recover a phrase for you. That's why the backup matters.

Related guides

Setting up a new wallet? See how to set up a Phantom wallet. Worried about scams? Read how to spot a scam token.