Where should you store a seed phrase?
Store a seed phrase offline on paper or metal, never as a digital file, and keep fireproof and waterproof backups in separate secure places.
Vahe HakobyanEditor-in-chief
Updated Oct 5, 20263 min readFact-checked
On this page
- Fireproof backups in separate places limit damage.
- Write words in order and check spelling.
- A seed phrase restores every wallet made from it.
- Store a passphrase apart from the seed phrase.
Your wallet created the seed phrase at setup. It is the only backup that can recover your funds if the device is lost or broken.
Where should you store it?
Keep the seed phrase offline on paper or metal, not as a digital file. Make fireproof and waterproof backups in separate secure places, such as a home safe.
How should you write it down?
Copy the words exactly as they appear. The order and spelling matter, because a wrong word restores a different wallet or nothing. Write clearly, and do not share the paper with anyone.
Can you use a bank safe-deposit box?
A safe-deposit box can protect the phrase from fire and theft, but the bank's rental agreement controls what you may store. Ask in writing whether it permits recovery phrases.
Why not store it digitally?
A digital copy can travel farther than you expect. A photo may sync to a cloud service, and an email draft can be copied by malware.
- Screenshots can sync to a cloud.
- Cloud backups can be stolen.
- Password managers can be breached.
- Typing it into a website invites phishing.
What does the seed phrase control?
A seed phrase is the master key to a crypto wallet. It restores every wallet and account derived from it. An optional passphrase, sometimes called the 25th word, is a word or phrase you add to the seed phrase. If you set one, you need it too, because the seed phrase alone restores a different, empty wallet.
Frequently asked questions
Restore from a backup if you made one. Without a backup and the wallet, the funds are usually gone because no company can reset a seed phrase.
You can, but splitting adds more chances for a piece to be lost. Leave instructions with each part.
It keeps private keys offline, so malware usually cannot read them. The seed phrase still needs a safe offline backup.
Memorizing is not a reliable backup. Injury, illness, death or memory loss can lock the wallet forever.
