Seed Phrase
wallet · security
A human-readable backup that can recreate a wallet’s private keys, addresses, and spend authority.
- Also known as
- Recovery Phrase, Mnemonic Phrase
A seed phrase is a list of words that encodes the entropy used to derive a wallet’s private keys, commonly through BIP39 and hierarchical deterministic wallet standards such as BIP32. Restoring the phrase in a compatible wallet can regenerate the same accounts and addresses.
Anyone who obtains the seed phrase can usually spend the wallet’s funds, so it should be stored offline, backed up carefully, and never typed into untrusted websites or shared with support staff. Screenshots and cloud backups can create hidden exposure.
Some wallets also use an optional passphrase, derivation path, or wallet type. Losing those details can make a correct seed phrase appear empty, so recovery instructions should be tested with small amounts before relying on a backup.
The wallet security guide covers backups, recovery checks, and storage choices. The first-wallet walkthrough puts those checks into a setup sequence.
Related terms
Mnemonic
→A human-readable word sequence used by many wallets to reproduce a seed and derive keys.
wallet · security
Private Key
→Secret cryptographic material used to produce signatures or other authorization proofs.
cryptography · security · wallet
Non-Custodial Wallet
→A wallet in which the user controls the signing keys or authorization needed to move funds.
wallet · custody