Seed phrase (recovery phrase)

A seed phrase is a list of usually 12 or 24 ordinary words, generated by your wallet, that encodes the master secret from which all your wallet's private keys are derived. Most wallets follow the BIP-39 standard, which uses a fixed list of 2,048 English words.

If your phone breaks or your hardware wallet is lost, entering the seed phrase into a compatible wallet restores access to all your funds. That also means anyone who sees the phrase can steal everything.

Write it down on paper or stamp it in metal and store it offline somewhere safe. Never type it into a website, share it in a chat, store it in a photo or cloud note, or give it to "support staff". No legitimate wallet, exchange or helpdesk will ever ask for it; a request for your seed phrase is a scam.