Updated
A useful seed phrase backup must be accurate, readable and available to you when needed. It also needs protection from people who should not have access. Work through those requirements before deciding where to hide a card.
1. Confirm what you are backing up
Check the recovery format in your wallet’s official instructions. Record the words generated by the wallet; do not choose a new phrase yourself. If the wallet uses an additional passphrase or a recovery scheme with multiple shares, understand what else is required before relying on one physical copy.
Keep the wallet’s instructions available without putting the recovery words into those notes. Our seed phrase guide explains the difference between a wallet, its recovery information and a physical backup.
2. Prepare a private workspace
For a physical backup, keep the recording process offline. Avoid photos, screenshots, email drafts and cloud notes containing your words. Also check what a nearby camera could see. Trezor’s backup storage guidance explains the risks of digital copies and physical exposure.
Use good lighting, a stable work surface and enough uninterrupted time. If you need to pause, put both the source copy and the unfinished backup away securely.
3. Record the words in order
Number the entries and compare them with the wallet’s backup as you work. Do not rearrange the words or translate them. For Crypto Seed Bank®, first check that your recovery format fits the card’s layout.
- Watch the Crypto Seed Bank® engraving instructions.
- Place one steel card over the other and align the letter stencil with the row you want to engrave.
- Trace each letter with the included tungsten tipped pen. Work carefully through each word.
- Check the completed card before swapping the cards to create the second copy.
The pen has a sharp tip. Keep the kit away from children and use it on a stable surface. Allow about 30 minutes per card as a starting point; take longer if needed.
4. Verify without exposing the phrase
Compare the spelling, order and legibility of both copies. Where your wallet provides an official backup-check feature, follow the manufacturer’s instructions for that exact model. Do not reset your only working wallet just to test whether the backup works.
Do not paste the words into an online “seed checker,” support form or chat. Ledger’s hardware wallet security guidance stresses keeping recovery information private and avoiding online copies. Robins and Coleman® will never ask for your recovery phrase.
5. Choose storage locations deliberately
Consider who can access each location, whether it could be cleared out by mistake, and whether the same fire or flood could affect both copies. More copies also mean more places to protect. Select a manageable arrangement, rather than making copies without a plan.
The kit’s tamper evident seals show a VOID mark when peeled away. They are single use and can reveal opening; they are not a lock or encryption. The wire keychain holds the cards together, but keeping both together does not give you two separate storage locations.
6. Review the plan when circumstances change
Revisit your storage arrangements after a move, a change in household access or damage to a storage location. Check that you can still locate and read the backup without photographing it. Keep any instructions about finding it private as well.
Still choosing a backup medium? Read our paper versus metal comparison. Crypto Seed Bank® can make the written record more durable, but accuracy, privacy and secure storage remain part of the job.