Seed phrase
A seed phrase, also called a recovery phrase, is a list of words a wallet gives you that can restore your account on any compatible wallet. Anyone who has it controls your funds, so it must stay private and offline.
What it is
Ethereum.org describes the seed phrase as the only way you will be able to recover your wallet, and says your account is a pair of keys, with the secret one used to sign transactions. In practice the phrase generates those keys, so having the words is equivalent to having the account.
How to store it
Ethereum.org advises writing the phrase down and keeping it somewhere safe, and not storing it on a computer. That rules out screenshots, cloud notes, email drafts and password-manager entries you cannot fully trust. Paper or metal backup in a secure place is the usual approach, with a second copy kept separately.
A legitimate wallet, exchange or support agent will never ask you to type your phrase into a website or send it in chat. Requests like that are a common scam pattern, and the SEC's investor alerts on crypto scams warn about fraudsters who impersonate legitimate services.
When something goes wrong
If you suspect your phrase was exposed, move funds to a new wallet created with a new phrase. Do not reuse the old one. Remember that a custodial exchange is different: there you hold a username and password, and the company holds the keys. Ethereum.org notes that with an exchange you are trusting it with custody.
Common mistakes
The classic mistakes are photographing the phrase, pasting it into a note or email, and entering it into a site that promises to fix a problem. Each of these exposes the phrase to anyone who can reach that device, account or website.
Another mistake is writing it down incorrectly. Check the word order and spelling against the wallet's own prompt, and test recovery with a small balance before moving serious funds. Never give the phrase to anyone offering help, including people who claim to represent a wallet team.
Where this shows up
- Rabby — EVM users who want pre-signing transaction simulation and approval controls, with low-fee in-wallet swaps across many chains.
- MetaMask — Users who want one self-custodial wallet across EVM chains, Solana and Bitcoin, with built-in swaps, bridging and (outside the US/UK) perps.
- Phantom — Solana-first users who want one self-custodial app for swaps, cross-chain swaps, Hyperliquid perps and predictions.
- Solflare — Solana-only users who want staking, swaps and Solana-native perps in one self-custodial wallet.
- Trust Wallet — Mobile-first users who hold assets across many chains (100+) and want in-app swaps, staking and perps in one self-custodial wallet.
Sources
Last checked . Fees and terms change often; the venue's own page wins if it disagrees with ours.
- Ethereum wallets (ethereum.org) — checked 2026-10-17
- Digital Asset and Crypto Investment Scams (SEC investor alert) — checked 2026-10-17