Your Words = Your Wallet
“Write your 12/24 words on paper. Store them somewhere safe. Never type them into a computer, website, or phone. Anyone with these words controls your funds.”
— card 2 of 3, shown before setup
Every key and address is derived from these words. With them, anyone can rebuild your wallet on any compatible device, with no PIN and no KeepKey. If you lose them, a broken or lost device means lost funds. Your Recovery Phrase explains why.
The words appear only on the device screen. Write them on paper (or stamp them in metal), numbered and in order: the same words in a different order make a different wallet. Storage do’s and don’ts: Recovery Phrase.
Only the device ever asks for them
You enter your words in one place only: on the KeepKey itself during recovery, using scrambled recovery entry. Anything else that asks for them is a theft attempt, whether it’s a “support” chat, a “wallet validation” page, an airdrop claim, a DM, a popup or a lookalike app.
A passphrase, if you add one later, is not part of these words and is not backed up by them.
Related
- Verify Your Recovery Phrase: test your backup
- Scrambled Recovery Entry: the next card