How to back up your recovery phrase

Back up the 12-word recovery phrase of a THORWallet seed wallet, find it again later in Settings, and learn what you must never do with it.

Updated 3 min read
Short answer

On the Wallet screen tap Backup your wallet, write down the 12 words on paper and confirm them in the correct order. To see the phrase again, open Settings, then Security, then Recovery Phrase. Never share it and never store it online.

On this page

The recovery phrase is the master key of a seed wallet. THORWallet calls it recovery phrase, seed phrase or secret phrase in different places. All three names mean the same 12 words. Whoever has the words controls the funds, and only the words restore the wallet on a new device.

Before you start

  • Take pen and paper. Do not use a notes app, an email or a photo.
  • Be alone. No cameras, no screen sharing, nobody looking over your shoulder.
  • Plan where the paper will be stored: a place that is safe from theft, fire and water.

Back up a new wallet

  1. On the Wallet screen, tap Backup your wallet.
  2. THORWallet shows the 12 words. Write them down in order, with their numbers.
  3. Tick I wrote down my recovery phrase and I am aware of the risks of losing it. and tap Continue.
  4. Tap the words in the correct order to prove that your copy is right.
  5. Tap Backup Wallet.

The backup box disappears from the Wallet screen. The Address and Receive buttons now work.

Note

A wallet that you import with its recovery phrase counts as backed up, because you already hold the phrase.

View the phrase again

  1. Open Settings with the icon at the top of the Wallet screen.
  2. Under Security, tap Recovery Phrase.
  3. Tap View Secret Phrase and confirm when the app asks.
  4. Press and hold the word grid to reveal the words. They are hidden again when you let go.

Settings always shows the phrase of the wallet that is selected. If you have several wallets, switch to each one and check its backup.

What you must never do

  • Never share the phrase with anyone. Support will never ask for your recovery phrase.
  • Never type it into a website, a form, a chat or another app that asks for it.
  • Never store it in a screenshot, a photo, a cloud drive, an email or a notes app.
  • Never accept a recovery phrase from someone else. A wallet whose phrase another person knows is not yours.
Warning

If you lose the phone and the recovery phrase, the funds cannot be recovered. THORWallet has no copy and cannot reset it.

If something goes wrong

"Wrong seed phrase order"

The order you tapped does not match the phrase. Go back, compare your paper with the words on the screen and try again.

"Wallet not backed up" when you tap Receive

THORWallet blocks receiving until the backup is done. Tap Backup your wallet on the Wallet screen and finish the steps above.

A reminder says your wallet is not backed up

Tap Back up now. On an iPhone, an iCloud device backup does not include the recovery phrase, so the paper copy is the only backup.

Settings shows no Recovery Phrase entry

The selected wallet is a multi-device vault. A vault has no recovery phrase. You back it up with Vault Backup on every device. See Multi-device vaults.

Common questions

Where do I find my recovery phrase later?

Open Settings, then Security, then Recovery Phrase and tap View Secret Phrase. Confirm when the app asks, then press and hold to reveal the words.

Can THORWallet send me my recovery phrase?

No. THORWallet never has your recovery phrase. It exists only on your device and on the backup you made.

I lost my recovery phrase but the wallet is still in the app. What now?

Open Settings, Security, Recovery Phrase and write the words down again right away.

Is the PIN the same as the recovery phrase?

No. The PIN only unlocks the app on this device. The recovery phrase restores the wallet on any device.

Does my vault have a recovery phrase?

No. A multi-device vault has no recovery phrase. Each device has its own backup file.

Is a screenshot or a photo a good backup?

No. Photos and screenshots often sync to cloud services and can be read by other apps. Write the words on paper.

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