Seed Phrase Storage: Paper, Metal and Backup Locations

How should you choose seed phrase storage?

Write down the failures you want to prevent before shopping: a home fire, a stolen device, a misplaced record, a copying error or being unable to access a location. A durable object addresses only part of that plan.

Blockstream’s backup guidance discusses physical damage and the risks of relying on memory. Our seed phrase overview explains what the words recover. Here, we focus on how you keep a usable record.

We recommend using the wallet maker’s approved offline backup procedure and checking the result through its documented process. Avoid typing your words into a web checker, taking photographs or sending them to someone offering to verify the backup.

Paper versus metal seed phrase storage

A steel plate with readable words still exposes those words to someone who can inspect it. A locked location controls physical access; durable material controls some damage risks. Evaluate both. Manufacturer claims about heat or corrosion need their specific test conditions and limits.

A backup-location worksheet you can use offline

Complete this on paper without recording the actual words in the worksheet. Use private labels for locations. Keep even this planning record controlled because it can reveal where valuable information is stored.

For example, a device and plate kept in the same home safe share a location risk. Putting a backup elsewhere may reduce that risk while adding retrieval and access dependencies. Work through both sides before choosing.

How to check a metal backup before trusting it

1. Identify the format. Confirm BIP39, SLIP39 or the wallet’s other documented format, language and word count.
2. Match the product. Verify that its layout supports that exact backup. A capsule sold for one format may be unsuitable for another.
3. Check order and spelling. Follow the product’s marking instructions before making permanent marks.
4. Use the official backup check. Verify from the completed record under the manufacturer’s documented procedure. Keep an existing working device and backup intact while resolving uncertainty.
5. Check the complete recovery requirement. A separate passphrase, threshold shares or wallet configuration may also be required.

Our Trezor Keep Metal 24-word guide gives a product-specific compatibility checklist. Our BIP39 passphrase guide explains why the words alone may open a different wallet.

Should you make copies or split the words?

An extra complete copy can help after a loss, while creating another place from which the secret can be stolen. Decide who controls each copy and how you will keep its condition and access plan current. Copy count alone is a poor measure of protection.

Cutting a word list into pieces is different from a documented threshold backup. Losing one required piece can prevent recovery, and partial disclosure can reduce secrecy. If you need a multi-share design, use a supported standard and understand its threshold, compatibility and recovery procedure before relying on it.

Trezor’s backup-format guide explains its BIP39 and SLIP39 options. Multisignature wallets have additional configuration requirements; see our recovery overview before assuming a set of words contains every required detail.

When should you review the storage plan?

Review it after moving, a household change, a damaged container, a change in authorized access or a wallet change. Verify that the record is readable and the retrieval arrangements still work. Use the manufacturer’s supported checking procedure rather than exposing the words to a new app.

If someone may have copied the secret, a new hiding place does not erase their copy. Follow the wallet manufacturer’s compromise instructions from a secure device. For a disclosed backup, restoring the same words on a new device can preserve the same exposure.

Keep a short private record of the review date and any action needed. You can document that a check passed without including the recovery words, passphrase or account balance in that record.