A seed phrase encodes the entropy from which a wallet derives all of its keys and addresses. Enter it into any compatible wallet software and you reconstruct the same accounts, on any device, anywhere.
Because it restores everything, a seed phrase should never be typed into a website, sent in a message, photographed into cloud storage or given to anyone offering help. A very large share of the losses we see began with a seed phrase entered into a convincing-looking page.
Related terms
Private key
The secret value that authorises spending from an address. Anyone holding it controls the funds, permanently and irreversibly.
Wallet drainer
A malicious contract or site designed to obtain signatures that let it withdraw a victim's tokens.
Cold wallet
A wallet whose keys never touch an internet-connected device; signing happens on the device itself.
More in Wallets
Guides that use this term
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