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Set up a Bitcoin wallet by choosing a wallet whose security model fits how you will use bitcoin, installing it only from the developer’s official source, creating the wallet, and recording its recovery phrase exactly as instructed. Before depositing meaningful funds, verify that the backup works. The recovery phrase is the master secret: anyone who obtains it can usually restore the wallet and control its bitcoin, while losing it can make self-custodied funds permanently inaccessible.
Keep the phrase offline, private and durable. Never photograph it, upload it to cloud storage, type it into an unsolicited website or support chat, or share it with anyone. Use a separate, secure location for a second physical backup when the wallet’s instructions support that arrangement.
What you are setting up
A Bitcoin wallet does not hold coins in a file in the same way a physical wallet holds cash. It manages private keys that authorize transactions recorded on the Bitcoin network. A self-custody wallet gives you control of those keys, so you also become responsible for protecting them and preserving the information needed to recover them.
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A recovery phrase—also called a seed phrase or mnemonic—is a sequence of words from which a wallet can be fully restored. The definition is explained by Bitcoin.org’s vocabulary guide. Possession of the phrase is effectively possession of the wallet’s signing authority: a person who gets it may restore the corresponding wallet on another device and spend its bitcoin. It is not a password that support staff can reset for you.
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Wallets implement backups differently. Many modern deterministic wallets derive numerous addresses from one phrase, but the exact derivation paths, optional passphrases, account structure and recovery checks vary. Follow the documentation for the wallet you actually selected rather than copying a procedure from another device.
Choose a wallet before creating funds
There is no universally safest wallet. The right choice depends on the amount, how often you spend, the device you trust and how much responsibility you want to take yourself. The Bitcoin.org wallet directory identifies the trade-offs among platforms and security features.
Self-custody or a custodian
| Model | Who controls the keys | What you must do | Main trade-off |
|---|---|---|---|
| Self-custody wallet | You control the private keys and recovery information. | Create, protect and test your own backup; authorize transactions yourself. | There is no central password-reset process. Loss or disclosure of recovery information can mean loss of funds. |
| Custodial service | A company controls the keys on your behalf. | Protect the account login and comply with the service’s policies and identity or withdrawal controls. | You depend on that organization’s security, availability and rules rather than holding the keys directly. |
This article focuses on setting up a self-custodied wallet. If a service is custodial, do not enter a seed phrase unless that service’s independently verified documentation explicitly says it uses one; its backup and recovery process is different.
Mobile wallets
A mobile wallet is convenient for regular, face-to-face or point-of-sale payments. It is also exposed to the security of the phone, its operating system, installed applications and backups. Keep only an amount you can afford to have in an internet-connected everyday wallet.
Desktop wallets
A desktop wallet can offer more screen space, fee controls and integration with a computer. Its security depends on the computer’s updates, account separation, malware defenses and the wallet software’s design. A computer used for gaming, unknown downloads or administrator work may not be an appropriate place for substantial savings.
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Hardware wallets
A hardware wallet keeps key operations in a dedicated device that is generally kept offline except when signing a transaction. This can reduce exposure for larger or longer-term holdings, but it does not remove the need for a backup. The device can be lost, damaged, reset or become unavailable. The BitBox02 directory entry, for example, describes device-specific microSD and BIP39 mnemonic backup options; those details apply to that model, not to every hardware wallet.
Comparison criteria that matter
- Control: whether you or a third party controls the signing keys.
- Validation: whether the wallet validates transactions itself or relies on remote servers.
- Transparency: whether source code, releases and reproducible builds are available for inspection.
- Security environment: the malware, theft and online exposure of the device that handles keys.
- Privacy and fees: address reuse controls, network-information leakage and the wallet’s fee-selection options.
- Backup method: a recovery phrase, a device-specific backup, an optional passphrase, or a combination.
- Use pattern: convenience for frequent spending versus isolation for savings.
Prepare safely before installation
- Decide the wallet’s job. Separate a small spending balance from savings you do not need to access every day. An offline arrangement is more appropriate for long-term savings than an always-connected phone or computer.
- Choose the official source. Start from the wallet developer’s documented website or the device manufacturer’s instructions. Check the spelling of the domain and avoid advertisements, unsolicited messages and links sent by strangers.
- Update the host device. Install operating-system and security updates, remove software you do not recognize and use a device protected by a screen lock. Do not create a wallet on a computer you suspect is infected.
- Prepare a private recording method. Have paper and a pen ready, or use the durable medium recommended by the wallet. Do not prepare a camera, notes app, email draft or cloud document for the phrase.
- Plan secure locations. Decide where the original and, if appropriate, a second physical backup will be protected from unauthorized access, fire, water and accidental disposal.
Set up the wallet: a wallet-neutral procedure
Labels and screens differ, so treat the following as the order of operations rather than as a substitute for the wallet’s own manual.
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- Set a device lock or wallet PIN. Choose a unique PIN or password that is not reused elsewhere. A device PIN protects access to that device; it does not replace the recovery phrase and normally cannot restore a wallet by itself.
- Generate the recovery phrase on the wallet. Let the wallet create the phrase. Never accept a phrase sent by another person, generated by a website, or supplied in a support conversation.
- Write every word in order. Copy the words exactly, including spelling and sequence. Record the wallet’s word count and any account or passphrase information it tells you to preserve. Keep the recording out of view of cameras and other people.
- Complete the wallet’s backup check. Many wallets ask you to select or re-enter words to prove that you recorded them. Take this check seriously; a phrase that was written incorrectly will not restore the intended wallet.
- Record wallet-specific recovery details. Follow the manual for optional passphrases, multiple accounts, derivation settings, encrypted exports, microSD backups or multisignature arrangements. A phrase without a separately configured passphrase may restore a different wallet than you expect, while forgetting the passphrase can make the protected funds inaccessible.
- Finish the security settings. Enable automatic updates where appropriate, review privacy settings and set a spending limit that matches the wallet’s purpose. Do not enable a feature you do not understand merely to complete setup.
- Receive a small test amount. Copy a newly generated receiving address using the wallet’s normal function, verify the address on the trusted display when the wallet provides one, and send a small amount first. Wait for the wallet to show the transaction before moving a larger balance.
- Make the planned physical backup. Store the phrase and any required companion information in the locations you selected. Only after the backup exists should the wallet hold an amount whose loss would seriously affect you.
How to back up a recovery phrase
Use offline, physical records
Bitcoin.org’s wallet-security guidance recommends secure backup locations, more than one physical location and durable storage media. Paper is easy to make but can burn, tear or become illegible. A purpose-built metal backup plate can resist some fire and water damage, but it is optional and still has to be hidden from people who should not access the wallet. No physical material protects a phrase that is left in an unlocked drawer or photographed.
Write the phrase by hand or use the exact backup process specified by the wallet. Keep the words in their original order and preserve capitalization or separators if the wallet’s format requires them. If the wallet uses an additional passphrase, record instructions for locating that passphrase separately from the seed words; storing both together defeats some of the benefit of separation.
Use more than one location without creating more copies than you can control
A single location creates one point of failure. A second copy in a separate, access-controlled place can protect against fire, flood or theft at the first location. Each additional copy also increases the number of opportunities for disclosure, so make only the copies you can inventory and periodically inspect. Tell a trusted succession plan, if you have one, how to locate the backup without revealing the words to people who do not need them.
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What not to do
- Do not photograph or scan the phrase.
- Do not save it in cloud storage, email, a password manager unless the wallet’s threat model explicitly supports that choice, or an unencrypted notes application.
- Do not print it on a network printer or leave it in a browser download folder.
- Do not send it to a friend, merchant, exchange, developer or support agent.
- Do not type it into a website or app reached through an unsolicited link.
The Bitcoin.org FAQ states plainly that a recovery phrase should never be stored as a photo or in a cloud service and should never be shared.
Verify that recovery really works
A backup is useful only if it recreates the same wallet. Verification should be performed using the wallet’s documented recovery test, preferably before adding substantial funds. Some wallets provide a built-in check; others require initializing a spare device or using a separate, trusted installation.
- Read the wallet’s official recovery instructions while the original wallet is still available.
- Confirm whether the procedure needs the phrase alone or also an optional passphrase, PIN, account number, derivation path or device-specific file.
- Use a controlled test environment. If the wallet offers a built-in verification screen, use it. If you must restore, avoid exposing the phrase to an internet-connected computer unless the wallet’s legitimate recovery process requires that step.
- Restore and confirm that the expected accounts and receiving addresses appear. Compare a newly generated address with the original wallet’s address history.
- After verification, wipe temporary devices or files according to the wallet’s instructions and return the physical backup to secure storage.
Do not assume that a phrase from one wallet can be imported into another and show the same balance automatically. Wallets can use different address types, derivation paths and passphrase conventions. If an expected balance is missing after recovery, stop transferring funds and consult the selected wallet’s official documentation before changing settings.
Protect an everyday wallet and an offline savings wallet differently
For a phone or desktop wallet used for routine payments, limit the balance to an amount appropriate for that risk. Keep the operating system and wallet updated, use a screen lock, review transaction details before approving and avoid installing untrusted software on the same device.
For savings, consider a hardware wallet or another offline arrangement designed for infrequent access. Store the device and its recovery backup separately, and document the recovery process for your future self. Offline storage reduces online exposure; it does not make the phrase safe to disclose or eliminate the possibility of theft, coercion, damage or operator error.
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When sending bitcoin, check the destination address and amount on the wallet’s trusted display. Network transactions are generally irreversible after confirmation, so a copied or substituted address can turn a typing or malware mistake into a permanent loss.
Recognize recovery-phrase scams
Any request for your recovery phrase should be treated as suspicious. The Bitcoin.org FAQ says that no legitimate person, business or support team will ask for the phrase or demand bitcoin to “unlock” funds.
- A message claiming that your wallet is frozen and needs the phrase is a scam signal.
- A fake support account asking you to “validate” words is trying to take control of the wallet.
- A website promising an airdrop, refund or faster transaction that asks for the phrase is unsafe.
- A person who says they can recover lost funds after you provide the phrase is not a recovery service you should trust.
Legitimate recovery is initiated by you through the wallet’s independently verified application or device instructions. If a support agent asks for words, close the conversation and contact the provider through the address published in its official documentation without forwarding the phrase.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What to do if the phrase may have been exposed
Assume the wallet is compromised if anyone may have seen, photographed, copied or entered the phrase. Do not wait for an unauthorized transaction to appear.
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- Record and verify the new phrase offline before proceeding.
- Move the bitcoin from the potentially exposed wallet to an address controlled by the new wallet. Check addresses and amounts carefully, and account for network fees.
- Stop using the exposed wallet for receiving funds. Treat its old phrase as permanently unsafe.
- Investigate how the disclosure happened—malware, a fake support page, a visible paper backup or a shared device—and remove that cause before continuing.
If a transaction has already moved funds, contact the relevant wallet or exchange support only through its official channel and provide transaction identifiers, never the recovery phrase. Bitcoin transactions cannot normally be reversed by a support request.
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If the device is lost, damaged or reset
A lost device does not automatically mean lost bitcoin when the recovery information is intact. Obtain the same wallet or a compatible wallet through its official source, choose its restore or import option, and enter the phrase only in that verified recovery flow. Apply any required passphrase, account selection or derivation setting exactly as documented.
If the device is recovered after you have restored elsewhere, change the device PIN and review whether anyone could have accessed it. If the phrase was exposed, follow the migration procedure above rather than continuing to use the old wallet.
If the phrase and every required recovery detail are gone, a self-custodied wallet may be permanently inaccessible. There is no central authority that can recreate a missing private key. This responsibility is a central warning in Bitcoin.org’s “Some things you need to know” guidance.
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- Inspect backups periodically: confirm that words remain legible and that the storage location is still private, dry and secure.
- Track wallet changes: document a new device, optional passphrase, additional account or multisignature participant when the wallet supports those features.
- Update deliberately: install wallet and operating-system updates from official channels, and read release notes when a backup or migration is involved.
- Review balances: keep everyday spending funds separate from savings and remove funds from a wallet whose security environment you no longer trust.
- Plan succession: make sure the person who should receive access knows where the instructions are, while keeping the actual phrase protected from unauthorized access.
A practical decision checklist
Before funding the wallet, you should be able to answer all of these questions without guessing:
- Is this self-custody or custody by a service?
- Which official application, device or documentation did I use?
- Where is the recovery phrase recorded, and who could physically reach it?
- Does recovery require an additional passphrase, file, account or derivation setting?
- Have I completed the wallet’s backup check or a controlled restore?
- Is the balance appropriate for an internet-connected device?
- What is my procedure if the device is lost or the phrase is exposed?
- Can I identify a scam request before responding to it?
Bottom line
Choose a wallet by matching its control model, platform, validation, transparency, security environment, privacy, fees and backup method to your use. Create it only through the official setup flow, write and verify the recovery phrase offline, keep backups in secure physical locations, and limit an online wallet to an appropriate spending balance. The phrase is the key to self-custodied bitcoin: protect it as a secret, and assume that disclosure or loss has immediate, potentially irreversible consequences.
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