How to back up and recover a Bitcoin wallet
Protect recovery words, understand backup formats and passphrases, and check recovery without risking a funded wallet.
The quick answer
A wallet backup can restore control of your keys if a device is lost. Anyone who obtains a complete usable backup may also be able to spend the funds.
A backup is different from an app password
Many wallets use BIP39 recovery words, often 12 or 24. Other lengths and formats exist, including SLIP39 shares. A PIN unlocks a device; an optional wallet passphrase can select a different wallet. They are not interchangeable. Lightning recovery may require channel backups as well as recovery words.
Step by step
- 1
Record the exact format
Follow your wallet’s official setup. Copy the words and order exactly, and record whether a separate passphrase is required. Never invent words or translate a recovery phrase.
- 2
Protect it offline
Keep the backup away from cameras, cloud storage, email and chat. Protect it against theft, fire and water. Plan access for yourself or a trusted heir without making it public.
- 3
Check before relying on it
Use the wallet’s official backup-check feature. For a practice restore, use a separate wallet with a tiny amount. Do not wipe your only funded device as an experiment.
Worked example
The same recovery words with a different BIP39 passphrase derive a different wallet. An apparently empty restored wallet can therefore be a passphrase mismatch, not proof that the coins disappeared.
Before you continue
A related question
Can support reset a lost self-custodial backup?
No central reset can recreate missing keys. If access still works but the backup is lost or exposed, follow the wallet’s official process to move to a securely backed-up wallet.
Try it with a tool
Sources & further reading
Source links checked on 15 Oct 2026. Examples explain the mechanics; provider fees and features can change.
- Trezor trezor.io
- Trezor trezor.io
- BIP 39 github.com
- Lightning Labs docs.lightning.engineering
