Main Takeaway: Backing up a hardware wallet means protecting your recovery phrase, the 12 to 24 words that can rebuild the wallet on any compatible device. There are four common methods: paper, steel, distributed copies across locations, and backup cards or multi-device redundancy. Each has trade-offs in durability, cost, and complexity. Match the method (or combination) to how much you are protecting and how long you intend to hold.
Quick reference
| Term | What it means |
|---|---|
| Recovery phrase | The 12, 18, or 24 BIP39 words that can restore your wallet on any compatible device |
| Backup | A durable, retrievable copy of the recovery phrase, stored offline |
| Single point of failure | One location where a fire, flood, or theft could take both the device and the only backup |
| Steel backup | A stainless-steel plate that stores the phrase by stamping or engraving, which survives fire and water |
| Backup card | A spare NFC card derived from the same recovery phrase, each with its own PIN |
| Shamir backup | An advanced split of the recovery phrase into shares (SLIP-39), supported by some wallets |
In self-custody, the hardware wallet matters less than the backup of your recovery phrase. The device can be replaced in a day. A recovery phrase, once lost without a backup, usually cannot be recovered at all. That is why the method you choose for backing it up matters more than the wallet itself, and why it needs to be in place before something goes wrong.
This guide walks through the four common ways to back up a hardware wallet's recovery phrase, what each is good for, and how to choose the one (or the combination) that fits how you actually live.
What does it mean to back up a hardware wallet?
Backing up a hardware wallet means making a durable, retrievable copy of the recovery phrase generated during setup. The phrase consists of 12 to 24 words that can rebuild the wallet on any BIP39-compatible device.
The phrase is the backup. The hardware wallet stores the keys, but the keys can be regenerated from the phrase. So when people talk about "backing up a hardware wallet," what they really mean is making sure those words are written down somewhere durable, retrievable by the right person, and stored away from places an attacker can reach.
The question, in practice, is where you store the phrase and how durable that storage is.
The four methods at a glance
| Method | Durability | Cost | Complexity | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Paper | Low; vulnerable to fire, water, fading | Free | Lowest | Day-one backup while you set up something durable |
| 2. Steel / metal | High; survives fire and water | One-time purchase | Low | Anyone holding meaningful crypto for the long term |
| 3. Distributed copies | Highest by location resilience | Cost of multiple copies | Medium | Significant holdings, inheritance, geographic redundancy |
| 4. Backup cards / multi-device | High and immediately usable | Card or device cost | Medium | Households, inheritance, anyone wanting a ready-to-use spare |
Why the backup matters more than the device
People often spend a lot of attention on choosing a hardware wallet and very little on backing up its recovery phrase, which gets the proportion backwards.
The device can be lost, broken, stolen, or replaced. None of that touches your crypto, because your crypto is on the blockchain. What gets you back in is the recovery phrase. The real protection, then, is the durability of the phrase, the number of copies you keep, and where you keep them.
This is the principle behind every method below. They differ in durability, redundancy, and convenience, but they all do the same job, which is making sure your recovery phrase is still there when you need it.
Method 1: Paper backup
How it works: during setup, you handwrite the recovery phrase on paper, usually on the card included with the device. You don't type it on a phone or computer. You don't photograph it. The paper goes somewhere safe and dry.
Pros
- Free and immediate, so you can do it the moment you set up the wallet
- Universally available, with no special hardware required
- No digital footprint, so there is nothing to leak, hack, or sync
Cons
- Paper burns and absorbs water
- Ink can fade over years
- A single sheet in a single drawer is a single point of failure
- Easy to accidentally throw away
Best for: a day-one backup while you put something more durable in place. Paper is not the long-term solution if the holdings matter.
Method 2: Steel or metal backup
How it works: you stamp or engrave the recovery phrase onto a stainless-steel plate (or a set of plates). The plate goes in a secure, dry place. The ELLIPAL Seed Phrase Steel follows BIP39 and supports 12, 15, 18, 21, or 24-word phrases, and is compatible with most hardware and software wallets, not only ELLIPAL.
Pros
- Survives fire, water, and most household disasters that destroy paper
- Doesn't fade over time
- One-time purchase that lasts decades
- Compact and easy to hide
Cons
- Takes 15 to 30 minutes to stamp the first time
- Still a single physical object; if it is stolen, the phrase is exposed
- Needs to be stored away from the device, not next to it
Best for: anyone holding meaningful crypto long-term. Steel is the natural upgrade from paper, and the default choice for serious holders.
Method 3: Distributed copies across locations
How it works: you make two or three durable copies of the recovery phrase and store them in physically separated locations, for example a home safe, a bank safe deposit box, or a trusted relative's home. If one is destroyed or inaccessible, another remains.
For an advanced version, some wallets support Shamir's Secret Sharing (SLIP-39), a method that splits the recovery phrase into multiple shares where any N of M shares can reconstruct it. By mathematical design, no single share reveals information about the phrase. Not every wallet implements SLIP-39, so check before relying on it.
Pros
- Removes the single-location point of failure
- Survives a house fire or flood without taking the phrase with it
- Pairs naturally with inheritance planning
- Shamir variant adds mathematical resilience against a single share being exposed
Cons
- More copies means more places to secure
- Requires periodic verification that each copy is still intact
- Shamir adds operational complexity and depends on wallet support
Best for: significant long-term holdings, geographic redundancy, and households where one person's loss shouldn't lock everyone else out.
Method 4: Backup cards or multi-device redundancy
How it works: instead of relying only on a written phrase, you create one or more additional hardware devices derived from the same recovery phrase. The ELLIPAL X Card, for example, supports generating backup cards from the same seed via the offline X Card Starter. Each card has its own PIN. You can also restore the recovery phrase onto a second hardware wallet you keep in a separate location.
Pros
- Ready-to-use redundancy, with no manual restore step needed
- Each card has its own PIN, so a spare card alone is not enough for a finder
- Pairs cleanly with inheritance, since you can hand one card and its PIN to an heir
- Functional backup, not just a piece of paper or metal
Cons
- Card or device cost
- You still need a durable record of the recovery phrase itself, since the cards are derived from it rather than a replacement for it
- Each PIN needs to be secured separately
Best for: households, inheritance plans, and anyone who wants a usable spare on hand rather than a phrase they hope to re-import correctly under stress.
Which method (or combination) fits you?
- Just getting started, small amount. Paper for day one. Plan to upgrade to steel within the month.
- Holding for the long term. Steel backup as the default. One copy at home, secure and dry.
- Significant holdings or planning inheritance. Steel together with distributed copies. Pair this with a clear plan for who finds the backup when.
- Want a ready-to-use spare. A backup card alongside the steel backup. The card handles day-of access; the steel handles long-term recovery.
- Sharing access with a partner. One steel copy each, in separate locations, plus a conversation about where each is kept.
FAQ
Should I write my recovery phrase on paper?
Yes, at least at first. Paper is fine for day one, and for small amounts you accept losing. For anything more, move to a steel backup. Paper is too fragile to be the only copy of something that controls real money.
Can I store my recovery phrase in a password manager?
No. A password manager is internet-connected software running on an internet-connected device. Storing the phrase there moves it onto the very surface a hardware wallet exists to avoid. Keep the phrase offline.
Can I take a photo of my recovery phrase?
No. Phone photos sync to the cloud, get backed up by the operating system, and live in apps designed to find what is in your images. A photo is the fastest way to turn an offline backup into an online one. Do not photograph the phrase.
Is a bank safe deposit box a good place to store my recovery phrase?
It can be, as part of a distributed setup. As a sole location, it depends on the bank, jurisdiction, and access process. A common approach is one copy at home (steel, in a safe), one copy in a bank deposit box, and one with a trusted relative.
How many copies of my recovery phrase should I have?
Two or three durable copies in separated locations is the common standard for meaningful holdings. More than three usually creates more exposure than resilience.
Should I split my recovery phrase across locations?
Splitting the words yourself by writing half here and half there is fragile and not recommended. Partial phrases can leak more than people realize. If you want true splitting, use a wallet that supports Shamir's Secret Sharing (SLIP-39), which does it correctly by design.
Should I encrypt my recovery phrase or add a passphrase?
An optional 25th-word passphrase (sometimes called a "hidden wallet" or BIP39 passphrase) adds a layer on top of the phrase. It also adds a single point of failure: forget the passphrase, and even the phrase won't restore the funds. It is an advanced option, so treat it carefully.
Should anyone else know where my backup is?
For inheritance, yes. At least one trusted person should know that the backup exists and how to find it, even if they don't see what it says. This is covered in how to plan crypto inheritance.
What if my steel backup is stolen?
The thief has the phrase, so move funds to a freshly generated wallet (with a new phrase) before they do. This is why combining a steel backup with a separate PIN-protected device, or with a Shamir or distributed setup, adds resilience against single-object theft.
The backup layer
- Standard: BIP39/44, so your phrase works on any compatible wallet from any brand
- Steel backup: ELLIPAL Seed Phrase Steel supports 12 to 24 word phrases, compatible with most hardware and software wallets
- Backup cards: X Card backup cards, each PIN-protected, generated offline via the X Card Starter
- Track record: on the market since 2018, with more than 1 million users in more than 140 countries
Backing up a hardware wallet is the step that decides whether self-custody works for you over the long run. The method you choose should match how much you hold and how long you intend to hold it.
Own it. Then use it.
Back it up properly
- Choose a durable backup: ELLIPAL Seed Phrase Steel
- Add a ready-to-use spare: the X Card and its backup cards
- Plan ahead: How to plan crypto inheritance
- If you ever lose the device: What happens if you lose your hardware wallet
Security note: No self-custody setup removes every risk. Your recovery phrase is the master key, so store it on a durable offline backup kept separate from the device, do not photograph or digitally enter it, and do not share it. If you also add a passphrase (25th word), keep it where you can reliably retrieve it; a forgotten passphrase can make funds unrecoverable. This article is general educational information about wallet architecture. It is not financial, investment, custodial, or legal advice.