Crypto forums are full of ideas for disguising a seed phrase. Some are harmless, and some can lose you everything. This guide, part of our seed phrase backup guide, separates what works from folklore.
What actually works
- An unremarkable hiding place. Somewhere dry, not obvious and not labeled.
- Sealed, tamper-evident packaging, so that you can tell if someone has looked.
- Blending in. A plain sheet in a box of old paperwork, rather than a vault that shouts "valuable".
- Separating the phrase from the wallet, so that one find is not enough.
- Keeping quiet. The best protection is that nobody knows you hold crypto. See physical threats.
Folklore that fails
| Idea | Why it fails |
|---|---|
| Shuffling the word order | Known words can be reordered by computer |
| Swapping words with a rule | You, or your heirs, may forget the rule |
| Book cipher | A lost or changed edition ends your access |
| Adding fake words | Easy to confuse, and adds risk of error |
| Invisible ink | Fades, and heirs will not know about it |
| Tattoo | Visible, and impossible to change |
| Memorizing only | Memory fails, and it dies with you |
| Hiding it in a photo | Digital, so see why digital is risky |
The real danger: your own future self
Home-made schemes rarely fail because a thief cracks them. They fail because, ten years later, you cannot remember the trick, or your family finds a meaningless list of words. A method that only you understand can lock everyone out, including you.
A good test: could a trusted person follow your instructions without you there?
The "brain wallet" trap
Choosing a phrase that you can remember, such as a line from a book, is not hiding. People have lost funds this way, because attackers constantly scan for wallets made from known phrases. Always let a trusted wallet generate your words.
When you want more than hiding
Security through obscurity is a thin layer. If you want a found sheet to be useless, use a tool designed for that:
- A passphrase, stored separately.
- Multisig with keys in different places.
- A Shamir backup.
Keep it simple
The best hiding place is one that you can find again, your family can find with instructions, and a burglar will not check. See where to store a seed phrase.