Corrected on 3 November 2026. An earlier version of this page had three mistakes. They are fixed below:
- It said a watch-only wallet could verify your backup. It can’t. Its addresses come from your device, which already holds your seed, so a wrong word on your paper would still “pass”.
- It suggested typing your words into Electrum on an offline computer. We no longer recommend typing your words into any computer or phone.
- It left out the backup check that several hardware wallets have built in. That check is now Method 1.
Every fix we make is listed in our corrections log.
You wrote your seed phrase down. If your hardware wallet broke tomorrow, would those words bring your bitcoin back? You only know once you have tested them.
Most backups are fine. A test is free, and it catches the few that are not: a word copied wrong, two words swapped, a passphrase that was never written down. This guide shows two safe ways to test, how to test a passphrase, and what to do if something looks wrong.
The one rule: test the paper, not the device
Your hardware wallet keeps its own copy of your seed. So anything the device shows you (an address, a balance, an extended public key) proves the device is fine. It says nothing about the words on your paper.
An example. Your seed contains the word “access”, but your paper says “across”. Your device still shows the right address, because it reads its own copy. Now type the words from the paper into a device: it either rejects them or opens a different, empty wallet. That is the mistake you want to find today, not on the day you need the backup.
So a real test always starts from the paper. Both methods below do that, and neither puts your words on a computer.
Method 1: your device’s built-in backup check
Several hardware wallets have a mode that tests your backup without changing anything. You type the words from your paper on the device. The device compares them with the seed it holds and tells you whether they match. Nothing is erased, so a typo costs you nothing.
- Trezor: Check backup. In Trezor Suite, open Device settings, go to Wallet backup and choose Check backup. On the Safe 3, Safe 5 and Safe 7 you then type each word on the Trezor itself. Trezor recommends running it before you wipe the device and before every firmware update, and it also works with a Multi-share Backup (Trezor Safe 3 guide, Safe 5 guide, Safe 7 guide).
- Ledger: the Recovery Check app. You install it on the device and type your words on the device. Ledger notes that it cannot check a passphrase (Ledger: Recovery Check).
- Coldcard (Mk4 and later): Verify Master Seed. You enter the words from your paper as a temporary seed (Advanced/Tools, then Temporary Seed, then Import Words). If they are right, the device refuses them, because they are already its main seed: the screen is titled FAILED, but the message says it cannot use the master seed as temporary and, on firmware from February 2025 on, that you have just successfully tested recovery of your master seed. Only that message is a pass. If the device won’t let you enter one of your words, or says you have a mistake in your words, a word is wrong. If it accepts them, your paper opens a different wallet: choose Restore Master, at the bottom of the main menu, to go back to your own. Nothing is erased (Coldcard: Temporary Seed). Don’t confuse it with “Verify Backup”, which only checks the encrypted backup file a Coldcard saves to a microSD card, not your written words (Coldcard: Encrypted Backups).
- Another brand: look in the manufacturer’s official manual for a check that has you type the words from your paper on the device (often called “check backup” or “dry run”). Watch out for similar names that check something else. If your device has no such mode, use Method 2.
- The words go in on the device. If a check asks you to type them on a computer or phone screen instead, stop and use Method 2 with a device that takes the words on its own screen.
It passed? Your paper matches your seed. If you use a passphrase, test it as well (see below), because this check covers the words only.
It failed? Don’t wipe anything. Your device still holds the seed. Run the check again, slowly, one word at a time. If it still fails, go to “If you find a mistake” below.
Method 2: restore from the paper on a second device
This is the full rehearsal. You rebuild the wallet from the paper alone, exactly as you would after losing your device.
Before you start
- In the wallet app you already use, write down your wallet’s first receiving address. If your device or app shows a master fingerprint (eight letters and digits; Coldcard calls it the XFP), write that down too. Neither lets anyone spend your coins. Keep them private anyway: an address shows your balance to whoever has it.
- Use a second hardware wallet that accepts your kind of backup. Most can restore a 12- or 24-word BIP-39 seed. A Trezor 20-word backup (SLIP-39) needs a device that supports SLIP-39, such as another Trezor Safe (Trezor: Single-share Backup).
- Use your only device for this test only if Method 1 has already passed and any passphrase is tested, or if no wallet on it holds bitcoin yet, passphrase wallets included. That is why the best moment to test is before you fund a new wallet. Wiping your only device to try an untested paper can lock you out if the paper is wrong. A wipe also erases anything kept only on the device, such as a passphrase attached to a Ledger PIN or the seeds in a Coldcard’s Seed Vault, so back those up first.
Step by step
- Start the second device in restore mode. Hardware wallets that support BIP-39 offer “recover” or “restore” during setup.
- Type the words from your paper, on the device. Read them from the paper only, not from memory and not from your first device. Many devices, Trezor among them, suggest a word after the first few letters. If the suggestion doesn’t match what is written, you have found a copying error.
- Add your passphrase if you use one, exactly as it appears on its own backup.
- Compare. Look at the restored wallet’s first receiving address, using the same address type as before (addresses that start with bc1q, bc1p, 3 or 1 are different types). It must match the one you wrote down. So must the master fingerprint, if you noted it. If they match, your paper works.
- Wipe the second device. A spare device loaded with your seed is one more thing a thief could take.
How to test a passphrase
A passphrase can’t be checked against a stored copy. Trezor says its devices and Trezor Suite keep no copy of it, and Ledger’s Recovery Check can’t test it. Every passphrase opens a valid wallet, even a mistyped one; the wrong one is simply empty. So you test it by recognising the wallet it opens:
- When you create the passphrase wallet, write down its first receiving address or its master fingerprint. Coldcard’s documentation says comparing the fingerprint is the only way to know the passphrase is right.
- Turn the device off and on again. Type the passphrase from its written backup, not from memory.
- Check that the address or fingerprint matches. Only then move real money into that wallet.
If you forget your passphrase, nobody can recover the funds behind it: not you, not the manufacturer, not us.
For multisig users
If you use a multisig setup, test each key on its own with Method 1 or Method 2. Then check that your wallet configuration file (the output descriptor) rebuilds the multisig wallet: import it into your coordinator, such as Sparrow, and confirm the addresses match. Without that file, rebuilding a multisig wallet from the seeds alone means knowing the exact derivation paths, xpubs and quorum.
What a watch-only wallet can and can’t tell you
A watch-only wallet uses your extended public key (xpub) to show your addresses and balance without being able to spend. It is a good way to confirm that your software is watching the right wallet. It is not a backup test: the xpub comes from your device, so it is correct even when your paper is wrong.
Never type your words into a phone or computer
Not to test them, not to “check” them in a tool, not even on a computer you have taken offline. A computer can keep what you type in places you never see, and some malware waits for exactly this. A hardware wallet has its own screen and buttons so your words never pass through a computer. Ledger gives the same advice for passphrases: never enter one on a computer, smartphone or other internet-connected device (Ledger Academy).
Never type them into a website, either, and never give them to anyone who says they are “support”. No real company asks for them. The wallet company Blink put the rule simply in August 2026: “never type your backup phrase into a website” (Blink, 12 Aug 2026).
If your restored wallet looks empty
Don’t assume the bitcoin is gone. An empty wallet after a restore usually means the device opened a different wallet from the same words. There are three common reasons:
- A passphrase. Without it, or with one wrong character, the words open a different, empty wallet.
- A different address type or derivation path. Wallets don’t all look in the same place. Wallets Recovery keeps a reference of the paths each wallet uses.
- A word copied wrong. Compare each word with the right list: the official BIP-39 word list for 12 or 24 words, or the SLIP-39 word list for a Trezor 20-word backup. Checking a 20-word backup against the BIP-39 list can make you “correct” a word that was right.
Don’t try fixes on your own by typing your words into programs, and don’t answer strangers who offer to “recover” your crypto. The FBI keeps warning about fake recovery services that target people who have already lost money (FBI IC3, 13 Aug 2025). Contact your wallet’s manufacturer through its official website. Real support never asks for your words.
If you find a mistake
Good: that is what the test is for. As long as your device works, it still holds your seed and your funds are within reach. Don’t wipe it.
If you can see the mistake, such as a misspelt word or two words swapped, correct your paper and test again. The device’s check won’t point to the wrong word: Trezor’s, for example, tells you only whether the whole backup matches. So if you can’t see the mistake, don’t guess.
The clean fix is a new seed, made without resetting the device you have now: while your paper is wrong, that device is your only working copy. Make the new seed on a second hardware wallet, write it down carefully, test it, and then move your funds to it. Only then reset the old device.
Trezor gives the same advice: if your backup isn’t valid, move your funds to a new wallet straight away (Trezor: Check backup). Its guide to moving your funds gives the order: move your funds first, then wipe the device and create a new wallet with a new backup. If you own only one device, follow your manufacturer’s guide for that case before you reset anything. Trezor calls doing it safely with a single Trezor “a relatively complicated process”.
If you already wiped your only device and the paper won’t restore, stop guessing and read the section above first.
Common mistakes
- Testing the device instead of the paper. If the words on your paper were never typed into a device, the paper is untested.
- Wiping your only device before a check that erases nothing. Run Method 1 first.
- Leaving the passphrase out of the test. The words alone open the wallet without it.
- Taking a photo “just in case”. Photos sync to cloud accounts, and anyone who gets into that account gets your seed. Keep the words on paper or metal only.
- Testing once and never again. Once a year, check that each copy is where you left it and still readable. Test again whenever you move a copy or make a new one.
A passed test doesn’t make a weak seed strong
A test proves your copy is right. It can’t tell whether the seed itself was made with good randomness. In July 2026 a Coldcard firmware flaw produced 24-word seeds that attackers could guess, and those copies would have passed every test on this page. If a device with a known flaw made your seed, see our security advisories and the Coldcard advisory.
Check that you understood
Your Ledger shows the same address as your watch-only wallet in Sparrow. Is your paper backup tested?
No. Both addresses come from the device’s own copy of the seed. Only typing the words from the paper into a device tests the paper.
Trezor’s Check backup passed. Is your passphrase tested too?
No. The check covers the words only. Test the passphrase by matching the first address or the fingerprint of the passphrase wallet.
Your restored wallet shows zero. Is the bitcoin gone?
Not necessarily. A missing passphrase, a different address type or one wrong word all open a different wallet. Check those first, and never hand your words to a “recovery” service.
Creating a recovery document
Once your backup passes, write a recovery document: everything someone would need to restore your wallet, except the words themselves. This matters most for inheritance planning.
Your recovery document should include:
- Wallet type: single-sig or multisig, and the quorum if multisig.
- Hardware wallet model: the device that created the wallet.
- Backup format: BIP-39 (12 or 24 words) or SLIP-39 (Shamir shares).
- Passphrase: whether one is used, and where its own backup is kept. Never keep the passphrase on the same sheet as the words.
- Derivation path and address type: for example m/84'/0'/0' for native SegWit addresses that start with bc1q.
- Wallet software: the app used with the device, such as the manufacturer’s official app, Sparrow Wallet or Electrum. The words still go in on the hardware wallet, never in the app.
- Check values: the first receiving address and the master fingerprint, so whoever restores the wallet can tell it is the right one.
- Multisig configuration file: where the output descriptor backup is kept, if you use multisig.
Store this document apart from the seed. On its own it can’t spend anything; together they make a complete recovery package. For a full setup checklist, see our cold storage methods guide.
Frequently Asked Questions
How often should I test my seed phrase backup?
Test it when you create it, whenever you make a new copy or move one, and before you wipe your device or update its firmware, as Trezor recommends. Once a year, check that each copy is still where you left it and readable.
Is it safe to test on the hardware wallet I normally use?
Yes, with the device’s built-in backup check, because it erases nothing. A wipe-and-restore test on your only device is different: if the paper is wrong, you are locked out. Do that only after the built-in check has passed and any passphrase is tested, or use a second device.
My seed phrase restored a wallet with zero balance. What went wrong?
Usually one of three things: a passphrase that was left out or mistyped, a different address type or derivation path, or a word copied wrong. The bitcoin is not necessarily lost. Wallets Recovery (walletsrecovery.org) lists the paths each wallet uses. Don’t type your words into programs to experiment, and don’t answer anyone who offers to recover your wallet.
Can I test a Shamir (SLIP-39) or Multi-share Backup?
Yes. Trezor’s Check backup works with a Multi-share Backup and lets you enter the shares at different times, so they can stay in different places. You can also restore the shares on a second device that supports SLIP-39. Either way, the device stops once it has enough shares to restore the wallet, so a share you didn’t enter is still untested: repeat with a combination that includes it. A watch-only wallet tests neither.
What if I find an error during testing?
Your funds are within reach as long as your device works, because it still holds the seed, so don’t wipe it. If you can see the mistake, correct the paper and test again. The backup check won’t tell you which word is wrong, so if you can’t see it, make a new seed on a second device, back it up, test it and move your funds to it before you reset the old one.
Should I test a metal backup differently from a paper one?
The test is the same. If your plate stores words as punched dots or grid positions, also make sure you can read those positions back into words correctly at least once.
Can a website or app check whether my seed is safe?
No. Anything that asks you to type your words is a risk, and a website that does is almost always a scam. Our seed backup checkup asks questions about how you made and stored your backup, never for the words.
Sources
- Trezor: Check wallet backup on Trezor Safe 3, on Trezor Safe 5, on Trezor Safe 7, Using a passphrase wallet in Trezor Suite, Single-share Backup on Trezor (the 20-word SLIP-39 backup) and Move crypto to a wallet with a new wallet backup.
- Ledger: Recovery Check (page updated 17 Jul 2026).
- Coldcard: BIP-39 Passphrase (fingerprint check), Temporary Seed (“Verify Master Seed”) and Encrypted Backups (what “Verify Backup” checks).
- The BIP-39 standard and its English word list; the SLIP-39 word list used by Trezor’s 20-word backup.
- Wallets Recovery, derivation paths by wallet.
- Blink, Backup phrase phishing warning (12 Aug 2026), and FBI IC3, fictitious firms offering to recover funds (13 Aug 2025).
Last reviewed: 3 November 2026. All pages checked on that date.
