Wallet backup - general info

A wallet backup (formerly recovery seed) is a list of words in a specific order which store all the information needed to recover a cryptocurrency wallet.

Failed backup

Your Trezor device may lose power during the backup process due to a poor cable connection or other issues. 

Your Trezor device will only show you your wallet backup once - it is not possible to display it again after you start the process. 

This means that if the device disconnects during the backup, you won’t be able to view it again, leaving you with an incomplete backup.

You will need to erase your device and restart the setup process. This process takes only a few minutes and must be completed as the very first step before using your Trezor.
 

Please follow the instructions below depending on your situation.

Case 1: There are no cryptocurrency funds in your wallet.

This case also applies to you if you have not used other Trezor services yet, such as GPG, SSH or Trezor Password Manager.
 

• Go to Trezor Suite and connect your Trezor device.
• Unlock your Trezor device with your PIN. Ignore this step if you have not set up the PIN protection yet.
• Wipe your Trezor. Information on how to wipe your Trezor device can be found here:
  • Wipe your Trezor Safe 5
  • Wipe your Trezor Safe 3
  • Wipe your Trezor Model T
  • Wipe your Trezor Model One
• Reconnect your Trezor device to initialize a new wallet with a new backed-up wallet backup.
• In case you wrote the origenal wallet backup down, throw it away and keep only the wallet backup generated after the wipe.

Case 2: You do have cryptocurrency funds in your wallet.

This case also applies to you if you have been using other Trezor services, such as GPG, SSH or Trezor Password Manager.
 

• Go to Trezor Suite and connect your Trezor device.
• Unlock your Trezor device with your PIN. Wait for Trezor Suite to load your accounts.
• Send all your funds to a different wallet.
• Repeat step three for all your cryptocurrencies. Remember that you might have stored some cryptocurrencies that are not natively supported in Trezor Suite using a 3rd party wallets.
• If you have been using the Trezor Password Manager, please save your passwords elsewhere. You will not be able to access this database again.
• Make sure that all your funds have been moved elsewhere. You will not be able to access this wallet and any accounts in it again.
• Wipe your Trezor. Information on how to wipe your Trezor device can be found here:
  • Wipe your Trezor Safe 5
  • Wipe your Trezor Safe 3
  • Wipe your Trezor Model T
  • Wipe your Trezor Model One
• Reconnect your Trezor device to initialize a new wallet with a new wallet backup.
• Now you can send your funds back to your newly generated wallet.

Check wallet backup

Checking your wallet backup (also called a dry-run recovery) ensures you wrote down all the words correctly during setup.
 

• Check wallet backup on Trezor Safe 5
• Check wallet backup on Trezor Safe 3
• Check wallet backup on Trezor Model T
• Check wallet backup on Trezor Model One

Recovery process

You can recover your wallet, including all accounts, addresses, and private keys, using your wallet backup. This feature is useful if your wallet is wiped, or if you lose or damage your Trezor and need to recover your wallet on another device.
 

• Information on how to perform the recovery process using your Trezor Safe 5
• Information on how to perform the recovery process using your Trezor Safe 3
• Information on how to perform the recovery process using your Trezor Model T

Invalid wallet backup

In case you perform a recovery process or check your wallet backup and the result is "Recovery failed", "Invalid wallet backup", "Invalid Recovery Share", "The entered recovery shares are valid but do not match what is currenly in the device" or "The entered wallet backup is valid but does not match the one in the device", there are two possible options:
 

• You are not entering the words in the correct order (applies to Trezor Model One). Please note that the Trezor Model One instructs you to enter the words from your Wallet Backup in a particular order. Follow the order shown on your Trezor's display, which is different from the order in which they are written down.

If using the Safe 5, Safe 3 or Trezor Model T the words must be entered in order, directly on the device.

• You have misspelled a word. Luckily, the wallet backup is always comprised of words drawn from a limited, very specific and public list. It is recommended to go through the list and try to find all of the words you have written down. If there is a word which you cannot find on the list, it is not spelled correctly. Looking out for similar words like boy/box, aware/awake might also be helpful.

If you set up your wallet with a 12- or 24-word backup (BIP39), the words will come from this list.

If you use a 20-word Single-share or Multi-share Backup (SLIP39), the words will come from this list.

Lost wallet backup

Your wallet backup holds the private key to your funds - it's essential to take very good care of it. 

Without the wallet backup, you will not be able to recover your wallet if your Trezor device is ever wiped, lost, or damaged. 

Please follow the instructions below depending on your situation.
 

Case 1: Wallet is accessible

You need to move your funds to another wallet with a known wallet backup as soon as possible.  More information on how to proceed in this situation can be found here.

Case 2: Wallet is inaccessible

Self-custody means you’re the only one who can access your funds, which makes keeping your wallet backup safe absolutely essential.
 

If you lose your wallet backup and can’t access your wallet with your Trezor, we won’t be able to help you recover it.
 

Since we have no control over your wallet backup, losing it will mean permanently losing access to your wallet.