What is the best way to store your seed phrase?

[DabsPoorVersion]

Well, I don't know about any other persons, but for me, the most and convenient way to safely keep my seed phrase has always been to write them down on a piece of paper and keep it in a place that is safe.

I have never tried anything complicated as the idea op shared, but for me, I have seed phrase to most of my wallets written in multiple random notes of mine, what I do is, randomly include my seed phrases in between my notes, so that even if someone picks up that note and read, he or she won't notice anything like a seed phrase there, this is how I have manged to keep my seed phrases safe for several years now without worry.

I have also tried this method before. Writing it on a piece of paper to keep your seed phrase is a good strategy, however, it is prone to getting eaten by cockroaches/rats. Unless you have a vault where you can guarantee the security of your seed phrase that is written on a piece of paper. That's why I switched to using a plate with my seed phrase on it. This way, I can remove worrying whether my seed phrase is still safe or do I need to switch again as this method lasts longer.

People are saying that using Google Drive is not safe which I also tried before, since then, I have transferred all my documents/files/important information offline where I can secure it myself rather than letting it be exposed online.

[Z-tight]

I have started a simple strategy of sharing the seed phrase from my personal email to alternative email so it's there in two separate places and also uploads the same in cloud.

You store your seed phrase in two email addresses and also in the cloud, meaninig your seed phrase is stored in three different online and electronic locations, that's three different points of attack and failure. This is not a recommended way to store your seed phrase, sometimes i wonder whether some of you guys read the recommended advise that is repeated in this forum on a daily basis. If you had lost your seed phrase you wrote down like you said, then that is down to your own opsec.

The most recommended option is to write your seed phrase on paper and keep it in different locations or to engrave it on a steel plate. For extra layers of security, you should set up a multisig wallet or extend your seed phrase with a passphrase.

[EluguHcman]

My system of savings phrases and private entry keys to my wallets and other related software accounts is that I have had this one-time email address that I never forgets the password even if I have to forget any other passwords because it is as my notebook specifically were my phrases and private keys are stored.
I am backed up the email address for authentication and verifications with an phone number and an email that is not associated with no other signatures.
With this I don't even have to keep any of my wallet accounts logged on when It is not in used because I can easily log on to my retrieval or my notebook password saving email and get whatever passwords lost or forgotten.

Alternatively, I also have a the hardware storages for my phrases and private keys taken down in between other of my written informations so as to keep off attentions from any that comes through it though it is not tolerate ably handle but with extremely conciousness so, even if anyone comes across my hardware passwords storages it would be unreasonable to em about what it is about but verily identifiable and best known to me.

[taufik123]

Well, I don't know about any other persons, but for me, the most and convenient way to safely keep my seed phrase has always been to write them down on a piece of paper and keep it in a place that is safe.

It is quite susceptible for a piece of paper to be used to store seed phrases.
Of course, you have to use other supporting methods to keep the paper safe and intact,
or you can use metal to record every seed phrase, so it won't disappear or fade.

That is the most common and earliest option to do, if that method you think is good.
Store in an airtight place such as Time Capsule which is made of stainless metal and can withstand any condition when stored anywhere.

I have never tried anything complicated as the idea op shared, but for me, I have seed phrase to most of my wallets written in multiple random notes of mine, what I do is, randomly include my seed phrases in between my notes, so that even if someone picks up that note and read, he or she won't notice anything like a seed phrase there, this is how I have manged to keep my seed phrases safe for several years now without worry.

Randomly storing it in the notes you have will also not provide the best security.
If the note is read or owned by someone else, then they can read it and when that person is also a crypto user, then solving the phrase is easy to do.

For modern backup tools, seed phrases are now available in quite a lot of types, you just need to choose which one is best in your opinion.
Like using Cryptosteel, Blockstream or printing your own seed phrase on metal using Blockmit.

Check out this list of Seed Backup Solutions, you can compare which ones are the best.


https://thebitcoinhole.com/seed-backup

[Altryist]

You store your seed phrase in two email addresses and also in the cloud, meaninig your seed phrase is stored in three different online and electronic locations, that's three different points of attack and failure. This is not a recommended way to store your seed phrase, sometimes i wonder whether some of you guys read the recommended advise that is repeated in this forum on a daily basis. If you had lost your seed phrase you wrote down like you said, then that is down to your own opsec.

The most recommended option is to write your seed phrase on paper and keep it in different locations or to engrave it on a steel plate. For extra layers of security, you should set up a multisig wallet or extend your seed phrase with a passphrase.

Storing the seed phrase in an email is not a good idea, even if it is divided into several parts. Email or the cloud are places where a hacker can have access, if he finds at least one part of the seed phrase, he will understand that somewhere you store the remaining parts and perhaps they are stored in similar places. In any case, this is not the most reliable storage method. It’s better to write down the seed phrase on paper and hide it in different places, but it would also be nice to write it in such a way that only you know how it is encrypted, another additional level of protection never hurts.

[fuguebtc]

You can write it on a steel plate or on paper, but it most important thing is that you should have up to three back ups that you should keep in three different location very far from each other, where only you can have access to.

save my seed phrase offline in notebook and online in google drive.

It is not save to store your seed phrase online because it has been exposed to the public and anyone can have access to your seed phrase. You might wake up one morning and your wallet has been compromised by scammers. Go and delete it and store it only offline.

Is it unsafe for me to keep on Google Drive? I've been keeping my seed phrase in google drive for quite some time now but so far I haven't had a problem. Here I want to say that I have not given anyone access to my google drive, if I don't give anyone access, how can they access my google drive?

Just because you didn't have any problems storing your seed phrase using an online storage service, it doesn't mean you'll continue to be safe in the future . Do hackers or viruses need to ask your permission before they want to attack your data? That is why online storage is never recommended because we can be attacked at any time. Meanwhile, storing private keys/seed clusters offline will help us be more proactive in protecting them. You're putting your bitcoins in danger, man.

Yes, you do have a point, but the thing is, if for him Google Drive is safe and he doesn't encounter any problems, then so be it. The safety of his property will depend on the owner, so we can't dictate it. Even if we want to advise other people about what is safe or not, the call will be with the owner. We have different ways of storing our seed phrase; it depends on what they know is safe or what they only know. What the real problem is is that even if the owner of the accounts keeps their accounts, seed phrase, or any kind of password, if the owner makes a little mistake and the hackers or malicious malware get into it, then it will be a problem. There's nothing safe on the internet. Remember that, as long as we are connected to the internet, we have no privacy or what. The safety will depend on the owner itself.

Of course, the final decision is his because it's his money. What I said , I just want the best for him and he can think again, I have no right or qualification to force him to do what I say. But whatever his choice, we can't deny that online storage has never been considered more secure than offline . There is a lot of risk in the internet space , and I think bitcoin investors are aware of that . It's just that some people deliberately ignore it and choose online storage because it also has certain benefits .

[AicecreaME]

I saved it offline, and also keep it secret physically using morse code so it wouldn't be obvious just in case someone I know here in my house see it accidentally.

Casually writing it word for word in a notebook will make it more dangerous if you misplaced it and someone saw it and tried to log in using your seed phrase. You just have to be extra careful and never forget how you will hide your seed phrase from everyone, except to yourself. Like what others said already, storing it online would be the worst idea ever.

[lovesmayfamilis]

After reading all the answers and topics that suggest ways to store seed phrases, you can’t help but be surprised by human imagination. The thought comes that those who write about incredible and quite complex methods are either very passionate people about inventing, or maybe they are so rich that the search for unique solutions is indeed fair.
Nevertheless, everything needs to be considered based on a person’s activities, his social circle, and so on. If you are a fairly public person, then storing your seed phrase, of course, requires great care. But if you are an ordinary person who does not disseminate information about yourself, then a phrase engraved on steel or even several paper archives (of course, taking into account the possibility of a fire) will be the most natural and logical choice.

[tjtonmoy]

Is it unsafe for me to keep on Google Drive? I've been keeping my seed phrase in google drive for quite some time now but so far I haven't had a problem. Here I want to say that I have not given anyone access to my google drive, if I don't give anyone access, how can they access my google drive?

Everything that is related to the internet could get hacked. No matter how securely you keep it, it never becomes immune to hacking. If the right person chooses to, then he can hack it for sure. This is why it is always recommended to keep your seed phrase offline. May not be a fault from the platform's side, it could get hacked for your irresponsible behaviour.

OP, here's a post I wrote 3 days ago. I am quoting myself here. Give it a try if you think this is interesting. And if anyone here can check the strength of this method please try it out and let me know. It will be really helpful. I don't have the tools to do it.

You've got the wrong idea mate. You don't just put your seed phrase directly on a piece of paper or whatever you are using in order to store your seed. You use some kind of encryption before you do it. Here's an interesting method I have come up with. There are 12 or 24 words in a seed phrase based on which one you choose. Now you can divide them into 3 or 4 parts. That being 1 2 & 3 or 1 2 3 & 4. In each of those groups, you put the same amount of words (this is for a 12-word seed phrase). Each group can have 3 or 4 words based on your choosing. Then you can randomize them to get a number. For example, it could be 3412. Now you put as many random words as you want between each number. But the number of new random words should be the same. For example, if you want to put 4 words before the number 3 in the group of 3412, the number of new words after 3 4 1 and 2 should be 4 words as well.

like this RW= Random Words.
RW RW RW RW 3 (contains the actual seed) RW RW RW RW 4 (contains the actual seed) RW............................RW [it goes like this until you have a full list of random words.]

Then you can make as many copies as you want and trust me, it is gonna take months for hackers to crack this.  (if they get a hold of your word list in the first place.)

All you need is the word list, the amount of random words you put in between and the actual number after randomization. For Example 3412.
You first make sure even if someone gets their hands on the seed, they won't be able to crack it. Then you make backups. That's how I do it. [Not exactly the same method but something else that I am not going to disclose publicly.]
But yeah. Having multiple seeds in one backup is not an issue if you are able to encrypt it. ALso, you can add some dummy accounts in there as well. You know the formula so you can check all the accounts, but for hackers, it will be a nightmare.

[Tigerheart3026]

Stored my wallet seed phrase in two places offline and online. I save my seed phrase offline in notebook and online in google drive. But I have carefully kept my notebook in a safe place where no one can find it. Although many people may argue about my keeping this seed phrase, I think I have kept it very safe. A seed phrase can be stored in many ways, but it is best to keep it as safe as possible.

i was also stored my a lot of information (about different wallet seed phrase and other many important things) on google drive but after few years now i removed from online, but i lost many things for suddenly disabled my gmail account, now stored all of important things in offline, it's more safe than online.

[Agbe]

Op what you said is one of the way to secure a seed phrase but there other ways you can also use to secure your seed phrase. You can use these to secure your seed phrase Coinplate Steel Seed Phrase Saver and Securing Your Seed Phrase with Washers and I believed of you use any of the above mentioned devices to secure your seed phrase it will be more secure than writing it down it two different places but if you don't have money to buy those washers and steels then you can go for a local way of keeping the seed phrase save. According to experts, it is not too good to secure your seed phrase online either in emails, cloud or Googledrive but it is better you save it offline. Though all have risk but offline is more secure than online.

[syedakhlaque]

I think, The best way to store your seed phrase is you personal diary. Write these seed phase carefully in your diary And keep your diary in the locker. And when you need to log in your account, then see seed phase from your diary and write them in the account. This way, it will be protected from hackers and other digital approaches.
Another safe way to do this is to use a hardware wallet. Connect the hardware wallet to the USB when you need to log in to your account. And after use take it down and store it in your locker.

[Ever-young]

Now you put 2 copies of the 1st part of the seed phrase at 2 different safe deposit boxes at different banks.  You then put the other 2 copies of the 2nd part of the seed phrase at 2 other safe deposit boxes at 2 different banks.  You then write down your seed phrase in a piece of paper in your apartment or house.  You also enter it in a password manager that you save to a usb and the cloud.  

Saving your phrase in a bank is really not a safe option adding to the fact that you are given another company to handle your security for you which most of the case you might go and request for it which their is no security guarantee of it that anything might not happen to it in aspect of the bank being rubbed and all of that.

Then again splitting it into two is also an increase security measure which can serve as if one is being found in the other bank and the rest of the phrase can’t be accessed since they don’t have the complete one, is a good option but where ruin everything again is in the aspect where you suggest we add the phrase in a cloud even if it’s password protected it’s not safe at all anything online can be hacked and cracked it has been happening to cloud storage this period is it’s not a good option.

[kryptqnick]

There are no perfect options. To me, the options that rely heavily on banks, and multiple banks, no less, are risky because there can be a robbery, bankruptcy, destruction of property due to a natural disaster etc. If the seed phrase also remains at home, what's the point of it being in the banks? A physical copy at home might be accidentally found by someone else. The second option has a seed phrase entered into a password manager, which sounds really unsafe to me.
I believe that apart from the risk of being hacked, a person should also consider the risk of locking oneself out of the wallet because of the complications of storing the seed phrase.

[AnisahSiti]

This depends on each person, I personally prefer to keep it in the form of paper that I write on myself and I also print it on an iron plate and then keep it in my wallet. The point is, I don't want to save it in soft file form because there is the potential for hacking or leaking.

[|MINER|]

This depends on each person, I personally prefer to keep it in the form of paper that I write on myself and I also print it on an iron plate and then keep it in my wallet. The point is, I don't want to save it in soft file form because there is the potential for hacking or leaking.

That's true storing seed phrases on soft file there is always a potential risk for hacking or leaking. So now if we consider these aspects, the seed phrase in the soft file is very risky.  But in many cases we use the soft file despite the risk because it can be used anytime from anywhere in the world. However, keeping the seed phrases backup in the hard copy and maintaining it properly will be the best option.  My suggestion would be to have multiple recovery sources for seed phrases for recovery.

[jerry0]

The people that say storing your seed broken in 2 parts and doing 2 copies of it and thus in 4 different bank safe deposit boxes is bad, explain how that is bad?  The thing is if something happens to your seed phrase in one of these safe deposit boxes, you still have 1 copy of the other half of the seed in another safe deposit box.  Now if something was to happen like a natural disaster, well you would be notified of this issue correct or know about it?  But the thing is if your other 3 banks where the safe deposit boxes are is close to that bank, that is another issue.


The other thing is say the government or IRS were to seize your safe deposit boxes which I heard does happen but that is if you owe money to the IRS.  Well if you have a passphrase which would be on say a password manager on a usb flash drive and on the cloud, well they would also need that as well.  Since having the seed phrase without the passphrase doesn't do anything.  You also keep a copy of your seed phrase in your apartment whether it's in 1 piece or 2 pieces.  The thing is you make sure you don't have your passphrase written on paper.


So you could have your passphrase in a password manager and that could be in say 2 usb flash drives and say you gave 1 of the usb flash drives to someone you know and trust.  You keep 1 in your apartment.  You also have the password manager saved to the cloud.  So whether the governement or IRS or even bank employee got access to your safe deposit boxes, they still need the passphrase.  The person you trust who you give the usb flash drive to... well first off they need the password to the usb flash drive.  Even if you didn't put a usb flash drive password, they have to know what your password manager is.  Now obviously if they got that and got access to your apartment, then they would be able to access your crypto but they have to figure out your password are in the usb flash drive.  So there could be 1 or 2 passwords for them to crack.  Now if the government searched your home and got your usb flash drive, they still have to crack the password for the usb flash drive... which I assume they could do easily right?  However, how are they going to crack the code to your password manager password to access your passphrase if your passphrase is something like m1fsoadfldsajfdasfnbfjsajfjpdsf029390213fnsakjhjlwooa.  They certainly aren't going to crack that right?  But this is assuming you have a problem with the IRS or whatever which most people do not have that problem.  Now they can access your cloud email and probably crack your google drive password right if they wanted to?  What if it's a ridiculous password like above?  Now even if they get in, what about your long password manager password?  Unless it's something really silly where brute forcing can get into it, wouldn't the safe deposit boxes and passphrase be the ideal method?  I remember it was said the Winkletwins have their seed phrases in different safe deposit boxes across different continents if not mistaken?

[Hewlet]

The best way to store your seed phrase is detailed in the article by fillippone, Securing Your Seed Phrase with Washers. He doesn't just tell you the best way, he goes further to show you how to do it. Using washers, very durable, fire and water resistant, and also to other elements.

the article has giving a detailed insight to this matter but from the two options you provided, they are all good but I consider them too complex and for me, what I do is that I wrote down the seed phrase, copied it into three papers and kept each of the piece in my safety box at three different location I visited regularly that way, whener I need it I I'm only close to it and can easily access it. Let me add that the first time I wrote out my passphrase, I kept it carelessly at home because I felt no was knew about it importance but after I almost lost it, I learnt my lesson.

[Rabata]

There is a lot of risk in the internet space , and I think bitcoin investors are aware of that . It's just that some people deliberately ignore it and choose online storage because it also has certain benefits .

It is true that in online space scammers are constantly trying to steal other people's assets. For those reasons online space is always risky. A Bitcoin investors storage can certainly suffer if they do not properly store their seed phrases.

Many people save seed phrase in online for security but I think it is not safe for everyone to save in online. Especially those who are vulnerable in terms of security. I think it's worth making a few copies of the seed phrases and saving them on paper. Offline storage is safe  but putting the phrase in multiple places can provide more security. Those who put their seed phrase in email can be really risky.

[jerry0]

So the safe deposit box with seed in half in multiple banks with a passphrase probably still the best idea?