Can You Memorize Your Recovery Phrase?

[Baki202]

Memorizing 12 words isn't that hard, as long as you spend time to memorize it, you will.

However, memorizing seed phrase should be "one" of many ways to recover your coins, which mean you should do any other backup ways. If you only relying on your brain, then you're high likely will lost access to your coins.

No one know what happen to you in the future, so prepare the worst.

Nothing wrong with memorizing but but even you look at our nature as humans we can forget and if the seed phrase is not complete their is no way you will be able to make withdrawal from your wallets that is to show how important all the seed phrase are complete. Instead of memorizing why not look for other ways to store your seed phrase and safe your self the stress. With the kind of challenges we are facing you can easily forget no matter how good you are, I don’t know for others but as for me I don’t see as an option for me if I want to store my seed phrase. Their thing to just avoid when you want to ensure the safety of your assets. Anything memorizing I don’t like it.

[famososMuertos]

...//:::

...//::.... memorizing I don’t like it.

Memorizing them is not bad, then just have a backup of them somewhere, secrets have been kept since millennia, so what is the problem for 12 words, or a private key, this topic should be considered irrelevant, I think it is a matrix of opinion that It is generated to sell HW.  ; )

[Hewlet]

Just remembered that I have written the recovery seed phrase of my Electrum on a piece of paper somewhere in my place. I'm wondering what could go wrong since my place isn't too secured.  How about trying to memorize it? Is it possible?

Would you try?
What are the benefits? ... and the setbacks.

there is nothing wrong with trying to memorize your seed phrase as an additional safety measures should for any reason you loose track of the physical one you've written down somewhere, the only issue is when you become careless with the copy you've written down all because you've cramed your seedphase. As a little boy from high school, I have cramed way more than the total number of words in my seed phrase while preparing for an exams and it's been more than 5 years along the line and i haven't forgotten it but that's never enough reason to trust my memory with such a delicate information.

The smartest brain has an high possibility of forgetting things faster than what's written down via a pencil. Maybe your consideration could be that you will need to crame it so if you need to take out a portion of your holding when you're far away from him and needs an urgent fund to use in sorting out yourself you could easily reach out to your funds but that's even another disadvantage that might cause you to always lay hands on your holding. At some point and in some way, it's best to keep your seed phrase in a place you wouldn't always have access to at will most expecially if you're working on building a strong portfolio with time.

[btc78]

Yes... I'll definitely memorize them. Benefits? Well, that's just about you being on the safer side. The big setback is life itself; if anything happens and you lay down lifeless, that's the end!

Well you could leave a few last words and tell someone you’d actually like and respect to trust with your secret. It could be in a form of will and testament. Or just hand them a paper indicating where the back up copy is.

You've got kids? Teach the eldest amongst them and, show 'em.

Please make sure that your kid is not a child. If your kid is still a child, they might not understand just how severely serious this is and might tell everyone or anyone about your seed phrase.

[Faisal2202]

Just remembered that I have written the recovery seed phrase of my Electrum on a piece of paper somewhere in my place. I'm wondering what could go wrong since my place isn't too secured.  How about trying to memorize it? Is it possible?

Would you try?
What are the benefits? ... and the setbacks.

If you are asking us we can you memorize it then how can we know but if you are asking should I memorize it, well if you think you can memorize it for the long term then do it, there is not better place to save your key then saving in brain or memorizing. But if you think you can't memorize it for the long term then don't do it, you will just forget it and it will become a problem for you. I will say if you are living in a place where it's not safe, for example, if you think some roommates will read it and can extract your funds then encrypt your seed phrase.

I encrypted my seed phrase using a method of adding pairs of words in between you can also do the same, or you can spend some time learning encryption like the basic techniques to encrypt your seed phrase this way, if any roomie finds it can't really get benefit out of it because it's encrypted.

But if you think it will get stolen encrypted too, then store the encrypted version on your device as well although many will say its not a reliable place but still, if you think you are not clicking on so many links and downloading blots or unnecessary apps then you are good to safe it in your device.

[Hyphen(-)]

Memorizing 12 words isn't that hard, as long as you spend time to memorize it, you will.

However, memorizing seed phrase should be "one" of many ways to recover your coins, which mean you should do any other backup ways. If you only relying on your brain, then you're high likely will lost access to your coins.

No one know what happen to you in the future, so prepare the worst.

Nothing wrong with memorizing but but even you look at our nature as humans we can forget and if the seed phrase is not complete their is no way you will be able to make withdrawal from your wallets that is to show how important all the seed phrase are complete. Instead of memorizing why not look for other ways to store your seed phrase and safe your self the stress. With the kind of challenges we are facing you can easily forget no matter how good you are, I don’t know for others but as for me I don’t see as an option for me if I want to store my seed phrase. Their thing to just avoid when you want to ensure the safety of your assets. Anything memorizing I don’t like it.

There are people who can naturally cram, so memorizing the 12 word will not be difficult for some people but is it advisable? NO.
You can memorize it for fun, but it is not advisable to rely on it and fail to keep backup; memory lost is the main disadvantage of craming the seed phrase.

There are several ways to save and backup your seed phrase, you can write it don on paper by duplicating it and save them in different locations you trust to be safe, it is probably the easy method that can be used. There are other methods which are expensive, but more secured than al these because it can withstand fire incident and lots more presure. You can go through this thread by fillippone; Some of th immages might not be visible, but it is an impornt thread that will guide you on how to secure your seed phrase.

[fillippone]

You can go through this thread by fillippone; Some of th immages might not be visible, but it is an impornt thread that will guide you on how to secure your seed phrase.

I strongly agree with the suggestion not to rely on memory to memorise a seed phrase. While it can be a viable solution for the very short term (e.g. passing a border or a deep inspection), the cons of a long term solutions are too evident.

Also thanks for pointing out the lack of a few images on the thread, I didn’t realise.
I am going to fix those asap.

[gabbie2010]

Just remembered that I have written the recovery seed phrase of my Electrum on a piece of paper somewhere in my place. I'm wondering what could go wrong since my place isn't too secured.  How about trying to memorize it? Is it possible?

Would you try?
What are the benefits? ... and the setbacks.

If you can memorize it that is very okay unfortunately not every individuals has the ability or capacity to memorize such an important document on their head this definitely varies with individuals, however I think such an important document shouldn't be kept in the office due to insecurity because it's an open place, apart from the office there should be alternative secured place, however since you have memorized your seed phrase I don't think there is any cause for alarm provided that your retentive memory is very high, personally I have my own way of keeping those kind of  important documents securely without any worries but definitely not in the office

[EarnOnVictor]

Just remembered that I have written the recovery seed phrase of my Electrum on a piece of paper somewhere in my place. I'm wondering what could go wrong since my place isn't too secured.  How about trying to memorize it? Is it possible?

Yes, it is possible to memorise your seed phrases, but I strongly advise against it. The human brain is funny at times, it may disappoint you even if you do not have any health issues. It gets worse when it's been long you task yourself in remembering them.

Why not find a means to secure the paper or code one of the phrases?

Would you try?

I wouldn't try this bro, it's risky. The best is to write it down manually and keep it safe.

What are the benefits? ... and the setbacks.

There are no benefits here if I would be sincere with you. It would have been beneficial if human brains were reliable.

[seoincorporation]

I feel like memorize it is a terrible idea, what if you Just forget it or don't remember the words order? This practice have a big risk to lose the coins.

And saving the recovery phrase on a place where someone else can access to them is another terrible idea. There are a lot of secure ways to save that phrase, even on a file inside a zip with a password would be better.

[Cricktor]

You set the premise of a somewhat unsafe storage location. There are multiple ways to mitigate this.

The first and obvious:
It shouldn't be too hard to hide a small piece of paper with the mnemonic recovery words in such a way that it would be very hard to discover and find for an intruder.

You can even use an english book and hide your recovery words therein by inconspicuous marking of letters or whole words (use multiple copies of the same book at different places of family members, friends, workplace, you name it).
OK, if it would be the only english book in your household, then it's time to buy more of them.

Second:
Secure your mnemonic recovery words with an additional (optional) mnemonic passphrase which creates a whole new different wallet. The mnemonic recovery words alone then don't reveal your hidden wallet, only maybe a sacrificial one.

It's mandatory to backup both recovery words and the additional mnemonic passphrase very well and not together!

Third:
Paper backups can burn away should fire strike your fate, so steel or titanium metal backups are advisable which are usually larger and less easy to hide. But I'd argue that you can still hide a metal backup well enough that an intruder will have a hard time to find it.


Do not rely solely on your wet brain memory. It will fail you sooner or later.

Anybody can memorize 12 or even 24 words, it's only a matter of proper technique. But you have to keep practicing, recalling and refreshing your memory. To continuously verify your memory you need a reliable written backup otherwise you're soon likely screwed. The need for a reliable verification backup makes memorizing kind of pointless, in my opinion. It's just too dangerous without.

I'll repeat: human memory is a tricky thing, better not rely on it solely. You've been warned.

[Baki202]

I feel like memorize it is a terrible idea, what if you Just forget it or don't remember the words order? This practice have a big risk to lose the coins.

And saving the recovery phrase on a place where someone else can access to them is another terrible idea. There are a lot of secure ways to save that phrase, even on a file inside a zip with a password would be better.

Very terrible idea trying to keep so many things in our head to be keeping such valid information in our head because the moment you forget one their is no way that you will be able to get that one missing piss back and am just trying to what kind of expression that will be on the person face the person and if the money is huge then the person might just get an heart attack because losing money in this hard times. To avoid things, just look for a safer way to keep your seed phrase safe.  And keeping it safe should not be a problem but how safe is it matters a lot, I seen a lot of people losing their shit because they refused keep it proper so this are most of the small small challenges people keep having saving their seed phase.

[CryptSafe]

I feel like memorize it is a terrible idea, what if you Just forget it or don't remember the words order? This practice have a big risk to lose the coins.

And saving the recovery phrase on a place where someone else can access to them is another terrible idea. There are a lot of secure ways to save that phrase, even on a file inside a zip with a password would be better.

Very terrible idea trying to keep so many things in our head to be keeping such valid information in our head because the moment you forget one their is no way that you will be able to get that one missing piss back and am just trying to what kind of expression that will be on the person face the person and if the money is huge then the person might just get an heart attack because losing money in this hard times. To avoid things, just look for a safer way to keep your seed phrase safe.  And keeping it safe should not be a problem but how safe is it matters a lot, I seen a lot of people losing their shit because they refused keep it proper so this are most of the small small challenges people keep having saving their seed phase.

Memorizing key phrases alone without a backup plan is a very wrong approach.  However the case may be, If one deems it fit to memorise or cram their key phrase then they should have a backup plan which would require them to write still down their key phrase in a safe and secured place where only they can access it if they need it in a situation where their device crashes or otherwise. Aside from this, there are other ways one can save their seed phrase but I think writing it down is more safe and secure.

Nevertheless, it is not all about writing it down but where and how you wrote and store it matters as well because if you secure it properly, the chances of you losing it are minimal and the chances of people seeing it where you kept it is also minimal.

[Yukyzu]

Very terrible idea trying to keep so many things in our head to be keeping such valid information in our head because the moment you forget one their is no way that you will be able to get that one missing piss back and am just trying to what kind of expression that will be on the person face the person and if the money is huge then the person might just get an heart attack because losing money in this hard times. To avoid things, just look for a safer way to keep your seed phrase safe.  And keeping it safe should not be a problem but how safe is it matters a lot, I seen a lot of people losing their shit because they refused keep it proper so this are most of the small small challenges people keep having saving their seed phase.

That's right, of course it is not the right choice and also we have remembered a lot but still forgotten because there are many things that we will face in this life and if we still use the method of remembering the private key and one day we need it and cannot remember of course this will be very disappointing because we have taken the trouble to collect it and we will not be able to enjoy the results of what has been collected.

I agree with you to avoid this and it would be better if we could find another way so that we can still enjoy the results of what we have collected because if we cannot maintain it well, then of course it will be very detrimental to ourselves when we have collected a lot of these assets and cannot take any advantage from it.

[Mame89]

Just remembered that I have written the recovery seed phrase of my Electrum on a piece of paper somewhere in my place. I'm wondering what could go wrong since my place isn't too secured.  How about trying to memorize it? Is it possible?

Would you try?
What are the benefits? ... and the setbacks.

Memorizing will not be a problem if the Seed Phrase is still somewhere else or has been written and stored in a safe place. Because if you only rely on memorization, it will be very risky for your own assets, human memory will definitely weaken or decrease as daily activities increase.

I myself have never memorized the Seed Phrase, indeed if we try to memorize it is very easy because there are only 12 words but I realize that I am a person who forgets easily so memorizing the seed phrase is not important to me because the risk is very high for my assets. It is better to play it safe by writing down the seed phrase and then storing it in a place that we think is safe, the point is don't try to trivialize things related to assets. Even if you feel that your place is not safe to store the Seed Phrase, you should try to find another safer place because memorizing is not the best solution to secure your assets.

[CoinFoxs]

Yes you can memorize your recovery phrase but there are chances that you forget that phrase as we have too many recovery phrases so it is better to take screenshot of that recovery phrase and save that picture. So in future when you need that phrase yo have it with you.

[camilocollin6]

Just remembered that I have written the recovery seed phrase of my Electrum on a piece of paper somewhere in my place. I'm wondering what could go wrong since my place isn't too secured.  How about trying to memorize it? Is it possible?

Would you try?
What are the benefits? ... and the setbacks.

It is not impossible but not possible by me . However,I cannot store or memorize sensitive information like recovery phrases, passwords, or personal data. It's important to keep such information secure and private. If you need to store your recovery phrase, consider using a secure method like a password manager or writing it down and keeping it in a safe place.

[Easteregg69]

I was thinking about putting it in an encrypted file and upload it to a host.

Encrypt with good old pgp or pgpi. Perhaps it's to much work thinking about it.

It would give an extra password to remember. For decrypting the file again. And some keys or something.

Put an end to the nonsense with a piece of paper.

[GigaBit]

Yes you can memorize your recovery phrase but there are chances that you forget that phrase as we have too many recovery phrases so it is better to take screenshot of that recovery phrase and save that picture. So in future when you need that phrase yo have it with you.

If I want to access my wallet 5 or 10 years later from now I may not be able to remember the 12 word seed phrase and there can be mistake. In this case I think nothing like mesmerizing should be done. I think it would be better if someone made multiple copies of his seed phrases and keep these in well secured place. It should check if its seed phrases are working properly. I recommend keeping the seed phrases on paper rather than keeping them in any online or offline storage where there is no chance of getting hacked. Moreover, if it is stored in the brain, it may not be remembered for any reason. I think it is better to preserve it than to take such a risk.

[Easteregg69]

Yes you can memorize your recovery phrase but there are chances that you forget that phrase as we have too many recovery phrases so it is better to take screenshot of that recovery phrase and save that picture. So in future when you need that phrase yo have it with you.

If I want to access my wallet 5 or 10 years later from now I may not be able to remember the 12 word seed phrase and there can be mistake. In this case I think nothing like mesmerizing should be done. I think it would be better if someone made multiple copies of his seed phrases and keep these in well secured place. It should check if its seed phrases are working properly. I recommend keeping the seed phrases on paper rather than keeping them in any online or offline storage where there is no chance of getting hacked. Moreover, if it is stored in the brain, it may not be remembered for any reason. I think it is better to preserve it than to take such a risk.

Standard is 24 word phrase now. You see how time flies.

Note: Something about 1000 monkeys with typewriters would write a poem if given enough time.