Have you ever checked your Bitcoin backup? Isn't it a good idea to check before

[Soldroplet]

Many of us write down the recovery words after creating a wallet and keep them in a safe place. Then we assume that even if the mobile or hardware wallet is lost, there will be no problem. But there is a question - have we ever really tried to restore the wallet from that backup?

I think this is where many people make a mistake. Just writing down the words does not guarantee that everything will be restored in the future. A word may be misspelled, we may forget an additional secret phrase, and we may not even remember which wallet we used many years later.

Suppose someone has stored Bitcoin in a wallet for several years. Later, their device is lost. Then, if they try to restore the wallet from the backup and see that the previous address or balance is not visible, then there will be very little chance of correcting the mistake. Therefore, when creating a new wallet, it is better to test the recovery with a small amount instead of putting a large amount of Bitcoin in the beginning. You can safely restore the wallet using the backup and check whether the previous addresses are correct or not.
A simple recovery test

When creating a new wallet, I think it is a good idea to follow the following procedure-

1. After creating the wallet, write down the recovery words correctly.
2. It is not advisable to put a large amount of Bitcoin there at the beginning. So it is better to test with a very small amount first.
3. Write down the name of the wallet, the software used or the type of wallet to remember. However, it is never a good idea to share the secret key or recovery words with anyone else.
4. Try to recreate the wallet using a backup stored in a safe environment.
5. Verify that the small amount of Bitcoin sent as a test is displayed correctly.
6. Only after confirming that everything is fine should a large amount of Bitcoin be placed there.

Wallets that are used for long-term safe storage need to be more careful when testing the recovery. You should not type your recovery password on an unknown device connected to the internet just to test it. Another thing is that not all wallets recover in the same way. So it is important to know which wallet you are using and how its backup works.

To me, it is simple - it is important to have a backup, but it is even more important to know in advance whether the backup really works or not. Because if you catch the mistake at the time of need, it may be too late.

[Livingleged]

You have really made a point. It’s true that some people do not know that just writing the seed phrase down elsewhere isn’t enough to be regarded as a backup until it’s tested the to confirm it’s correct. So the ideal thing to do is to try imputing the seed you copied down on another separate device and see if it will generate the wallet. That is the only way you can confirm that it’s backed up correctly and safely. If not you never can tell if you didn’t backed up the right phrase until the need for it arise and you find your self in a state of quagmire.

[Doan9269]

To me, it is simple - it is important to have a backup, but it is even more important to know in advance whether the backup really works or not.

If we make a mistake on our end, that's a consequence we'll face, but there won't be any issue with generating your backup seeds; you need to write down what you see.

It is not about trusting the process by which the seed phrases are being generated, but about being able to rest assured that there is no form of error coming from our end, which is why we must try as much as possible to avoid making mistakes when we are chatting them down and also not to be vulnerable with those sensitive keys, as they may be easily accessed by a third party to gain access to our wallet.

[Moreno233]

You have really made a point. It’s true that some people do not know that just writing the seed phrase down elsewhere isn’t enough to be regarded as a backup until it’s tested the to confirm it’s correct. So the ideal thing to do is to try imputing the seed you copied down on another separate device and see if it will generate the wallet. That is the only way you can confirm that it’s backed up correctly and safely. If not you never can tell if you didn’t backed up the right phrase until the need for it arise and you find your self in a state of quagmire.

When creating the wallet and backing up the account, you will usually be asked to input the seed phrase to be sure it is correct.  That is the point where most people check that the seed phrase is correct but beyond this point, it is extremely important to check the seed phrase like once per year to be sure everything is fine. It will be so painful to continue sending Bitcoin to a wallet without a backup or whose seed phrase have been lost.

[SPIDERMAN008]

You have really made a point. It’s true that some people do not know that just writing the seed phrase down elsewhere isn’t enough to be regarded as a backup until it’s tested the to confirm it’s correct. So the ideal thing to do is to try imputing the seed you copied down on another separate device and see if it will generate the wallet. That is the only way you can confirm that it’s backed up correctly and safely. If not you never can tell if you didn’t backed up the right phrase until the need for it arise and you find your self in a state of quagmire.

You are right. After I write down my seed phrase, I check it with another device or download another wallet app and import it there to see if it actually works. And I check the backup seed phrases I have written down every few months to see if they are in the same condition as when I left them. Because many times, if I write them down on a piece of paper, they can get damaged over time or they are written down in a place that someone else can access.

Since many write down that backup seed phrase in a personal locker or other safe place where we live, if another family member gets access there, then if that person does not have much knowledge about Bitcoin, he may just throw away the papers with the backed up seed phrase written down as unnecessary paper. So it is better to keep seed phrase backups in several different places, so that even if one seed phrase backup is lost, there is another way to access the wallet.

[Perfectbaby]

When created your wallet the system automatically creates your seed phrase and when it's created it would asked you to copy it ans when you do that, before proceeding the system would also asked to retype the seed phrase to know if you actually wrote them down. If you do then before it will go ahead generating your address. So I do not see any reason after creating it you start by putting small amounts to test your wallet address, except you do not trust the wallet you downloaded or you downloaded fake app.

[CryptopreneurBrainboss]

If we make a mistake on our end, that's a consequence we'll face, but there won't be any issue with generating your backup seeds; you need to write down what you see.

Exactly, it's a decentralized world out here so every man for himself. This means there are some things you shouldn't be needing reminder on by others. If you don't verify your seed phrase after backing them up then that's on you. After doing the initial verification after writing them down, you don't need further confirmation frequently because your seed phrase doesn't change. Your backups isn't suppose to be somewhere you see everythme to be doing verifications, it should be kept well that it's almost immune to damags of any such or falling into the wrong hands, preferably in a vault/safe especially when it's your long term bag wallet. But never should they be kept online or on any device with internet connections as then you can get hacked.

[Callido]

When creating the wallet and backing up the account, you will usually be asked to input the seed phrase to be sure it is correct.  That is the point where most people check that the seed phrase is correct but beyond this point, it is extremely important to check the seed phrase like once per year to be sure everything is fine. It will be so painful to continue sending Bitcoin to a wallet without a backup or whose seed phrase have been lost.

Most wallets no longer ask you to write down every 12 words from your seed phrase, the verification is passed by identifying a few words at random based on how they are serialized, wallets don't stress using every seed phrase to verify the process.

Seed phrases are words, 12 words that can all be memorized, i don't know how a person cannot pen them down without error. After writing, what is next is to cross-check if there was any mistake, you don't need to check or keep checking once every year, seed phrases don't change.

[Call_Me_Guru]

Fair point, and extra layer of care, especially for the careless beings who could make some insensitive mistakes. Nothing is wrong in double-checking the words you wrote but your approach is sincerely more than what I practically know. Most people do the double-checking immediately after writing it down. I don't think it has failed anyone who patiently checked what the wallet wrote and what they manually wrote many times. My case, I check the words for at least 4 different times after writing them down, it has been fine whenever I import my crypto wallet into another wallets. I also do not write the wallet the words are for plainly, but carefully labeled them in a coding manner. I distinguish them in such a way they can be easily be fetched and used for the exact purpose I wanted them for. No way for doubts and mistakes this way.