A seed phrase, or recovery phrase, is a set of 12 to 24 words that lets you recover your cryptocurrency wallet. It’s created when you first set up a wallet—like MetaMask or Ledger—and it’s the only way to get your assets back if you lose access to your device. These phrases follow a technical standard called BIP39 and are designed to be both secure and easy to write down.
If your phone or hardware wallet is lost, your seed phrase can fully restore access to all your funds—whether it’s Bitcoin, Ethereum, or other assets. But if someone else gets it, they can take everything. That’s why keeping it offline and private is critical. In crypto recovery cases, users often regain access to lost wallets only because they still had their seed phrase.
