Hideroom

Recovery words

Taking a photo of your seed phrase is risky: anyone who sees it can empty the wallet, and a camera-roll photo can sync to the cloud or turn up in search. The safest home for recovery words is still offline, on paper or metal, kept somewhere safe. These guides explain the risks honestly, what wallet makers recommend, and how to keep a second copy on your phone more safely if you choose to. A photo of recovery words is only as safe as the phone, so for larger amounts keep a paper or metal copy too. None of this is financial advice. Start with the pillar guide below, and read it before you take the photo, not after, because a photo that has already synced is harder to take back.

A folded cream card, a pencil and a shadowed steel plate in a lit arched niche.

In short

  • The safest home for a seed phrase is offline, on paper or metal, somewhere safe.
  • A photo of recovery words is only as safe as the phone, so keep a paper or metal copy for larger amounts.

Start here

A card of blurred handwriting tucked into a plum envelope, a phone face-down beside it.

Is it safe to take a photo of your seed phrase?

Wallet makers say never to photograph or screenshot a seed phrase. Here's why, the best way to store a seed phrase, and where a digital copy fits.

Updated 24 October 2026 · 5 min read

Recovery words in Hideroom

Keep your private photos in a room of their own.

Which phone?

One email when Hideroom launches on iPhone. Then we delete your address. Privacy