Your seed phrase (also called recovery phrase or mnemonic) is the master key to all your crypto assets. 12 or 24 words that control everything. If you lose it, your coins are gone. If someone else finds it, your coins are theirs. Storage deserves maximum care.
Method 1: Paper
Pros: Immediately available, no technical knowledge needed, free. Cons: Vulnerable to fire, water, fading, easy to find. Verdict: Acceptable as a short-term solution. Too risky for long-term storage.
Method 2: Metal Plate (Cryptosteel, Billfodl)
Pros: Fire-resistant (up to 1,200°C / 2,200°F), water-resistant, extremely durable. Cons: Cost ($30-80), physically findable. Verdict: Best option for long-term storage. Our clear favorite.
Method 3: Bank Safe Deposit Box
Pros: Protection against theft and natural disasters. Cons: Dependent on bank hours, cost ($50-200/year), the bank could theoretically access it. Verdict: Good as a secondary backup combined with a metal plate.
Method 4: Splitting (Shamir's Secret Sharing)
Pros: No single location contains the complete phrase. Cons: Complex, risk of losing individual parts. Trezor supports Shamir Backup natively. Verdict: For advanced users with larger amounts.
Method 5: Multiple Locations
Pros: Redundancy against local disasters. Cons: More attack surface from multiple copies. Verdict: Two metal plates at different secure locations — the optimal strategy for most people.
What You Should NEVER Do
Never store your seed phrase in the cloud, in a notes app, as a screenshot, in an email to yourself, or in a password manager. All of these locations are digitally attackable. The seed phrase belongs on a physical medium.
Last updated: February 2026. Affiliate links disclosed.