Basic Safety

Understand your mnemonic seed and password

What is a mnemonic seed (secret recovery phrase) and how to back it up?

• The mnemonic seed, otherwise called secret recovery phrase or private key, is the key to your wallet. This means that if someone has the key, they have complete access to the wallet. SubWallet does not hold the key, nor will we ever ask for your mnemonic seed, even in a customer support scenario. If someone does ask for it, they are likely trying to scam you or steal your funds.

• In order to back up your mnemonic seed, you should write down every word in the same order they were given and double-check your spelling. Remember to write it down somewhere safe, or follow the instructions in Connect dApps & manage website access to export a text file.

• Do not keep your private key in an easily discovered location; e.g. in a cloud-saved document or an email titled "Secret Recovery Phrase/Mnemonic Seed/Private Key" or on a post-it note stuck to your computer. Do not change the order of the words and again, do not provide your mnemonic seed to anyone, even if they say they are from our customer service.

Why do you need to store your mnemonic seed?

Please note that you cannot edit your mnemonic seed and the one first issued to you will always be linked to your wallet. If you lose your secret recovery phrase, you will not be able to access your wallet and its contents will be unrecoverable.

What is the difference between a mnemonic seed and a password? Why do I need both?

SubWallet locally encrypts your mnemonic seed with your password. This means that when you lock your wallet, no one can use your funds until you enter your password again. If you forget your password, you can regain access to your account with the mnemonic seed, as it is the key to access your wallet that only you hold. It is important to know that neither SubWallet nor anyone else can change or recover your mnemonic seed if it is lost.