What’s a Seed Phrase?
First, let’s learn what a Bitcoin seed phrase is. A seed phrase is a human‑readable backup of your bitcoin wallet’s private key, 12 or 24 randomly selected words that can recreate your Bitcoin wallet on any compatible device.
Think of it as the master key to every current and future address your wallet will ever produce. Lose the phrase and your coins are gone forever; share it and you’ve effectively given someone full spending power over your stack. Unlike an online password, a seed phrase can’t be reset by a help‑desk or “forgot‑password” link, you are the help‑desk. Because those words mathematically encode all your cryptographic keys, you can type the same seed into a different wallet if you switch phones, upgrade hardware, or need to recover after a device failure.
Anyone with these words can move your coins, so treat them like physical cash: keep them private, offline, and secure.
Below are the six most common beginner errors we see, plus how Jade Plus makes sure you never fall into the trap.
TL;DR
1. Don’t generate your seed phrase online.
2. Never store the words on a phone, computer, or cloud account.
3. Don’t skip a restore test. Make sure your backup actually works.
4. Generate and back up in private. No cafes or livestreams!
5. Use a durable backup, not flimsy paper.
6. Write the words in the exact order given.
If you remember these six rules, you’re already ahead of the game.
1. Creating Your Seed Online
It can be tempting to Google “seed generator” and let a website spit out your 12-24 words. Don’t. You do not know how the seed phrase was generated or who is running the website. There is a good chance that this website is run by a scammer trying to steal your bitcoin.
Blockstream Jade Fix: Every Jade has a true‑random number generator inside the device.
Where Jade Plus gets its randomness:
- User input (button taps, dice rolls, coin flips)
- CPU cycle counters
- Battery voltage drift
- Ambient‑temperature sensor
- Rapid‑fire camera photos during boot
- A built‑in, cryptographic‑grade hardware RNG
- Optional extra entropy from the Blockstream App
Jade never connects to the internet, so your seed stays private. The companion app, Blockstream app for mobile and desktop, handles talking to the Bitcoin blockchain after your seed is generated.
A quick walkthrough is in our Help Center guide.
2. Saving the Phrase Digitally (Screenshot ≠ Backup)
Your seed is the master key to your Bitcoin. If you type it into Notes, snap a photo, or email it to yourself, it now lives in a hackable, cloud‑synced “honeypot.” One future data breach equals an empty wallet. Learn more in our short post on why screenshots aren’t backups.
Blockstream Jade Fix: During setup, Jade forces a paper (or metal) backup. You write the words down by hand, then Jade asks you to confirm a few of them to ensure you wrote them down in the correct order.
Beginner Tip: Use a pencil first. If you can, upgrade to a stainless‑steel plate.
3. Skipping the Restore Test (Paper ≠ Working Backup)
Writing your seed on paper is step one; verifying that you can restore it is step two. If a word is smudged or out of order, you won’t know until it’s too late. Many beginners never test a restore, and find out the hard way when disaster strikes.
Blockstream Jade Fix: Jade includes a "Restore Wallet" option. After you back up, power‑cycle the device, choose Restore from Seed, and re‑enter your words. If Jade unlocks, your backup is good. A bite‑sized tutorial is in the Help Center.
Beginner Tip: Before loading large funds, move a small amount of sats to a fresh wallet, restore from your seed on Jade Plus, and confirm the funds appear. It takes five minutes and could save you everything.
4. Creating (and Backing Up) in an Insecure Environment
Shoulder surfers, hidden cameras, or even compromised USB cables can silently copy your seed. Generating phrases at a busy café, or while livestreaming a "setup tutorial", is asking for trouble. Our short primer on physical security during seed generation shows real‑world mistakes to avoid.
Beginner Tip: Create your seed phrase in a trusted environment with no one around or any cameras recording what you are doing.
5. Storing Your Recovery Phrase In an Unsafe Place
One of the most common ways people lose access to their Bitcoin funds is by losing their recovery phrase. Also, if anyone gains access to your recovery phrase, they have the key pieces of information required to spend your funds.
When choosing where to store your recovery phrase, you should try to choose somewhere that is:
- Easy to remember.
- Secure from anyone else reading or getting hold of it.
- Safe from physical hazards like fire, water, natural disasters, and children.
6. Writing Words Out of Order (Order Matters)
BIP‑39 seed phrases are more than a list of words, they’re a sequence. Change the order and the underlying private key changes, making your backup useless. Some beginners try “scrambling” the words for extra security, but that only guarantees permanent loss.
Blockstream Jade Fix: During backup, Jade randomly asks you to confirm word positions (“Word 7?”, “Word 15?”) ensuring the exact sequence is correct. The restore test (Mistake #3) repeats the check.
Beginner Tip: Number each word (1‑24) as you write, or use a two‑column layout so you can’t accidentally swap positions.
Quick Checklist
- 📴 Generate your seed offline on Jade Plus.
- ✍️ Write it down on paper or metal - never digital.
- 🔁 Restore your wallet once to make sure the backup works.
- 👀 Generate and back up in a private, secure space.
- 🔐 Store your seed phrase in a safe place.
- 🗂️ Keep the words in their exact order - number them 1‑24.
Follow those steps and you’ll avoid the most common rookie mistakes.
Ready to Secure Your Bitcoin?
Jade Plus is fully open source, and beginner‑friendly. Take the first step toward true ownership:
Learn More
- Seed Phrase 101 – the basics in plain English
- Glossary – confused by a term? Look it up here.