How to reveal your Secret Recovery Phrase safely

When dealing with crypto assets, it is vital to back up your wallet’s Secret Recovery (mnemonic) Phrase or individual accounts' private keys in case the unexpected occurs.

Remember, your SRP is used to create and restore your entire wallet, including all accounts created in that wallet. Each account derived from the SRP has its own private key. So if you have your SRP, you have access to all your accounts derived from that SRP (example: “Account 1”, “Account 2”, “Account 3”), but if you only have Account 1’s private key, you cannot access the other accounts.

So make sure you have the one true key—your SRP—backed up in a safe place.

For more on seed phrases and your Secret Recovery Phrase, see here.

Revealing your SRP

warning

DO NOT share this phrase with anyone! These words can be used to steal all your accounts. You can't edit or change your Secret Recovery Phrase.

If, for some reason, you forgot to record your Secret Recovery Phrase or you lost the original copy, as long as your MetaMask account is still unlocked and you have your password, you can reveal your Secret Recovery Phrase.

• Extension
• Mobile

Option 1: Via Settings

1. Click the menu icon on your homepage and navigate to ‘Settings’ > ‘Security and password’ > ‘Manage wallet recovery’.
2. Select the Secret Recovery Phrase you want to reveal and click ‘Reveal’.

Option 2: Via the account dropdown

1. Click the account selector dropdown at the top of your MetaMask interface, then click the three vertical dots next to the account whose SRP you want to reveal.
2. Click ‘Account details’, then click ‘Secret Recovery Phrase’.

3. Answer two brief questions to confirm you understand the implications of self-custody.

4. With the questions correctly answered, enter your password, and click 'Next'.
5. Press the ‘Hold to reveal SRP’ button to reveal your Secret Recovery Phrase.

Option 1: Via Settings

1. Tap the menu icon in the top right and navigate to ‘Settings’ > ‘Security and privacy’.
2. Tap ‘Reveal Secret Recovery Phrase’ and select the SRP you want to reveal.

Option 2: Via the account dropdown

1. Tap the account selector at the top of the wallet view, then tap the three vertical dots next to the account whose SRP you want to reveal.

2. Tap ‘Account details’, then tap ‘Secret Recovery Phrase’.

3. Enter your password and tap 'Next'.

4. Hold the button to reveal your Secret Recovery Phrase.

Remember, the responsibility of managing the Secret Recovery Phrase is yours and yours alone. You need to keep it secure and not share it, as MetaMask cannot retrieve it for you if it's lost. Back that phrase up.