Skip to main content

How to reveal your Secret Recovery Phrase

Does this article need to be translated?

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

note

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.

  1. Click the 3 dots on your homepage and navigate to Settings > 'Security & password’ OR click on ‘Account details’

MetaMask account details menu
item

  1. If you are in Settings, click the ‘Secret Recovery Phrases' button and select the SRP you want to reveal (if multiple); if you are on the account’s page, click on ‘Show Secret Recovery Phrase’ and select the SRP you want to reveal

MetaMask account details Show Secret Recovery Phrase
button

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

MetaMask account details SRP quiz
cover

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

MetaMask hold to reveal
SRP

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.