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
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
-
Click the menu icon on your homepage and navigate to Settings > 'Security & privacy' OR click on the account dropdown and three dots to open the 'Account details' page
-
If you are in Settings > Security & privacy, click the ‘Reveal Secret Recovery Phrase' button and select the SRP you want to reveal (if multiple); if you are on the account’s page, click on ‘Secret Recovery Phrase’ to reveal
- Answer two brief questions to confirm you understand the implications of self-custody.
- With the questions correctly answered, enter your password, and click 'Next'.
- Press the ‘Hold to reveal SRP’ button to reveal your Secret Recovery Phrase.
- Tap the menu icon in the homepage and navigate to Settings > Security and privacy OR tap the account selector at the top of the wallet view and tap the three vertical dots next to the account whose SRP you want to reveal
- If you are in Settings > Security & privacy, tap the ‘Reveal Secret Recovery Phrase' button and select the SRP you want to reveal (if multiple); if you are on the account’s page, click on ‘Secret Recovery Phrase’ to reveal
- Enter your password and tap 'Next'.
- 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.