Your seed phrase

When you create a wallet, you get a seed phrase: a list of common words in a fixed order, usually 12. Some tools also offer 24 words.

The seed phrase is not a backup of your wallet. It is your wallet. Every key in it is created from those words, so anyone who has them can rebuild the wallet on their own device and move everything in it.

It is also how you get your wallet back. If you lose your phone or forget your password, the seed phrase restores the wallet on a new device. Your password only unlocks the wallet on the device you set it on.

A seed phrase cannot be changed or reset. If you lose it and lose access to your device, the funds are gone, and no one can recover them for you.