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Coldcard Hardware Wallet
Coldcard Hardware Wallet
  • Why we recommend Coldcard
  • Guide Overview
  • Wasabi Wallet companion app
  • ๐ŸฐSecurity Overview
    • Is Coldcard secure?
    • Securing the wallet: overview of the basics
    • How people lose their Bitcoin
  • ๐Ÿ”Create your wallet & backup
    • What you need
    • Initializing the device
    • Coldcard PIN Overview
    • PIN Steps
    • Updating the Firmware
      • Verifying the Firmware
    • Wallet backup basics
    • Create Wallet backup
      • Dice Roll Method (optional)
      • MicroSD backup (optional)
    • Seed XOR (optional)
      • Steps for Seed XOR
      • Restoring from Seed XOR
    • Passphrase Overview
    • Steps for adding a passphrase
      • Lockdown Seed
    • Installing Wasabi Wallet
      • Verifying Wasabi Wallet
    • Connecting to Wasabi Wallet
      • Air-Gapped Coldcard (optional)
  • โ›“๏ธHow to use Coldcard with Wasabi Wallet
    • Steps for receiving Bitcoin payments
    • Steps for sending Bitcoin
      • Privacy/Coin Control
      • PSBT Method (optional)
  • ๐ŸนMore Features
    • PIN Security Features
    • Power & Login
    • Address Explorer
    • BIP-85 Wallets
      • Using BIP-85 with Wasabi
  • โš ๏ธSummary
    • DO's & DONT's
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  1. Create your wallet & backup

Wallet backup basics

Before you create a backup for your Bitcoin Wallet, make sure to understand what you are doing by reading this section.

PreviousVerifying the FirmwareNextCreate Wallet backup

Last updated 3 years ago

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The most important job of a Bitcoin Wallet is generating and managing cryptographic private keys which allow you to control your Bitcoin. The keys are generated and stored on the device itself.

Creating a backup means exporting these keys from the device and making a physical copy of them.

If the device on which your Bitcoin private keys are stored is lost, broken, stolen or otherwise inaccessible, you can import the physical backup into a new device and your Bitcoin will be recovered there.

โ›”๏ธ THIS IS THE MOST IMPORTANT PART. TAKE A MINUTE TO READ ALL THE INSTRUCTIONS FIRST. DO NOT SKIP. โ›”๏ธ

A Bitcoin backup consists of a series of 24 words generated randomly by the Coldcardโ€™s secure element.

These words, in combination with your passphrase, allow you to recover access to the keys of your Bitcoin wallet in case you lose them.

There are 5 rules to making a Bitcoin backup;

  1. If you do not have a backup and you lose access to the Coldcard, you will lose access to the Bitcoin permanently.

  2. If you have a backup but you forgot the passphrase, you will lose access to the Bitcoin permanently.

  3. If someone finds the backup of your wallet, they cannot steal your money unless they also know your passphrase.

  4. Never store your passphrase in the same place as your backup. If someone finds the backup and they also know your passphrase, they will be able to take your bitcoin.

5. Don't take a picture, print or share your words

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Example of a 24-word backup, PIN and anti-phishing words.
Scenarios where you can lose your funds.