# Seed phrase: what it is and why you must never share it What a seed phrase is, where it matters, how to store it and what to do if you lose it. https://shiba-bank.com/en/guides/seed-phrase Updated 2026-10-02 ยท 5 min read A seed phrase (also called a recovery phrase or secret recovery phrase) is a list of 12 or 24 words that a wallet app creates on your device when you set up a wallet. It is the only way to get your coins back if you lose your phone, and at the same time it is the key to them: whoever knows the phrase can move the coins. So you never tell it to anyone and never type it anywhere except into your own wallet app. ## What a seed phrase is The app picks the words at random, and their order matters. The keys are derived from the phrase. Fragment calls it "the equivalent of your password" and warns that without a safe copy the wallet, the funds and the collectibles are lost irreversibly. The number of words depends on the wallet. According to Keeper's help (Keeper is the new name of Tonkeeper since September 2026), the phrase has 12 or 24 words. Walt's DeFi Account uses 24 words under the BIP-39 standard. ## Which wallets have a seed phrase A phrase exists where only you hold the keys: - **Keeper (formerly Tonkeeper).** The phrase is generated on your device and stays there, as the app's App Store description puts it; Keeper does not store it and cannot restore it. More: [Tonkeeper, now Keeper](https://shiba-bank.com/en/guides/tonkeeper). - **DeFi Account in Walt** (formerly TON Wallet). A self-custodial wallet inside Walt; Walt cannot restore access if you lose the phrase. - **Gram Wallet.** Telegram's own non-custodial wallet: Pavel Durov announced it in September 2026, and it began reaching users gradually. Here too the keys are yours; how recovery works is shown on the app's own screens. And there is no phrase where the service holds your coins: - **Walt (@walt, formerly Wallet in Telegram).** By Walt's description, its main account is custodial: the platform manages the keys for you. - **@CryptoBot and xRocket.** These wallet bots also keep the coins for you, and you sign in with your Telegram account. Protect the Telegram account itself: turn on a [cloud password](https://shiba-bank.com/en/guides/telegram-password) and read [how to protect your account](https://shiba-bank.com/en/guides/protect-account). Wallet bots versus wallets of your own: [crypto wallets in Telegram](https://shiba-bank.com/en/guides/crypto-wallet-telegram). ## Where you must never type a seed phrase - **Websites and mini apps.** A wallet connects to a site through TON Connect: per TON's documentation, the app sees only the address and requests signatures, never your keys. If a site or a bot asks for the phrase, it is not TON Connect โ€” it is a scam. - **"Support" and "admin" chats.** Walt says its support never messages you first in private and never asks for a secret recovery phrase. - **"Verifications", "updates" and "migrations".** The renaming of TON to GRAM required no action from coin holders, so an offer to "swap your old TON" or "confirm your wallet" is a scam. Tonkeeper became Keeper with the same wallet and keys: no site or bot needs your phrase for a "move to Keeper". - **A "Fragment API".** On Fragment you connect a wallet with the "Connect TON" button and no phrase is needed, and Fragment's own description does not mention an API for developers. A service asking for your phrase "for Fragment API access" wants your coins. See [the Stars API and Fragment API](https://shiba-bank.com/en/guides/telegram-stars-api) and [Fragment](https://shiba-bank.com/en/guides/fragment). - **Clouds, chats and screenshots.** Do not photograph the phrase or save it in a cloud or a chat. Other schemes around Stars, gifts and wallets are in [scams in Telegram](https://shiba-bank.com/en/guides/telegram-scams). ## How to store a seed phrase 1. Write the words down on paper, in order, when you create the wallet. 2. Keep the note offline, out of strangers' reach. Keeper and Walt both advise against a cloud, a messenger or a screenshot. 3. A second copy in another safe place is sensible. 4. If someone may have seen the phrase, move all coins at once to a new wallet with a new phrase, as Walt recommends. ## What to do if you forgot or lost your seed phrase The phrase is the only way to bring a wallet back on a new device. Keeper's help says it cannot help; Walt says that without the phrase the funds cannot be restored. DeFi Account also has an e-mail backup, but it will not help if you have lost both the keys and access to Telegram or the device. - If the wallet still opens on your device, look in its settings for a backup section and write the phrase down at once. The exact path is in your wallet's help. - If the wallet is gone from the device and you have no phrase, the coins cannot be recovered. Do not believe anyone who promises to "restore" such a wallet: even Keeper cannot, according to its help. - In wallet bots โ€” Walt, @CryptoBot, xRocket โ€” access is tied to your Telegram account, not to a phrase: it is the account that you need to recover. The Shiba Bank bot never asks for a secret phrase, a login code or a password: Stars arrive on the account by @username, and you confirm a crypto payment in your own wallet. ## Frequently asked questions ### What is a seed phrase? A list of 12 or 24 words that a wallet creates on your device: the only way to restore the wallet, and the key to the coins. ### What if I forgot my seed phrase? If the wallet is still open on your device, find its backup in the settings and write the phrase down. If both are gone, the coins cannot be restored. ### Who can I show my seed phrase to? Nobody. Support, a bot, an "admin" or a website must never ask for it. ### Do I need a seed phrase in @CryptoBot or xRocket? No: the service holds the coins and you sign in with your Telegram account. Protect the account with a cloud password.