Cake Wallet seed phrase and backup guide
Write down each wallet's recovery phrase on paper, in order, and for a 25-word Monero seed also note the restore height shown next to it. The encrypted backup file in App settings is a useful extra, but it needs its own backup password and only restores onto a fresh install, so it never replaces the phrase.
Quick steps
- Open Recovery & Keys. Open the settings from the home screen, find the wallet's Recovery & Keys entry and authenticate with your PIN or biometrics.
- Note the seed type and word count. Write down how many words there are and the seed type, such as Polyseed, Legacy 25 words, BIP39 or Electrum. This saves guesswork when you restore.
- Copy the words by hand. Write every word in order and number them. Check the spelling against the screen. Do not screenshot or copy them to the clipboard.
- Add the extras. If a restore height is shown, write it down. If you set a passphrase, store it separately but just as safely. Repeat for every wallet that is not in a wallet group.
- Optionally export a backup file. In the app's backup settings, save the generated backup password first, then export the backup file and keep it on a USB drive or encrypted cloud storage.
- Test your backup. Before you hold large amounts, confirm you can read every word. A restore test on a second device or after a reinstall is the strongest check.
Your recovery phrase, also called a seed phrase or mnemonic, is the master key to a wallet. Anyone who has it can take the funds, and if you lose it while your phone is lost, nobody can help, because Cake Wallet is self-custody. Cake Wallet never asks for your phrase and never messages you first: anyone who does is trying to steal from you.
Seed types in Cake Wallet
Each wallet in the app has its own phrase unless it belongs to a wallet group. The word count tells you a lot. Our seed type checker works from the word count alone; never type the words themselves into any website.
| Words | Type | Used for | Restore height needed? |
|---|---|---|---|
| 16 | Polyseed | Monero, the current default (Polyseed arrived in version 4.11, December 2023) | No, the creation date is stored in the phrase |
| 25 | Legacy Monero seed | Older Cake Monero wallets, Monero GUI and CLI, MyMonero, Exodus desktop export | Strongly recommended |
| 12 or 24 | BIP39 | Bitcoin, Litecoin, Ethereum and other EVM chains, most other coins, and optional for Monero (12 words only) | Yes for Monero: the restore form asks for a height or date. Not for ordinary Bitcoin or EVM wallets |
| 12 | Electrum-style | Optional for Bitcoin under advanced settings | No |
A warning for old Bitcoin wallets: Cake Wallet versions from 2020 to 2021 created weak 12-word Electrum-style Bitcoin seeds. If you still hold Bitcoin in a Cake wallet from that period, move it to a newly created wallet. The details are in Cake Wallet security history. Monero wallets were not affected.
What exactly to write down
- All the words, in order. One missing or swapped word is enough to break a restore.
- The coin and seed type. For example "Monero, Polyseed 16" or "Bitcoin, BIP39 12". Restoring a Monero phrase with the wrong seed type selected fails.
- The restore height for Monero legacy and BIP39 seeds. For 25-word wallets the Recovery & Keys screen shows a block height next to the words. It tells a restored wallet where to start scanning. Without it you can still restore by choosing a date, but a guess that is too late hides older transactions. See restore height explained.
- Any passphrase. A BIP39 or Monero passphrase turns the same words into a different wallet. Store it separately from the words but with the same care.
- Which wallets share a phrase. If you use wallet groups, note which coins belong to the group so you know what to add back after a restore.
Where to find the phrase later
Open settings from the home screen, choose the wallet's Recovery & Keys entry and authenticate. Since version 6.4.5 (September 2026) you tick three acknowledgements before the words appear (Cake Wallet release notes, 2026). Tabs show the phrase and the keys. Each wallet has its own set, so repeat this for every wallet you own.
The keys tab contains private keys and, for Bitcoin and Litecoin, an xPub. The xPub is view-only: it can be imported elsewhere as a watch-only wallet, but it reveals your addresses and history, so share it only with apps you trust. Entries such as a WIF or private key can spend funds and must never be shared.
Wallet groups: one phrase, several coins
Wallet groups let one BIP39 phrase back up one wallet per coin. You write down one set of words for the whole group. Default Monero wallets (Polyseed or 25 words) cannot join; create Monero with the BIP39 seed type if you want it in a group (Cake Wallet docs, 2026). The trade-off: a single phrase now controls everything in the group, so losing it, or exposing it, affects every coin at once.
The encrypted backup file
Cake Wallet can export all wallets and settings as one encrypted file. Find it under the app settings' backup option; you will need your PIN or biometrics, plus a 2FA code if you turned that on.
- The app generates a backup password. Save it before exporting: the app warns that you will not be able to import your backup files without it. You can set your own password, but Cake advises against it.
- Tap Export backup. Creating the file can take up to a minute. On Android you can save it to Downloads; on iPhone the share sheet opens.
- Keep the file as delivered: a
.zipwhose name starts withcake_wallet_backup_. Do not unzip or rename its contents. - Store it on a reputable USB drive or encrypted cloud storage. Cake's docs give Proton Drive as an example.
Limits to know: the file restores only onto a fresh install with no wallets, it needs the backup password (not your PIN), and a damaged copy shows checksum errors. Cake's docs say recovery phrases can always restore your wallets when a backup file cannot.
Storing the phrase safely
| Method | Good for | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|
| Paper, in a safe place | Simple, offline | Fire, water, fading ink; keep a second copy elsewhere |
| Metal plate | Fire and water resistance | Cost; still readable by anyone who finds it |
| Encrypted password manager | Convenience, sync | Your master password and device security now protect the funds |
| Screenshots, photos, notes apps, email | Nothing | Cloud sync and malware can leak them; Cake's docs say avoid |
Never type your phrase into a website, a form or a chat, even one that looks like support. Cake's docs warn against sharing it to have it "checked". If a phrase may have been exposed, create a new wallet and move the funds at once; changing the PIN does not help.
Frequently asked questions
Is the backup file enough on its own?
No. It needs the backup password, restores only onto a fresh install and can be damaged. Keep every wallet's recovery phrase as the main backup.
Does Polyseed need a restore height?
No. A 16-word Polyseed stores the wallet's creation date, so Cake Wallet knows where to start scanning. Legacy 25-word and BIP39 Monero seeds benefit from a written restore height.
Is my PIN part of the backup?
No. The PIN only unlocks the app on one device. The backup file uses a separate backup password, and a seed restore needs no PIN from the old device.
Can I back up by taking a screenshot?
Cake's docs advise against screenshots, notes apps and unencrypted cloud storage, because photos sync to the cloud and can be read by other apps.
I have several coins. How many phrases do I need?
One per wallet, unless the wallets are in a wallet group, which shares a single BIP39 phrase. Check the Wallets tab to see which wallets share a seed.