Your Trust Wallet recovery phrase is the one thing that can always bring your wallet back. Trust Wallet calls it your Secret Phrase: usually 12 words, though Trust Wallet will also restore a 24-word phrase from another wallet. This guide shows you where to find it, why it sometimes won't import or restores an empty wallet, and what your real options are if words are missing or the phrase is gone.
We recover crypto wallets for a living, seed-phrase cases included, so we'll tell you what's realistic.
What is the Trust Wallet Secret Phrase?
Your Secret Phrase (also called a recovery phrase, seed phrase, or mnemonic) is a list of words that generates every private key and address in your Trust Wallet. Whoever has it controls the wallet, from any device.
- Trust Wallet creates 12-word phrases. When you set up a new wallet, you get 12 words.
- It restores 12 or 24 words. You can import a 24-word phrase from another wallet.
- It uses the BIP39 standard, so every word comes from a fixed list of 2,048 English words, and the last word works partly as a checksum.
- Only you have it. Trust Wallet doesn't store your phrase, so its support team can't look it up or recover it.
A 12-word phrase looks like a random list of everyday words, such as "ocean tribe garment ladder...". Any phrase you see published online, including in an example, must never hold real funds.
How to find your recovery phrase in Trust Wallet
If you can still open Trust Wallet, you can view your Secret Phrase and write it down. Do it now.
Mobile app
- Open Trust Wallet and unlock it with your passcode or biometrics.
- Tap the wallet name at the top of the screen.
- Tap the three dots (…) next to the wallet.
- Choose Manual Backup and enter your passcode.
- Write down the words in order.
Trust Wallet blocks screenshots on this screen, and that's for your protection. Use paper.
Browser extension
- Unlock the extension with your password.
- Open Manage Wallets from the wallet selector.
- Choose Back up your Secret Phrase, or select the wallet and choose Secret Phrase.
- Re-enter your password and click Verify and Reveal.
Older app versions
In older versions of the mobile app, the phrase was under Settings → Wallets → (i) → Show Secret Phrase. Many videos still show this route.
Can't open the app or extension? If you've forgotten your passcode or extension password, read our Trust Wallet password recovery guide before you reset anything.
Recovery phrase vs password vs private key
- Secret Phrase: restores the whole wallet, on any device. That's this guide.
- Passcode or extension password: unlocks Trust Wallet on one device. Lose it and you can restore from the phrase. Lose both, and an encrypted backup or extension may still get you back in; see our password recovery guide.
- Private key: controls a single address on a single network. You can export one from Trust Wallet, but it won't restore the rest of your wallet.
How to restore Trust Wallet with your phrase
- Install Trust Wallet from the official app store or trustwallet.com.
- Choose I already have a wallet, then Secret Phrase.
- Enter your 12 (or 24) words in order and name the wallet.
- Tap Restore wallet.
If some tokens don't appear after restoring, you may need to add them manually or switch on the right network. Your funds are on the blockchain, not in the app.
"Invalid" phrase, or an empty wallet after import
If Trust Wallet says your phrase is invalid
The words are usually close, with one detail off:
- A misspelled word. Each word must match the BIP39 list exactly. The first four letters of each word (or the whole word, if it's shorter) are enough to identify it, which helps with messy handwriting.
- Words out of order, or two words swapped. The checksum fails.
- One wrong word. Even a single wrong word usually makes the whole phrase invalid.
- Extra spaces or capitals. Enter the words in lowercase, separated by single spaces.
- A phrase that isn't BIP39. Some wallets use their own formats, so a phrase from another app may not import.
If the phrase restores but the wallet is empty
This is alarming, but often nothing is lost:
- One word is slightly wrong but the phrase still passed. The checksum catches most mistakes, but roughly 1 in 16 wrong 12-word phrases still passes, and it opens a valid, empty wallet. Check every word against your original.
- The tokens are on a network you haven't enabled, or they need to be added manually.
- The phrase came from another wallet that uses different derivation paths for some networks, so Trust Wallet looks at different addresses.
If you're sure the funds were there and none of this explains it, we can check your phrase against the addresses you expect.
Missing one or more words
Trust Wallet's support says that even one missing or misplaced word makes recovery impossible. Inside the Trust Wallet app, that's true: the import screen needs every word. But it isn't the end. Because of the checksum, a missing word can usually be found by testing the possibilities offline:
- One missing word, and you know where it goes: 2,048 possibilities, and only about 128 pass the checksum for a 12-word phrase. Checking those against your address takes minutes.
- One missing word, position unknown: about 24,600 possibilities, roughly 1,500 of them valid. Still quick.
- Two missing words: about 4.2 million possibilities if you know the positions. A real search, but very winnable.
- Three or more: billions of combinations. Harder, but sometimes possible, especially if you remember a few letters.
- Words written in the wrong order: often recoverable for a 12-word phrase.
What helps most: the words you have, in the order you believe they go; any letters you remember from the missing words; and a wallet address you know held funds, so the search can confirm the right wallet.
If you're missing words, this is exactly what we do. Crypto Asset Recovery reconstructs incomplete and invalid recovery phrases offline, testing every valid combination against your wallet's addresses on air-gapped machines. You only pay if we succeed.
Seed recovery means working with the words you still have, so you'll share your partial phrase with us. Share it only with a recovery service you've verified, never with anyone who contacts you first. For more on the method, see our guide to recovering a seed phrase with a missing word.
Lost the phrase completely
Still logged in? Back it up right now
If Trust Wallet still opens on any phone or browser, view your Secret Phrase there (see the steps above) and write it down before anything else happens.
Have a cloud backup or the extension, but forgot the password?
If you turned on Trust Wallet's encrypted iCloud or Google Drive backup, or the browser extension is still installed, your Secret Phrase is stored there, encrypted with a password. A forgotten password is often recoverable. Read our Trust Wallet password recovery guide.
Nothing left?
With no phrase, no backup, and no device that still has the wallet, the wallet is very likely unrecoverable. Nobody can rebuild a 12-word phrase from nothing. We'd rather tell you that plainly than sell you false hope.
Can you change your Trust Wallet recovery phrase?
No. The phrase is the wallet. If your phrase may have been exposed, create a new wallet in Trust Wallet, back up its new Secret Phrase, and send your funds to it. Then stop using the old one.
SWIFT wallets don't have a recovery phrase
Trust Wallet's SWIFT wallets use a passkey stored in iCloud Keychain or Google Password Manager instead of a Secret Phrase. Trust Wallet is retiring SWIFT, and new users can no longer create one. If you have a SWIFT wallet, there's no phrase to find; your passkey account is your backup.
Recovery phrase scams to avoid
- "Seed phrases with balance" lists and generators. Posts and PDFs share phrases for wallets that appear to hold money. It's bait: the wallet is set up so you can't withdraw, and the "fee" you deposit to move the funds is stolen. Trust Wallet's advice: never use a recovery phrase someone else gave you.
- Fake support. Trust Wallet support never contacts you first, never asks for your recovery phrase, and never asks for remote access. Fake "helpline" and WhatsApp numbers are everywhere in search results.
- Phishing sites and fake apps that ask you to "verify" or "sync" your wallet by entering your phrase. Download Trust Wallet only from official app stores or trustwallet.com.
- "Unlock" fees for view-only wallets or frozen funds. A scam every time.
Keep your phrase safe from here on
- Write all the words in order, numbered, on paper or stamped in metal.
- Keep two copies in separate safe places.
- Never store it as a photo, screenshot, note, or cloud file.
- If you use Trust Wallet's cloud backup, keep its encryption password somewhere safe, separate from your phone.
- Never type your phrase into a website or give it to anyone who contacts you.
How does Trust Wallet hold up overall? Read our Trust Wallet safety review.
Why Choose Crypto Asset Recovery to Recover Your Trust Wallet?
- Secure, offline recovery. Searches run on air-gapped, offline machines, so your keys are never exposed online.
- Thousands of wallets recovered across Trust Wallet, MetaMask, Blockchain.com, and more.
- Success-based pricing. You only pay if we get you back in.
- Talk to a real person. Reach out any time, and you can get on a Zoom with our founders, the father-and-son team Chris and Charles.
- Featured in BBC, Forbes, Vice, The Block, and Business Insider.
Frequently asked questions
Is the Trust Wallet recovery phrase 12 or 24 words? Trust Wallet creates 12-word phrases. It can also restore 24-word phrases from other wallets.
Where is my Trust Wallet recovery phrase? Only where you wrote it down, or inside Trust Wallet itself. In the mobile app, tap the wallet name, then the three dots, then Manual Backup. In the extension, go to Manage Wallets and choose Back up your Secret Phrase. Trust Wallet doesn't keep a copy.
Can I recover Trust Wallet without the recovery phrase? Only if you have another route in: a device where Trust Wallet still opens, an encrypted iCloud or Google Drive backup, or the browser extension. A forgotten password on a backup or extension is often recoverable. With none of these, the wallet usually can't be recovered.
My phrase only has 11 words. Can it be fixed? Very likely. One missing word leaves about 2,048 possibilities, and the checksum cuts that to about 128 if you know where the gap is. Testing those against your wallet's address is fast.
Why does Trust Wallet say my Secret Phrase is invalid? Usually because of a misspelled word, words in the wrong order, an extra space, or a word that isn't on the BIP39 list. Check each word carefully. If it still fails, a word may be misread, and that can often be found by testing the candidates offline.
Can Trust Wallet support recover my phrase? No. Trust Wallet never stores your Secret Phrase. Anyone claiming to be Trust Wallet support who offers to recover it, or asks you for it, is a scammer.
Can I change my Trust Wallet recovery phrase? No. To get a new phrase, create a new wallet and move your funds to it.
