Crypto storage devices

Physical ways to keep your crypto and your backups safe.

Crypto isn't stored on a device the way a photo is. What you really store is a secret, your private keys or the recovery phrase (usually 12 or 24 words) that can recreate them. Whoever holds the secret controls the coins. "Storage devices" are therefore about two jobs: keeping the keys safe from hackers, and keeping a backup safe from fire, flood and loss. For wallet apps and hardware wallet brands, see our wallets page.

Hardware wallets

A hardware wallet is a small dedicated gadget, often the size of a USB stick or a key fob, that generates and holds your keys offline. When you want to pay, the transaction is sent to the device, you check and approve it on the device's own screen, and only the signed result leaves. Even if your computer has a virus, the keys are never exposed. This is the most common choice for savings you plan to hold for a long time.

• Strengths: keys stay offline, approvals happen on the device, and a good device protects against most online attacks.
• Weaknesses: it costs money, can be lost or broken, and doesn't protect you if you approve a scam transaction.

Air-gapped devices

More advanced users keep keys on a device that never connects to the internet, such as a spare phone or a dedicated signing gadget, and move transactions across using QR codes or a memory card. This offers strong protection but takes more technical skill to set up correctly.

Metal backup plates

Paper can burn, fade or dissolve. Metal plates, usually stainless steel, let you stamp or engrave your recovery phrase so it survives fire, water and time. They are a backup, not a wallet: they hold the words that can restore your wallet, nothing more.

Encrypted USB drives

These are useful for keeping encrypted copies of wallet files or important documents (such as an inheritance note). Don't store your recovery phrase on any digital device that is, or may ever be, connected to the internet, and avoid photos, screenshots, emails, notes apps and cloud storage for it.

Safes and safe-deposit boxes

A fireproof home safe or a bank safe-deposit box adds physical protection for your hardware wallet and your phrase backup. Many people keep more than one backup in separate places, so that a single fire or burglary can't destroy everything. Think about the trade-off: more copies means more chances for someone to find one.

Buying safely

• Buy only from the manufacturer or an authorised reseller. Used devices and marketplace bargains can be tampered with.
• Never use a device that arrives already set up, or that comes with a pre-written recovery phrase. Legitimate devices make a new one for you.
• Check that packaging seals are intact and follow the maker's setup guide.
• Nobody genuine will ever ask for your recovery phrase, including customer support.

Good habits

• Practise a recovery. Set up, send a small amount, then check that you can restore from your backup before storing larger sums.
• Plan for the unexpected. If something happened to you, could someone you trust find and use your crypto? Consider leaving clear instructions in a safe place, without writing the phrase in the instructions.
• Don't keep everything in one place. A small amount in an everyday app, and the rest offline, limits the damage of a single mistake.

Also see how blockchain works and crypto cards.