Create Hidden Wallet with Passphrase¶
If your wallet supports a BIP39 passphrase, this page shows you how to create the hidden wallet it opens, prove the two wallets are separate, and store the passphrase so the second wallet is not lost.
Check the wallet first
Only wallets that support BIP39 passphrases can do this. If your app has no passphrase option, there is nothing to enable, and a third-party tool that offers to add one is not a substitute.
Who this is for¶
Readers who want a second wallet behind the same recovery phrase, for savings or for separating activity. Skip this page if your wallet does not offer the feature; no workaround changes that.
Before you start¶
- A wallet whose own documentation mentions a passphrase, a 25th word, or a hidden wallet.
- Your recovery phrase written down and confirmed to restore the current wallet.
- An offline place for the passphrase that is not the place holding the phrase.
Steps¶
1. Confirm the option exists in your wallet¶
Open the wallet's settings and account menus and look for Passphrase, Advanced, or Hidden wallet. Read the app's own description of what it does. If the option is missing, stop here; do not install a tool that claims to add it.
2. Write the passphrase down before you type it¶
Decide the exact characters, including case, spaces, and symbols, and record them on paper first. A passphrase has no word list and no checksum, so one different character opens a different, empty wallet.
3. Create the hidden wallet¶
Enter the passphrase when the wallet asks for it, at setup or at unlock. The wallet derives a new address from the same phrase plus the passphrase. Copy that address and label it, so you do not confuse it with the original.
4. Prove the two wallets are separate¶
Unlock once with the phrase alone and note the address. Unlock again with the phrase and the passphrase and note the second address. Fund the hidden address with a small test amount and confirm the explorer shows the balance at that address.
5. Store the passphrase separately from the phrase¶
Keep them in different places, on different media, and never in the same photograph, note, or password manager entry. Anyone who obtains both has the hidden wallet; anyone who obtains neither has nothing.
Verify it worked¶
- The two addresses differ, and only the hidden address shows the test balance.
- Restoring the phrase alone returns the original wallet, not the hidden one.
- The explorer shows the test transfer at the hidden address.
- You can retrieve the written passphrase without opening the wallet app.
Troubleshooting¶
| Problem | What to do |
|---|---|
| The passphrase opens an empty wallet at a new address | A character differs from what you recorded. Try the written version exactly, including spaces. |
| The wallet shows no passphrase option | The feature is not supported in that app or version. Do not use a workaround. |
| You lost the passphrase | The hidden wallet cannot be restored. The phrase alone still opens the original wallet. |
| The passphrase was stored next to the phrase | Move the hidden balance to a new wallet with a new phrase, then redo the setup. |
| A website offered to "check" your passphrase | Treat the hidden wallet as exposed and move its balance. |
Next steps¶
- What Is a Passphrase? — why the 25th word is not a second password.
- Keep Your Keys Safe — a storage routine for everything you cannot reset.
- Loss Prevention — what losing the passphrase actually costs you.
- Free Recovery Phrase Scam — why a "recovery service" that asks for the phrase is the end of the wallet.
Self-check¶
- My wallet's own documentation mentions passphrases or a 25th word.
- I recorded the passphrase offline before creating the wallet.
- I have unlocked both wallets once to confirm which address each opens.
- The passphrase and the recovery phrase are stored apart.