Standard & Passphrase wallets
The passphrase feature in Trezor Suite is a method used to increase the security of your assets by creating unique hidden wallets. This helps to protect your accounts from unauthorized access.
Passphrase basics
- A passphrase functions like an extra word added to your wallet backup (formerly recovery seed).
- Using your wallet backup alone grants access to your Standard wallet.
- Each unique combination of backup + passphrase grants access to a corresponding unique Passphrase wallet.
- You must have access to your passphrase, as it is never stored on your Trezor device! If you lose access to a passphrase, you will lose access to the associated funds.
Make sure you properly understand how the passphrase feature works before using it. Funds secured by a passphrase cannot be recovered if you lose the passphrase!
We recommend you write down your passphrase and keep it separate from both your wallet backup and Trezor device.
Decide how many copies you want to make, but consider creating an extra copy stored in a different location for added security. Do not store any of these copies digitally - this includes as a picture on your phone, a file on your computer, or in your password manager.
If you choose not to write down your passphrase, consider creating a hint that reminds you of it. Be cautious: if the hint is too hard to decipher and you forget the passphrase, or if beneficiaries need to guess it, you will lose access to your funds. Make sure the hint is clear and memorable, accounting for details like case sensitivity, spaces, or punctuation.
Standard and passphrase wallets in Trezor Suite
Trezor Suite makes it easy to choose which type of wallet you prefer to use regularly—either your Standard or Passphrase wallet(s).
This preference can be changed anytime in Device settings under the Wallet loading section.
- If you select "Standard", Trezor Suite will load the accounts associated with your wallet backup (recovery seed) by default, and you will not be prompted to enter a passphrase every time you launch Trezor Suite.
- To access a passphrase-protected hidden wallet, go to the wallet switcher in the top-left corner of Suite and click + Passphrase, then enter your passphrase.
Suite will then load the associated passphrase-protected accounts.
If you enter a passphrase and Suite discovers only empty accounts (i.e., zero balance for all activated assets), you wil then be prompted to confirm that you’re entering the correct passphrase:
If you have entered a passphrase and expect to see funds there, please read our Support article on passphrase and hidden wallet issues.
If you have the Passphrase option selected, every time you connect and unlock your Trezor, Suite will prompt you to enter a passphrase:
You can continue to load more passphrase-protected wallets via the wallet switcher and can access your Standard account (i.e., no passphrase) by clicking the + Add wallet button in the wallet switcher.
The passphrase feature provides second-factor protection of your wallet backup in case of attacks involving physical access to your Trezor device or backup.
Although the passphrase feature can be toggled on and off in the Device settings, we recommend setting up passphrase-protected wallets as part of our security best practices.
Creating new passphrase wallets
Remember:
- Passphrases are case-sensitive
- A blank space is also counted as a valid character
- Pay attention to the keyboard layout, as character maps may differ between devices
To create a new (empty) passphrase wallet, simply type your chosen passphrase in the input field (which displays the message by default) and then click Access passphrase wallet.
Confirm the passphrase again using your Trezor device by following the on-screen instructions. Trezor Suite will then check your account balances:
Since each brand-new passphrase wallet is empty to begin with, you will need to confirm that you wish to load an empty passphrase-protected hidden wallet by clicking on Yes, open.
Then read and confirm that you understand the instructions by clicking Got it, continue.
Finally, re-enter the same passphrase and click Confirm passphrase.
On-device passphrase entry
Trezor Safe 5, Trezor Safe 3, and Trezor Model T users can choose to enter the passphrase either on the host device (a computer, phone) or directly on the Trezor by using the touchscreen/buttons for added security:
Some important remarks
- The "This passphrase wallet is empty" step serves as a check that you are indeed entering the correct passphrase. You should only expect to complete this step whenever you create a new (empty) hidden wallet or when you’re accessing a hidden wallet that you know is currently unused/empty.
- If you're already holding funds in a passphrase-protected hidden wallet, you only need to enter its passphrase once and then confirm it using your Trezor device. You will then be taken directly to the Dashboard view of Trezor Suite.
- Mistyping / misspelling a passphrase will generate a new hidden wallet. There is no such thing as an passphrase.
- If you enter the passphrase of a wallet that’s already loaded in Trezor Suite, you will see the "Passphrase duplicated" message. If this is indeed the wallet you intended to load, simply click on Continue to discovered wallet, otherwise you can enter a different passphrase by selecting Try different passphrase.
Entering a passphrase to access hidden wallets via the Trezor Connect interface
Trezor Connect makes it easy to log in to websites and applications using your Trezor device. The passphrase feature is used in exactly the same way as with Trezor Suite.
Your web browser may offer to auto-fill the passphrase fields—do not do this, as it may generate a passphrase-protected hidden wallet without you knowing the passphrase.