How to back up your wallet without showing anyone your 12 words
Short answer. Write your 12 words on paper, in order. Keep the paper in a safe, private place. Never take a photo of them. Never type them into a website or a chat. Never say them out loud. Nobody from Kute will ever ask for them.
In a self-custody wallet, the 12 words are the wallet. Your phone holds a copy of the keys, but a phone can break, and you can lose it. A thief can also steal it. With your 12 words, you can restore your money on a new phone. Without them, nobody can, because Kute has no copy (Kute FAQ).
There is a second reason to back up. In Kute, if someone enters the wrong PIN six times or more on the lock screen, the app wipes the wallet from the phone. This protects you from a thief. It also means that your 12 words are your only way back.
The safe way, step by step
- Find a private moment. Make sure nobody can see your screen, in person or by camera. Stop any video call.
- Open the backup screen in Kute. The app shows the words on your phone only.
- Write each word on paper, in order, with its number. Check the spelling twice.
- Pass the check. Kute asks for 4 random words from your list to make sure that you wrote them correctly.
- Put the paper in a safe, dry place that only you, or a person you trust, can get to.
What Kute does to keep the words private
- Your phone makes the words. The app never sends them to Kute.
- On Android, the app blocks screenshots of secret screens. On iPhone, the app hides the words while someone records the screen.
- If you copy the words, the app clears them from the clipboard after 60 seconds.
- The app never sends your words, or even how many words you have, to analytics.
Do and do not
| Do | Do not |
|---|---|
| Write the words on paper, by hand | Take a photo or a screenshot |
| Keep the paper offline, in a private place | Save them in email, notes apps or cloud drives |
| Think about a second copy in another safe place | Type them into any website, form or chat |
| Tell someone you trust where the backup is, if you want them to be able to help your family | Read them out loud on a call or show them on camera |
| Restore only inside the wallet app, on your own phone | Give them to "support", even if they look official |
The one rule that stops most theft
Kute never DMs first and never asks for your 12 words. No real support team needs them. If someone asks, on any app, by email or by phone, they want your money. Block the person. Then report the account.
What the 12 words restore
In Kute, one set of 12 words restores your spending wallet: your Bitcoin, your dollars and your Lightning address. A hardware wallet you pair is different. It has its own words. Back them up the way the device maker tells you. Read more in hot wallet vs hardware wallet.
Some Kute wallets use a passkey instead of 12 words. This guide is for wallets with 12 words.
Want the bigger picture? Read what self-custody means, and what Kute can and cannot see.
Questions people ask
It is safer to keep them offline on paper. Anyone who gets into an online account can read everything in it.
Sources
- Kute FAQ, kutewallet.com
- Kute app documentation: wallets, keys and security, October 2026
- Kute app documentation: analytics rules, October 2026
This post explains how things work. It is not advice about what to do with your money. Features and fees can change; the app shows the current fee before you confirm.