Although you may be excited to start using your Blockstream Green wallet immediately, there are a few important things to remember when creating a new wallet to ensure that your funds are kept safe. 1. Carefully Record your Recovery Phrase The recovery phrase is absolutely necessary to access your funds if something goes wrong in the future (e.g. your phone breaks, you forget your PIN, etc). When you are recording your recovery phrase, keep the following things in mind: Record the recovery phrase offline using a pen and paper to mitigate the risk of hacks.Write clearly so you don’t misread it later on. Do not take a screenshot or store in a notepad application. Be careful to use the correct spelling for each word. You will not be able to restore your wallet if any of the words are misspelled. Write down all 12 or 24 words. A 12-word recovery phrase is not usable with only 11 or fewer words. Keep the words in the correct order. If any of the words are out of order, Blockstream Green will consider the recovery phrase to be invalid. Tip: For additional security, you may use a hardware wallet such as Blockstream Jade which will generate and store your recovery phrase offline. 2. Store Your Recovery Phrase In a Safe Place One of the most common ways people lose access to their Bitcoin or Liquid funds is by losing their recovery phrase. Also, if anyone gains access to your recovery phrase, they have one of the key pieces of information required to spend your funds. When choosing where to store your recovery phrase, you should try to choose somewhere that is: Easy to remember. Secure from anyone else reading or getting hold of it. Safe from physical hazards like fire, water, natural disasters, and children. Tip: Instead of writing down the 24 words on paper, you may prefer to record them on a Blockstream Metal or Blockstream Capsule so that your recovery phrase is extra-safe from physical hazards. 3. Set up 2FA (Multisig Shield Only) Setting up 2FA will ensure that any bitcoin or Liquid assets you receive are protected by 2FA from the moment you start using the wallet. 2FA is a key part of Blockstream Green’s multisig security. To learn more about Green's different security policies, view the guide here. Tip: Google Authenticator and email are the most secure 2FA options.
