A yearly backup health check

Backups do not fail on their own schedule, and they do not warn you. A short annual check catches problems while you can still fix them. This how-to is part of our guide to crypto inheritance and recovery.

What can go wrong in a year

• Paper fades, gets damp or is thrown away.
• A relative moves, or a bank closes a branch.
• You forget which wallet you used.
• A device stops being supported.
• Your family situation changes.

Step 1: Check each backup

Do this in private. Look at every copy. Is it there? Is it readable? Has a seal been broken? If a sealed package has been opened, treat the phrase as exposed.

Step 2: Test recovery

Use your device's backup check, entering the words on the device. Our guide on how to test your backup gives the safe options. Never use a website.

Step 3: Test your passphrase

If you use a passphrase, enter it, and confirm that you reach the expected address. It is easy to forget a passphrase that you rarely use.

Step 4: Review your locations

Think through your backup layout:

• Could one event reach all your copies?
• Can you still reach each location?
• Do trusted people still live where they did?
• Has anyone learned something that they should not know?

Step 5: Check your device and software

• Update firmware if needed, carefully.
• Check that your wallet app is still supported.
• Think about whether your device has any known issues.

Step 6: Review your security

• Are your exchange and email accounts secure?
• Is your phrase on any device? Search your memory honestly.
• Have you shared what you hold with anyone new?

Step 7: Update your family plan

Refresh your inheritance letter, and check that your executor knows where it is. If your holdings have grown, ask whether your setup should grow too.

Yearly checklist

Do the same for your everyday accounts with our family password check-up.