Recovery phrase or backup?
A recovery phrase is a key. A backup is a copy of what the key opens. One without the other restores nothing.
Last reviewed 10 November 2026.
The key and the box
Imagine a locked box and a key. Twelve recovery words are the key. A backup file is a copy of the box. If you lose your phone, the key does not bring the box back, and a box without its key cannot be opened.
What a twelve-word phrase is
It is a human-readable encoding of 128 bits of randomness generated on your device, using a standard word list of 2,048 English words. Twelve words from that list give a number far too large to guess. The words are not a password you choose, so they cannot be weak in the way a short password can.
What it can do alone
On the same phone, if you forget your pattern or passphrase, the phrase lets you set a new one. The files are still on the device and become reachable again.
What a backup adds
A backup file carries the encrypted contents of one vault. It is how files travel to a new device. On its own, it is unreadable to anyone without that vault’s phrase.
Looking after both
- Store the phrase offline, away from the phone and away from the backup file.
- Do not photograph the phrase or keep it in notes next to the backup, or you remove the separation that protects you.
- If you ever replace a phrase, make a new backup. An older backup still needs the older phrase.
- Refresh the backup after adding important files. It is a snapshot, not a live copy.
See also how Cipher’s backup file works.