Guide
How to Recover Phantom on a New Phone: Safely Move Your Wallet with Your Seed Phrase
The short answer
Recovering Phantom on a new phone is simple. Install the Phantom app on your new device, tap "I Already Have a Wallet," and enter your Secret Recovery Phrase (12 or 24 words) in the exact right order. Your old accounts, tokens, and NFTs all reappear. There is no need to transfer data directly from the old phone: your keys point to assets that live on the blockchain, so as long as you have the recovery phrase you can recreate the same wallet on any number of devices. The flip side is that without this phrase, recovery is essentially impossible (unless you set up the "seedless" option and sign in with Apple/Google).
Key takeaways
- All you need to recover is your Secret Recovery Phrase (12 or 24 words). No device-to-device data transfer is required.
- On the new phone, tap "I Already Have a Wallet" and enter your recovery phrase with the correct order, correct spelling, and a single space between words.
- Accounts with prior on-chain activity restore automatically. Extra accounts you created but never used must be re-added manually via "Add Account."
- If you use the "Sign in with Apple/Google" type, there is no phrase — you can only recover with the same login method plus your PIN.
First check: is your wallet the "phrase" type or the "seedless" type?
Phantom can be set up two ways, and the recovery steps are fundamentally different. Before switching phones, be sure you know which one you used.
| Type | How it was created | What you need to recover |
|---|---|---|
| Recovery-phrase type (traditional) | You wrote down 12 (or 24) words at creation | Secret Recovery Phrase |
| Seedless type (Apple/Google login) | You signed in with email or Apple/Google and started instantly | The same Apple ID / Google account / email + PIN |
With the seedless type, if you first used Apple you must recover with Apple; if you used Google you must recover with Google. If you lose the device, forget the PIN, and also lose access to the original Apple/Google account, recovery is impossible. For the basics of Phantom and account management, see How to use Phantom.
What to do before switching phones (while you still have the old device)
- Re-check your recovery phrase. On the old device, open "Settings → Security & Privacy → Show Secret Recovery Phrase" and, after biometric authentication, display the 12/24 words. Copy them onto paper (avoid screenshots or cloud notes).
- Verify your copy out loud. Cross-check the order, spelling, and word count one word at a time. This step is the single biggest reason recovery later fails.
- If you don't have the phrase, write it down right now. If you don't record it while it can still be displayed, you lose it the moment you factory-reset or trade in the old device.
For why we recommend keeping a written backup, see Storing your seed phrase safely.
Step-by-step: restoring Phantom on your new phone
- Install Phantom from the official store. On the App Store / Google Play, confirm the provider is the legitimate listing (e.g. "Phantom Technologies") to avoid fake apps.
- Open the app and tap "I Already Have a Wallet."
- Select "Other Import Options" → "Import Recovery Phrase."
- Enter your recovery phrase in the correct order. On mobile, use a single space between words. The number of input boxes changes depending on whether it's a 12- or 24-word phrase.
- Tap "Import Recovery Phrase" to import it.
- Enable device authentication (Face ID, fingerprint, or passcode) and tap "Get Started."
- When it finishes, accounts with prior on-chain activity are restored automatically. For extra accounts you created but never used, go to the profile at the top left → "Add Account" → "Create New Account" and add them in the same order to recreate the same addresses.
注意
Never share your recovery phrase with anyone, and never enter it in the wrong place. Phantom support, official social accounts, and airdrop sites will never ask you to reveal your phrase. The only place you should ever type your phrase is the recovery screen of the legitimate app. Entering it just once on a fake recovery site or in a DM lets attackers drain your assets instantly. This article is for educational purposes only and is not investment advice or a guarantee of returns. Crypto assets carry price-volatility risk.
Common reasons recovery fails, and how to fix them
| Symptom | Cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| "Invalid secret recovery phrase" | Misspelling, wrong word order, extra spaces | Cross-check each word against the BIP-39 English word list and re-enter in order |
| Rejected as 12 words | It was actually a 24-word phrase | Switch the word count (12/24) and try again |
| Balance shows 0 / some accounts missing after recovery | Unused extra accounts don't restore automatically | Add accounts in order via "Add Account" |
| Should be phrase type but won't display | It's actually the Apple/Google seedless type | Recover with the same sign-in method + PIN |
| Lost the phrase entirely | No backup was taken | A traditional phrase-type wallet cannot be recovered (if the old device still works, display and record the phrase now) |
Phantom's phrase follows the BIP-39 standard, so you can also enter the same phrase into another BIP-39-compatible wallet like Solflare and recreate the same addresses. For the differences in choosing a wallet, see Phantom vs Solflare.
Handling the old device and syncing multiple devices
- Delete the Phantom app before wiping the old device, and if possible factory-reset the device itself before trading it in or handing it over.
- Your recovery phrase is the "master key" to your assets, so only dispose of the old device after you've confirmed recovery works on the new one.
- Phantom makes every device that holds the same phrase the same wallet (you can even run the desktop extension and phone together). Balances are shared on-chain, so a transfer on one device instantly reflects on the other. No special "sync setting" is needed.
- The more devices you load the phrase onto, the more points at which it could leak. It's safest to limit it to your own trusted devices only.
Frequently asked questions
Q. I already wiped my old device and never wrote down the recovery phrase. Can I still recover? A. With the traditional phrase type, no one — not even Phantom — can recover without the phrase. This is a safety feature by design. If the old device still works, display the phrase from the settings screen and record it before wiping.
Q. Should I enter 12 words or 24? A. Enter the same number of words shown at creation. Wallets newly created in Phantom are usually 12 words, but ones imported from another wallet may be 24. Switch the input field's word count to whichever fits.
Q. Can I keep using Phantom on both my new phone and my old phone? A. Yes. Enter the same phrase on both and they sync as the same wallet. But this increases the phrase's exposure, so if you don't need it, it's safer to delete it from the old device.
Q. What about switching phones for a wallet started with Apple/Google login? A. There is no phrase. Log in on the new device with the same sign-in method (Apple if you used Apple) and PIN to recover. Note that if you lose both the login method and the PIN, recovery is impossible.
Sources
- Restore / Import a wallet in Phantom (official help)
- View your recovery phrase or private keys in Phantom (official help)
- What if I lost my recovery phrase, private key, or PIN? (official help)
- Fix issues restoring a wallet in Phantom (official help)
- Create a new wallet with a Secret Recovery Phrase (official help)
A note on investing
This article is for informational purposes and is not investment advice. Crypto assets carry risks including price volatility, hacking, and loss. Make investment decisions at your own responsibility and only with funds you can afford to lose. Tax rules and regulations can change, so always verify the latest details against official primary sources.
Sources
FAQ
- I already wiped my old device and never wrote down the recovery phrase. Can I still recover?
- With the traditional phrase type, no one — not even Phantom — can recover without the phrase. If the old device still works, display the phrase from the settings screen before wiping and be sure to write it down on paper.
- Should I enter 12 words or 24?
- Enter the same number of words shown at creation. Wallets newly created in Phantom are usually 12 words, while ones imported from another wallet may be 24. Switch the input field's word count to whichever fits.
- Can I keep using Phantom on both my new phone and my old phone?
- Yes. Enter the same recovery phrase on both and they sync as the same wallet, with balances shared on-chain. But this increases the phrase's exposure, so if you don't need it, it's safer to delete it from the old device.
- What about switching phones for a seedless wallet started with Apple/Google login?
- There is no recovery phrase. Log in on the new device with the same sign-in method (Apple if you used Apple) and PIN to recover. If you lose both the login method and the PIN, recovery is impossible.
This article is informational only and is not financial, investment, or trading advice. Prices are reference snapshots and may be outdated. Always do your own research.
