After creating a new crypto wallet, always test the recovery process first!

This is a little trick that every crypto investor should know and can prevent some serious financial damage or headache later.

After you created a new crypto wallet, your first step is obviously writing down the recovery phrase. Now instead of using the wallet, write down the first address the wallet gives you for receiving crypto. This address can be stored in a text file or note.

Now delete the wallet! Many wallets allow you just to do it, some might need to reinstall the app. Then instead of creating a new wallet, use your secret recovery phrase to recover the one you just created. If the seed is valid, also check if you get the same address as earlier? Only if the addresses match you can be 100% sure recovery worked and your note included everything you need for recovery.

This little test will reveal anything you might overlook - not only writing/order mistakes, but also details you might miss. For example first-time XMR users would also notice they should write down the date or block height when their wallet was created (for faster recovery later).

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Also important to know: If you made a mistake while writing down your seed, your funds are 99% not lost. The note can still be used to recover your wallet by brute force with special tools because the entropy for mistakes is very low. But by following this one simple rule you will never get into this situation.

One more side note: Some wallets (including Trezor and Ledger) allow you to test the recovery phrase without deleting your wallet - but if your wallet is still empty, you can as well wipe it to be 100% sure.