Backups and recovery
Choose a backup method
A backup is the only way to get your funds back if the device is lost, broken or erased. ERA offers three kinds; every wallet needs at least one, and you can add the others later. The ERA Recovery Card is the one the device offers first, and the one we recommend.
The three options
| Option | What you get | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| ERA Recovery Card (recommended) | The backup written to the secure chip of an ERA Recovery Card (an NFC card from the box), encrypted and locked with a card PIN you choose. Restore by holding the card to the device and entering the PIN. | Everyone. Nothing to write down, nothing readable if the card is found, and restoring takes seconds. One card, or one card per share. |
| Paper (seed words) | 12 or 24 words shown on the screen, which you write down and verify | A second backup next to the card, or moving the wallet to another BIP-39 wallet. |
| Shamir shares (paper, split) | The backup split into several word lists (shares); a number you choose (the threshold) is enough to restore | Keeping copies in several places without any single place holding the whole secret. |
Why the ERA Recovery Card
Nothing to write down or show: the backup goes straight onto the card's secure chip, encrypted and locked with a PIN you choose.
Anyone who finds the card cannot read it: 16 wrong PIN entries block the card for good. Source: Help Center
Restoring is a tap, not 24 typed words: hold the card to the device and enter the card PIN.
Three cards are in the box, and you can write as many copies as you like (ONE MORE on BACKUP SAVED!). Source: era-wallet.com
Built to last: dust- and waterproof, with a 50-year data retention guarantee. Paper stays available as a second backup. Source: era-wallet.com
ERA card backups are offered during wallet creation and can be made at any time from the wallet's settings, as many times as you like. A Shamir wallet is written as one card per share. See Back up to an ERA Recovery Card.
Paper (seed words) is made once, during wallet creation, either as the optional second backup after the card or instead of the card. ERA does not show the words again later, so keep the paper safe. See Back up on paper (seed words).
Shamir shares are also made during wallet creation. With 3 shares and a threshold of 2, any 2 of the 3 shares restore the wallet, and one share alone reveals nothing. See Back up with Shamir shares.
Note: A card backup can be turned back into paper: RECOVERY MANAGER > Read seed shows the words stored on a card. See Use the Recovery Manager.
Which one first?
Most people: the ERA Recovery Card from the box, offered during creation; then the paper backup the device proposes right after, if you want a second copy.
No card at hand right now: paper first, then add a card from the wallet's settings when you have one.
You want copies in several places: Shamir shares, on paper or on several cards.