How It Works
Your Trezor uses your 24-word recovery seed as the foundation for your wallet. When you add a passphrase, the device mathematically combines the seed with that passphrase to derive an entirely different set of private keys and addresses. Change even one character of the passphrase and you get a completely different wallet. Leaving the passphrase field empty brings you to your standard wallet — the one generated from your seed alone. This is the same wallet you access without the passphrase feature enabled, so enabling the feature does not affect your existing funds.Enable Passphrase
Before you can use a passphrase, you need to turn the feature on in Trezor Suite:1
Open Trezor Suite
Connect your Trezor and unlock it with your PIN.
2
Go to Device settings
Navigate to Settings → Device → Enable passphrase.
3
Toggle the passphrase feature on
Confirm the action on your Trezor device when prompted. The feature is now active.
Using a Passphrase
Once the feature is enabled, Trezor Suite will prompt you to enter a passphrase each time you connect. You can also enter the passphrase directly on the device if you are using a Trezor Model T, which has a touchscreen.1
Connect and unlock your Trezor
Enter your PIN as usual when prompted by Trezor Suite.
2
Enter your passphrase
Type your passphrase in Trezor Suite, or use the on-device keyboard on the Model T. Entries are case-sensitive and every character matters.
3
Confirm on the device
The device asks you to confirm the passphrase entry. Approve it using the physical button(s).
4
Access your hidden wallet
Trezor Suite loads the wallet derived from your seed and passphrase combination. You are now inside that hidden wallet.
Plausible Deniability
Because any passphrase generates a valid wallet, you can maintain two or more wallets simultaneously: a standard wallet (empty passphrase) with a small amount of funds, and one or more passphrase-protected wallets where you keep the majority of your holdings. If you are ever coerced into revealing your wallet, you can disclose the PIN and the empty-passphrase wallet without exposing your main funds. An observer has no way to tell whether additional hidden wallets exist.Is the passphrase case-sensitive?
Is the passphrase case-sensitive?
Yes. Every character in your passphrase matters exactly as entered — including uppercase and lowercase letters, numbers, spaces, and special characters.
MyPassphrase and mypassphrase produce completely different wallets. Double-check your passphrase carefully every time you enter it, and make sure you record it exactly as you intend to use it.Is the passphrase the same as the PIN?
Is the passphrase the same as the PIN?
No. These are two separate security features. Your PIN protects the device itself from unauthorized physical use — it locks and unlocks the Trezor hardware. Your passphrase is a cryptographic input that determines which wallet you access. A PIN can be changed or reset; a passphrase is mathematically baked into your wallet’s keys and cannot be changed after funds are deposited into that wallet.