A single BitBox wallet backup can restore the keys for many accounts and addresses belonging to that wallet. You do not need a new backup after each transaction, when generating another receiving address, or when adding an account derived from the same wallet. Your coins and transaction history are recorded on the blockchain; the backup restores the keys used to control them.
This applies to your BitBox hardware wallet's on-chain accounts. A separate mobile Lightning wallet has its own recovery requirements.
How one backup covers multiple accounts
A BitBox wallet starts with secret random data, called a seed. Recovery words represent the information needed to recreate that starting point. From it, the wallet derives accounts and addresses according to defined rules. This is called a hierarchical deterministic (HD) wallet: the structure is hierarchical, and the same inputs produce the same keys again.
Think of the wallet as a tree: the seed is its root, accounts are branches, and addresses are leaves. Adding an account reveals another branch of the same tree; it does not create a new wallet seed.
A microSD backup and a correct copy of the recovery words provide different ways to restore the same underlying BitBox wallet. Paper and steel are materials for recording those words. See BitBox backup options for the practical choices.
A separate passphrase means a separate wallet
An optional passphrase changes the wallet derived from the recovery words. To restore a passphrase-protected wallet, you need both the wallet backup and the exact passphrase. Neither the microSD backup nor the recovery-word copy contains that passphrase. The device password is different: it unlocks the device and is not a substitute for a wallet backup.
Read how a passphrase works before choosing that additional recovery responsibility. If you create a completely new wallet with different recovery words, it needs its own checked backup; the old backup does not cover the new wallet.
Restoring keys and finding accounts are different
Restoring the correct wallet makes its keys available again. The wallet application must still find the accounts and addresses with transaction history. Discovery depends on the application, account types, and derivation paths—the rules identifying which keys to use. A compatible recovery-word standard alone does not guarantee that every account appears automatically in another application.
How account discovery works in the BitBoxApp
When discovering accounts for the connected wallet, the BitBoxApp checks the first six Bitcoin accounts and the first six Litecoin accounts, even if some have never been used. Beyond those first six, it checks the next account only when the preceding account has transaction history. An account counts as used even if its balance is now zero.
Accounts prepared for this background scan stay hidden until transaction history is found or you add them manually. The default first account can be visible without transaction history, as can accounts you have already enabled manually. Adding a hidden account makes that same account visible; it does not create a new wallet or require another backup.
For example, suppose you restore the correct wallet into a BitBoxApp installation with no saved account settings. You previously used Bitcoin accounts 1 and 4, while accounts 2, 3, 5, and 6 never had transactions. After account discovery finishes:
| Bitcoin account | Transaction history | Discovery result |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Used | Shown |
| 2 and 3 | Never used | Checked, but remain hidden |
| 4 | Used | Shown despite the unused accounts before it |
| 5 and 6 | Never used | Checked, but remain hidden |
In this example, discovery stops after account 6. If account 6 had transaction history, the BitBoxApp would also check account 7, continuing until it reaches an unused account. This stopping rule does not prove that later accounts cannot contain funds, particularly if you used the wallet with another application.
Additional Ethereum accounts are not included in this automatic account scan and may need to be added again in order. Discovery within an account also depends on its supported address types and address-scanning limits; the example above explains account discovery, not every possible recovery situation.
An account that is not displayed after restoration is not by itself evidence that its funds are lost. Check the wallet and passphrase used, then follow Missing accounts after restoring your BitBox wallet. Do not create a new wallet or reset the device merely because an account is missing from the list.
Keep the backup usable and private
Keep the complete backup offline and private. Someone with it can restore the standard wallet without the original BitBox or its device password; a passphrase-protected wallet additionally requires the exact passphrase. Never disclose recovery words or enter them into a computer, phone, website, support chat, cloud service, password manager, or AI tool. BitBox Support will never ask for them.
Your backup does not need updating after ordinary activity in the same wallet, but its physical condition and accessibility still need attention. Follow how to store recovery words securely and check any separate passphrase recovery record.
Further reading on the BitBox Blog
For more background on why the backup represents the wallet rather than a snapshot of its balance, read How to create and secure your wallet backup.