You can check your microSD backup in the BitBoxApp without resetting your BitBox or moving funds. A successful check confirms that the card contains a readable backup matching the seed—the wallet’s underlying secret—stored on the connected device.

If you use an optional passphrase, you still need that exact passphrase to recover its wallet. The microSD backup does not contain it, and this check does not verify it.

Before you start

You need the BitBox containing the wallet whose backup you want to check, its device password, the backup microSD card, and the BitBoxApp on your computer. This procedure checks an existing backup; you do not need to reset the device or restore a wallet first.

Insert the backup card only into the BitBox, not into your computer or a card reader. Keep its contents private, and retain all existing backups until you have resolved any uncertainty.

Check your microSD backup

1. Open the BitBoxApp. Before connecting your BitBox to the computer, insert the backup microSD card into the device, with the printed side facing the same direction as the screen. Push gently until it clicks into place.
2. Connect the BitBox to your computer and unlock it by entering the device password on the BitBox.
3. In the BitBoxApp, select Settings in the left sidebar, then the Manage device tab. Under Backups, select Manage backups.

4. The app displays the backups on the card with their names, IDs and creation dates. If it still shows Insert microSD card after you have inserted the card, select OK to retry. Select Check backup to check the backup for the wallet on the connected BitBox. This does not check every backup listed on the card.

5. Follow the prompts on the BitBox. Review the backup name, then compare the full backup ID on the device with the ID of the intended backup in the app. Scroll through the device’s ID if needed. Confirm only if they match the backup you intend to check. If the name or ID is unexpected, cancel and resolve which wallet and card you are using before continuing.
6. After confirmation, the device shows Backup valid, and the app displays Successfully verified backup with the backup’s details. Select OK to close the result.

What a successful check means

The checked backup is readable and matches the seed on this BitBox. This is not a complete restoration test: it does not verify your optional passphrase, a separate paper or steel copy, or whether the card will remain readable in the future. Other backups on the same card have not been checked by this operation.

Remove the microSD card after the check and store it securely, separately from the BitBox.

If the check fails or the backup is missing

Do not reset the BitBox, format the card or discard existing backups. A failed check does not identify the cause by itself: the intended backup may be absent, the card may be unreadable, or the connected BitBox may contain a different wallet.

If you can still access the intended wallet on the BitBox, follow how to create a microSD backup to create a replacement on another suitable card, then check it. You can also use the recovery-word viewing and verification guide to make and verify a written backup.

If you are unsure which wallet is on the device or cannot obtain a usable backup, contact BitBox Support through the official BitBox website. Include your device model, BitBoxApp and firmware versions, and the exact error message. Never send backup files, recovery words, passwords or passphrases.

When to check again

Check your backup periodically and after damage or changes to its storage conditions. Ordinary transactions do not require a new backup. If you create an entirely new wallet, make and check a backup for that wallet.

Further reading on the BitBox Blog

For more about backup types and secure storage, read How to create and secure your wallet backup.