Your keys are your account

Whoever knows an account's secret key or seed controls everything in it.

Every XRP Ledger account is controlled by secret values: a seed, a private key, or the passphrase used to make them. Wallets show the seed in different forms, such as a string of letters, rows of numbers or a list of words. Whoever knows any one of these secrets can approve transactions for the account, exactly as its owner can.

So the rule is simple: never share it. Not with a support agent, not with a website, not with a friend, and not with XRPGames. No genuine service needs your seed to help you.

If you hold your own keys and lose them, nobody can get them back for you. There's no reset button and no recovery desk: the account is simply locked. Write the seed down on paper and keep it somewhere safe and offline.

Some people let a company hold their XRP instead, a bit like money in a bank. That's a custodial wallet: the company keeps the keys, and you trust it to keep your funds safe. Holding your own keys gives you more freedom, and more responsibility.

Sources

Cryptographic Keys (xrpl.org) (checked 2026-10-22)
Crypto Wallets (xrpl.org) (checked 2026-10-22)

General information about how the XRP Ledger works, not financial, legal or tax advice.