Cake Wallet setup guide: your first Monero wallet
Beginner walkthrough · research-based, October 2026 · not financial advice.
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What Cake Wallet is
Cake Wallet is an open-source, non-custodial wallet for Monero (plus Bitcoin, Litecoin and others) on iOS, Android, macOS, Windows and Linux. Non-custodial means your keys never leave your device — there's no company holding your coins and no account to create. It's one of the most recommended starting wallets in the Monero community because it hides almost all complexity: install, write down words, receive coins.
Download it safely (read this first)
- iPhone/iPad: Apple App Store (Cake Wallet).
- Android: Google Play, or the APK from the official GitHub releases.
- Desktop: macOS, Windows and Linux builds from the GitHub releases page.
- Check the publisher name in the store listing before installing — clones exist.
Creating your Monero wallet
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Open the app and create a new wallet
Choose "Create new" and select Monero (XMR) as the wallet type. Give it any local name you like — the name never leaves your device.
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Set a PIN (and biometrics if offered)
This protects the app on your device. It does not protect your funds if someone gets your seed — that's the next step's job.
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Write down your seed phrase
The app shows a 25-word recovery seed. Write it on paper, in order, and store it somewhere safe. This is covered properly below — don't skip it.
Backing up your seed — the most important step
Your seed phrase is your money. Anyone who has it can take everything; if you lose it and your phone, everything is gone permanently. There is no "forgot password" in crypto.
- Paper or steel, nothing digital. Hand-write the 25 words in order. Never photograph them, never save them in notes/email/cloud, never type them into any website.
- Verify as you go. Copy each word carefully — one wrong or misplaced word can lock you out. The app usually asks you to confirm the seed; do it slowly.
- Store it physically safe: somewhere a fire, flood or burglar won't take it with your phone. For meaningful amounts, consider a steel backup plate and a second copy in a different location.
- Never share it. No support agent, exchange, or "validator" will ever legitimately ask for your seed. Anyone who does is stealing from you.
- Optional passphrase: advanced users can add an extra passphrase on top of the seed (even with the seed, funds can't move without it). Only do this if you'll reliably remember it — a forgotten passphrase is as final as a lost seed.
Receiving your first XMR
- Tap Receive on the dashboard. The app shows your Monero address and a QR code.
- Use a fresh subaddress each time you receive — Cake Wallet generates new ones per receive, which keeps your incoming payments unlinkable to each other.
- Paste that address as the destination in your swap (see our BTC → XMR walkthrough or LTC → XMR walkthrough).
- Do a small test amount first, confirm it arrives, then send the rest.
Restoring on a new device
- Install Cake Wallet from an official source on the new device.
- Choose Restore wallet (not "create new").
- Enter your 25-word seed in the exact order, plus your passphrase if you set one.
- Set a new PIN. The wallet will sync and your balance and history will appear — this can take a while on first restore, which is normal.
A note on syncing
Cake Wallet is a light wallet: it doesn't download Monero's entire blockchain, so it syncs far faster than the official full-node GUI wallet. The trade-off is that it relies on remote nodes to scan for your transactions — standard for mobile wallets, and fine for most users. If you entered a restore height (the approximate date your wallet was created) during restore, syncing is much quicker because the wallet skips earlier blocks.
Honest caveats
- The built-in exchange uses third-party partners — and those partners can require KYC at their end even though the wallet itself is non-custodial. For guaranteed no-KYC swaps, use the standalone services in our comparison and just receive into Cake Wallet.
- You are your own support desk. Lost seed = lost funds. Updates occasionally cause hiccups — keep your seed backed up before major updates and never keep your only copy on the device itself.
- Phone security matters. A compromised phone can compromise the wallet. Keep your OS updated, don't install apps from shady sources, and use the device lock.