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Articles

Everything I know about wallet recovery, written so you can decide without me. None of them requires hiring me, and several tell you when you should not hire anyone at all.

134 articles, grouped by the problem you have.

• The first four
• Your specific wallet
• The recovery phrase
• Forgotten passwords
• Files and formats
• Hardware wallets
• Life situations
• Scams and safety
• Proving the wallet is yours
• Concepts in plain language
• First aid
• When it cannot be done
• Do it yourself

The first four

• Recovery phrases · Missing words

  I lost one word of my 24-word seed: can it be recovered?

  Almost always yes, and not because of a powerful computer: the word list has a built-in check that throws out nearly every wrong guess. When it gets hard, explained for everyone.

• Passwords · What can and can’t be done

  Why some wallet passwords are unrecoverable

  A wallet password is not «decrypted», it is guessed by trying. Whether it can be done depends on how much you remember and how slow each try is. No jargon.

• Proof of ownership · Step-by-step guide

  How to prove a wallet is yours without handing over your key

  Step-by-step guide to signing a message (MetaMask, Electrum, Bitcoin Core, hardware) and what counts as proof if you can no longer get into the wallet.

• Fraud · How to spot it

  The five recovery scams and how to avoid them

  The advance fee, the fake ethical hacker, the phrase validator, the recovery-of-the-recovery and impersonation: the tell that gives each away.

Your specific wallet

• MetaMask · Forgotten password

  Recovering your MetaMask password: what can and can’t be done

  The single most common case. What exactly happens when MetaMask rejects your password, what you can do yourself today, and what makes a case easy or impossible.

• Electrum · Forgotten password

  I forgot my Electrum password: where to start

  What the Electrum password protects, where your wallet file lives, and why old Electrum seeds do not work in other apps.

• Bitcoin Core · wallet.dat

  Bitcoin Core wallet.dat with a forgotten password, in plain language

  The classic of the Bitcoin forums. What is inside a wallet.dat, why difficulty varies from file to file, and the old-backup pitfall almost nobody explains.

• Exodus · Lost access

  Exodus: forgotten password and lost phrase, what your options are

  Exodus has many users and very little clear information about recovery. What each secret protects and what can be done with whatever you still have.

• Trust Wallet · Lost phrase

  Trust Wallet: what happens if you lose the 12-word phrase

  Huge in Latin America and Spain, with one hard rule: the PIN is not the key. What to do today if you can still open the app.

• Coinbase · Wallet versus account

  Coinbase Wallet (not the exchange): I lost access, what do I do?

  The most expensive confusion in the industry. Tell your product apart in a minute and find out whether a support form solves your case or nobody does.

• Blockchain.com · Second Password

  Blockchain.com: forgotten password and the famous «Second Password»

  A very common and badly explained case. The three pieces of a Blockchain.com wallet and what happens when each is missing.

• MyEtherWallet · Keystore

  MyEtherWallet: a keystore with no password, what can be tried

  Wallets from the 2017 era. Why two keystore files that look identical can take a day or ten years, and which value decides it.

• Atomic Wallet · Lost access

  Atomic Wallet: lost access, what can be recovered

  A search with very little competition and a frequent case. What your machine keeps, what the company does not, and when there is something to work with.

• Phantom · Solana

  Phantom (Solana): lost phrase, is there a way out?

  A young audience and a lot of search volume. What each secret protects in Phantom, and why reinstalling the extension can be the worst possible mistake.

• Mycelium · Old wallets

  Mycelium: old Android wallets and how they are recovered

  A niche with almost no competition and some fairly valuable cases. What kind of backup Mycelium produced and what to do if all you have left is an old phone.

• Jaxx · Abandoned apps

  Jaxx and Jaxx Liberty: abandoned wallets and lost access

  A dead app is not lost money. Why your phrase still works in any other wallet, and what to do if you lost that too.

• MultiBit · 2013 wallets

  MultiBit: the 2013 wallet nobody maintains any more

  Old, high-value cases: whoever used MultiBit bought bitcoin very cheap. What to look for on the drive, and what separates MultiBit Classic from HD.

• Armory · Old wallets

  Armory: old Bitcoin wallets and how they are opened today

  Old, valuable cases. Armory’s paper backup is its big advantage: if you kept it, your case may already be solved without you knowing.

• Bitcoin Wallet for Android

  Android Bitcoin Wallet: the .wallet file and its key

  A pure niche with no search competition. If you have a .wallet file on your phone or in an old backup, here is what it holds and what it is worth.

• SafePal and Tangem · Modern hardware

  SafePal and Tangem: what can be done if you lose access

  Recent hardware and frequent doubts. What the PIN protects, what the phrase protects, and why in Tangem the number of cards matters so much.

• Ledger · PIN versus phrase

  Ledger Live: losing the PIN is not the same as losing the phrase

  The misunderstanding that causes the most grief. The four possible scenarios with a Ledger and which one is the only hopeless case.

• Trezor · What you recover and what you don’t

  Trezor Suite: what the phrase recovers and what it doesn’t

  You restore with your phrase and something doesn’t add up. What a recovery phrase actually gives back, and why accounts, labels or coins go missing.

• Concepts · Where your money was

  Exchange versus your own wallet: why recovery is not the same thing

  The first filter, and the one that saves you weeks. How to tell in a minute which case was yours and who you need to talk to.

• Paper wallets

  Old paper wallets: how to tell if they still work

  They turn up in drawers and moving boxes. How to read a paper wallet, check safely whether it holds funds, and not destroy it in the attempt.

The recovery phrase

• 12-word phrase · One missing word

  I’m missing one word of my 12-word phrase: can it be recovered?

  The workable case par excellence. If only one word of twelve is missing, very few phrases are possible and finding it takes minutes. Here is why.

• Phrase · Two missing words

  Two words of my phrase are missing: when it is still workable

  The second most common case. How much the problem really grows with two gaps, and what information brings it back into the possible.

• Phrase · Lost order

  I have all 24 words but not the order: what can be done

  Often asked, with a nuanced answer. The difference between «I don’t know the order» and «I’m unsure between two lines» is the difference between impossible and easy.

• Phrase · Misspelled word

  I misspelled a word of my seed: why that is a clue, not a problem

  Reassuring and useful. What to do when your wallet won’t accept one of your words, and why you must not fix it by eye.

• Phrase · Valid words

  My phrase has a word that isn’t on the list: what that means

  Shows why a phrase can’t contain just any word, and what it means exactly when yours contains one that doesn’t belong.

• Phrase · 12 versus 24

  12 or 24 words? Why it matters when you need to recover

  Educational and very linkable. What really changes between 12 and 24 words, and why the longer one works in your favour when recovering.

• Phrase · The extra password

  The «25th word» (passphrase): the detail that sinks many recoveries

  The most common hopeless case and the worst explained. What that extra password actually does and how to tell whether you had it enabled.

• Phrase · Illegible handwriting

  My handwriting is illegible: a/o, u/v, n/m… how the doubts are resolved

  A constant situation: the paper is there, but it can’t be read properly. How letter doubts are resolved without guessing and without ruining the original.

• Phrase · Photo or screenshot

  My phrase is in a blurry photo: what can be salvaged

  A concrete and frequent case. Why half a legible phrase is usually enough, and what to do the moment you regain access.

• Phrase · Language

  I wrote my phrase in another language: does it still work?

  Widely searched in Spanish and badly explained. Why your Spanish-language phrase is perfectly valid and what to do when the wallet rejects it.

• Phrase · Metal plate

  I stored my phrase on a metal plate and letters are missing

  Long-tail with no competition. Why a plate holding the first four letters of each word is still a complete phrase.

• Phrase · Completely lost

  Can a completely lost phrase be recovered? The honest answer

  The «no» that saves you money and time. Why no service on earth recovers a phrase of which no trace remains.

• Phrase · Zero balance

  I have the phrase but the wallet shows empty: the 5 most common causes

  A classic forum question and very shareable. Before assuming a theft, rule out these five causes in order.

• Urgent · Exposed phrase

  I entered my phrase on a website «to check it»: what to do RIGHT NOW

  A real emergency. The exact sequence for the first few minutes when your phrase has left your control.

• Phrase · Odd word count

  My phrase has 13 words: why that doesn’t exist and what happened

  Shows expertise and reassures. What an odd word count means and what to do with the extra word.

• Phrase · Copied and pasted

  I copied my phrase from a password manager and it doesn’t work

  A real case with very specific causes. What the wallet actually checks, and which invisible characters break a perfectly good phrase.

• Phrase · Derivation

  The phrase works but I can’t see my funds: derivation, made easy

  One of the most repeated questions on forums. The explanation with an analogy that clicks immediately, and what to try, in order.

• Concepts · One phrase, several wallets

  Can I have two wallets with the same phrase? Yes, and why it confuses you

  Clears up a constant confusion. A phrase is not a wallet: it is the root of many, and that explains half the scares.

Forgotten passwords

• Passwords · Pillar article

  I forgot my wallet password: what decides whether it can be recovered

  The foundation article for this whole section. The three factors that decide your case, and why the first outweighs the other two combined.

• Passwords · Partial memory

  I remember part of the password: why that changes everything

  The central message of the whole service. How a partial memory turns an impossible problem into a few hours’ work.

• Passwords · Diagnosis

  «I’m sure this is the password but it won’t let me in»: the real causes

  A constant forum question with a useful answer. Eight specific causes to rule out before concluding the password was wrong.

• Passwords · Random

  My password was generated by a manager: why that is usually the end

  Honesty that filters out impossible cases. Why the thing that protected you perfectly is also what closes the door, and where hope remains.

• Passwords · By hand

  I tried a hundred times: when to stop trying by hand

  Very human and very linkable. The real limit of trying by hand, and why persisting can make your case worse.

• Passwords · Real speed

  How many passwords can a computer try per second?

  Shows real knowledge without jargon. The actual numbers, why they are deliberately so low, and what they mean for a recovery.

• Passwords · The era matters

  Passwords from 2013 versus today: why some open and others don’t

  A real differentiator almost nobody explains. Why the date you created the wallet is one of the details that weighs most in your case.

• Passwords · Accents and ñ

  I used ñ or accents in my password: how that affects recovery

  This only exists in Spanish and hardly anyone explains it. A real cause of locked wallets that also resolves well.

• Passwords · Keyboard layout

  My keyboard layout changed (Spanish/English): the mistake that locks wallets

  A real and surprising cause, especially after moving country or changing computer. Which symbols move, and how to check in a minute.

• Passwords · Long phrases

  My password was a long phrase: better or worse for recovery?

  A nuance that shows judgement. Length is not the same as unpredictability, and that changes the outlook in both directions.

• Passwords · The lost paper

  I wrote the password on a piece of paper I can’t find: what to do

  An everyday situation with a practical solution. A list of places where these papers genuinely turn up, and what to do if it isn’t in any of them.

• Passwords · Patterns

  I remember the pattern but not the numbers: how that is used

  Explains the real method without selling it. How «it was a word and a number» becomes a few thousand attempts.

• Passwords · Your old passwords

  Is a list of my old passwords any use?

  Yes, and here is why. Your old passwords aren’t the answer, they are the mould from which the answer is built.

• Passwords · File diagnosis

  The wallet says «wrong password» but the file is fine

  A diagnosis nobody explains. What the wallet is actually checking when it tells you the password is wrong.

Files and formats

• Files · wallet.dat

  What a wallet.dat is and why its size matters so much

  Educational and diagnostic at once. What is inside Bitcoin’s most classic file and how to read it without opening it.

• Files · Keystore

  What a keystore JSON is and what can be read from it safely

  Linkable when asking a client for details. What can be shared from a keystore and what can’t, with a clear rule.

• Files · The MetaMask vault

  The MetaMask «vault»: where it is and what it contains

  Widely searched with little good information. What the vault is, why it is your only copy, and how to protect it before attempting anything.

• Files · Protected keys

  Private keys starting with 6P: what they are

  A niche with high search intent. What that format is exactly, where it usually comes from, and what its recovery outlook is.

• Files · Key formats

  Keys starting with 5, K or L: what each format means

  A classic educational piece, very useful on forums. Identify in ten seconds what that long string you found actually is.

• Concepts · Long keys

  xprv, ypub, zpub: what those long keys are, in plain English

  Shows command of the subject in plain language. The difference between being able to look and being able to spend, and why that settles half the scares.

• Files · Damage

  My wallet file is corrupted: can anything be salvaged?

  A frequent and badly answered case. Why a «corrupted» file usually keeps what matters, and what destroys the only chance of recovering it.

• Files · Discoveries

  I found an old .dat file on a drive: how to tell if it’s worth anything

  An attractive, shareable story. How to know in twenty minutes whether that forgotten file has anything in it.

• Concepts · Backup versus original

  The difference between the backup and the wallet itself

  Clears up a confusion that costs money. Why restoring an old backup sometimes shows zero even when everything is fine.

• Diagnosis · Your file

  The parameters in your file that decide whether your case is workable

  Your diagnostic method, explained simply. The two numbers I look at before saying anything, and why you can look at them yourself.

Hardware wallets

• Ledger · Forgotten PIN

  I forgot my Ledger PIN: what exactly happens

  High search volume and a lot of misinformation. What happens after three attempts and how to make the ones you have left count.

• Trezor · Lockout

  Trezor locked: how many attempts you have left and what it means

  A real emergency with different mechanics from Ledger. What is happening when the device makes you wait longer each time, and how to use that time.

• Hardware · Good news

  I lost the device but I have the phrase: you have lost nothing

  Reassuring and trust-building. Why losing a hardware wallet isn’t losing money, and what to do if you think it was stolen.

• Hardware · No phrase

  I have the device but not the phrase: why the PIN does matter

  A nuance hardly anyone explains well. Why having the device without the phrase is a risky position, not a comfortable one.<

• Hardware · Unexpected wipe

  My hardware wallet wiped itself: what happened and what can be recovered

  A distressing and widely searched case. Five real causes of a device that looks wiped, and what to do before touching anything.

• Hardware · Second-hand

  I bought a second-hand hardware wallet: why that is extremely dangerous

  Educational and protective. Why the most secure device on the market becomes a trap if you don’t buy it new.

• Hardware · Damaged card

  The recovery card got wet or faded

  Pure long-tail. What to do with a half-faded recovery card and why not everything is lost.

• Hardware · The truth

  Can a Ledger or a Trezor be «hacked» to recover? The truth

  Dismantles false promises with facts. What has been demonstrated in a lab, why it doesn’t apply to your case, and what you are actually being sold.

• Hardware · Discontinued devices

  My device is discontinued: can I recover with another brand?

  A little-known piece of good news. Why your phrase doesn’t belong to the manufacturer and can be restored almost anywhere.

• Hardware · Firmware

  I updated the firmware and lost access: what to do

  A specific, recurring case. Why some updates wipe the device on purpose and what to do in each scenario.

Life situations

• Inheritance · First steps

  My relative has died and had crypto: where to start

  High intent and little decent competition. What to look for at home and on devices, and what paperwork is needed to be able to act.

• Inheritance · Paperwork

  Crypto inheritance: what is needed to be able to recover

  Complements the bereavement article and filters well. Which papers are needed, why they are asked for, and what happens when there are several heirs.

• Situations · Separations

  My ex created the wallet: what you can and cannot do

  Delicate, and it positions you as serious. The clear line between recovering what is yours and accessing what is someone else’s.

• Companies · Lost access

  A partner set up the company wallet and is no longer around

  High-value B2B cases. What is needed to act on a company’s behalf, and how to stop it happening again.

• Situations · New phone

  I lost access after changing phones

  An everyday situation with high search volume. Why a phone backup doesn’t bring the wallet across, and what is left to check.

• Situations · Reformatting

  I reformatted the computer where my wallet was

  A classic case with real room for recovery. The first thing to do — which is to stop using the computer.

• Situations · The discarded computer

  I had crypto on a PC I threw away years ago: is there anything left?

  An attractive story with an honest answer. Why the computer wasn’t the only place your wallet lived.

• Situations · Reconstructing the story

  I bought in 2017 and don’t remember where I stored it: how to reconstruct it

  A self-investigation guide, very linkable. How to piece together what you bought, where, and what you did next — with no technical work.

• Situations · Moving country

  I moved country and lost access to my email or my 2FA

  Very common in Latin America and among emigrants. What support can restore, what doesn’t need it, and what has no way out.

• Situations · Someone else set it up

  A friend «who knew about this» set up my wallet: how to take back control

  Very common and rarely addressed. What to ask, what to do, and why it is worth doing even when you suspect nobody.

Scams and safety

• Scams · The guide

  How to tell a real recovery service from a scam

  A guide you can use against anyone, me included. Eight concrete, unambiguous signals to decide in two minutes.

• Scams · The golden rule

  Why nobody legitimate asks for your full phrase

  Linkable in any scam thread. The golden rule and, above all, why it has no legitimate exception.

• Scams · Advance fee

  The «advance fee» scam: how it works and why it lands

  Educational and protective. The full script of the scam, step by step, so you recognise it when it happens to you.

• Scams · Fake support

  Fake MetaMask and Ledger technical support on social media

  Very frequent and very useful to link. Why real support never messages you first, and how to spot the fake one in ten seconds.

• Scams · After the damage

  I was scammed trying to recover: can what I lost be recovered?

  Honesty that protects. What to do in the first hours, what to report, and why «recovery of the recovery» doesn’t exist.

• Scams · Validators

  The «seed validator»: the website that empties you in 3 seconds

  A critical warning. How automated theft works and why these sites appear exactly when you search for them.

• Scams · Private channels

  Recovery services on Telegram: why the channel itself is the warning

  Differentiates you at the root. Why the contact channel says more about someone than their pitch.

• Urgent · Compromised phrase

  What to do if you think your phrase is compromised

  Urgent and actionable. The exact sequence when your phrase has left your control, and why changing the password is useless.

• Safety · Identity

  Service impersonation: how to verify who you are talking to

  Protects you and whoever reads you. One rule that neutralises every impersonation, without having to detect anything.

• Scams · Reviews

  Fake reviews in recovery services: how to read them

  Explains why an honest service may have few reviews, and how to read the ones you see without being taken in.

• Scams · Stolen crypto

  «We recover stolen crypto»: why it is almost always a lie

  Draws the line around what you do. The difference between a technical problem and a crime, and why blurring them is somebody else’s business.

• Safety · What to share

  What data is safe to share and what isn’t (table)

  A permanently linkable reference. The full list of what can be shared, what can’t, and what sits in between.

Proving the wallet is yours

• Signing · MetaMask

  Signing a message in MetaMask: step by step

  A standalone tutorial from the parent article. How to sign in MetaMask and, above all, how to tell a safe signature from a dangerous one.

• Signing · Electrum

  Signing a message in Electrum: step by step

  The Bitcoin tutorial. Where the hidden option lives in Electrum and what text is worth signing.

• Signing · Bitcoin Core

  Signing a message in Bitcoin Core: step by step

  The tutorial for the original wallet. Where the option is, which addresses work, and what to do if you don’t remember the password.

• Signing · Hardware

  Signing with a Ledger or Trezor: step by step

  The hardware tutorial. Where the option lives in each case and why the device screen is the only one that counts.

• Proof of ownership · No access

  What counts as proof when you can no longer get into the wallet

  The normal case in recovery. Nine kinds of proof that work when signing is impossible, ordered by strength.

Concepts in plain language

• Concepts · The phrase

  What a recovery phrase actually is (and what it isn’t)

  The foundation for understanding everything else. What those words represent and why they can’t be changed or reset.

• Concepts · The three secrets

  The difference between a password, a phrase and a private key

  The number one confusion for beginners. Separating the three secrets is the step that decides everything else.

• Concepts · Where the money is

  Where is your crypto really? (it isn’t in the wallet)

  The concept that clears everything up. Understand this and you understand why access can be lost without the money being lost.

• Concepts · Addresses

  What an address is and why it isn’t a secret

  Lets you ask for it with confidence. What an address is, what it reveals, and why sharing it doesn’t expose you.

• Concepts · No support

  Why nobody can «reset» your wallet

  Explains the absence of support without excuses. Why the same property that strands you is the one that protected you all along.

• Concepts · Derivation

  What a derivation path is, explained with a wardrobe

  A jargon-free analogy. What those odd numbers are and why they explain not seeing your money.

• Concepts · Custody

  Self-custody versus exchange: what changes if you lose access

  Filters cases from the start. The underlying difference between having an account and having a wallet, and what it means when things go wrong.

• Concepts · No reset

  Why your wallet has no «forgot your password?»

  A universal question with a clear answer. What sits behind that button on any website and why here there is nothing behind it.

• Concepts · The internal check

  What it means that a phrase «checks itself»

  The concept that makes your service possible. Why an incomplete phrase is not an impossible problem but a small one.

• Concepts · Your time

  What your time is worth trying passwords by hand

  Justifies asking for help without selling anything. The arithmetic of trying by hand, and the part of the job no machine can do.

First aid

• First aid · Start here

  I just lost access: the first 5 steps (and 3 to avoid)

  The universal forum answer. Five concrete steps for the first few hours and three mistakes that close the door for good.

• First aid · Fatal mistakes

  What NEVER to do when you lose access to your wallet

  Shareable and protective. The list of the irreversible: what people do while looking for help and shouldn’t.

• First aid · Backups

  How to back up the file before touching anything

  Prevents disasters and shows craft. Which folder to copy in each case, and the mistake of copying individual files.

• First aid · Preparation

  Before asking for help: the information you should gather

  Prepares your case before writing to anyone. What to gather, what never to hand over, and why it speeds everything up.

• First aid · Checking

  How to check if your funds are still there without risking anything

  Very reassuring and the best first step. How to see your balance without getting into the wallet and what each result tells you.

• Urgent · You still have time

  Your phrase may be exposed and you can still get in: act now

  A real and honest emergency. The window in which you can still win, and what to do in it.

• First aid · Searching

  How to find an old wallet on your computer

  A practical, very linkable guide. It solves more cases than any technical work, and you do it yourself for free.

• First aid · Antivirus

  My antivirus deleted the wallet file

  A distressing case with a frequent solution. The file is almost never truly deleted: it is quarantined.

When it cannot be done

• No solution · The list

  Cases with no solution (and why I tell you for free)

  The article that sums up the whole differentiator. Eight hopeless situations, explained, so nobody charges you for nothing.

• No solution · The numbers

  Why a completely lost phrase is never recovered

  Closes the door on false hope with facts. Why neither time nor money nor future technology changes this answer.

• No solution · Transfers

  Sending crypto to the wrong address: why it is irreversible

  A constant forum question. Why it can’t be undone, the genuine exceptions, and what to check before every transfer.

• No solution · Promises

  «They promised to recover it»: the impossible promises

  Complements the scams section. A dictionary of impossible promises and their real translation.

• No solution · Cost and value

  When the value doesn’t justify the recovery work

  Honesty that earns respect. How to work out whether your case is worth it, and the cost almost nobody accounts for.

• No solution · Exchanges

  Why a closed exchange account cannot be recovered

  Filters out cases that aren’t yours. The four exchange scenarios and who to turn to in each.

• No solution · Complex cases

  Smart contract and multisig wallets: why they are a different problem

  Shows depth and filters unusual cases. What changes when there are several keys, and why that is sometimes good news.

Do it yourself

• DIY · Tools

  Open tools to try it yourself (and their risks)

  Builds enormous trust: how to do it without me. Which tools exist and how to use them without destroying your material.

• DIY · btcrecover

  btcrecover explained for people who don’t program

  High search volume and almost nothing explained well. What btcrecover is in understandable terms, and whether it is for you.

• DIY · Deciding

  When it is worth trying it yourself and when it isn’t

  Honesty that converts. Four cases where you should do it yourself, and three where trying destroys the case.

• DIY · The list

  How to build a candidate password list

  Prepares the case before anything else. A concrete method for remembering more than you think you remember.

• DIY · Mistakes

  Common mistakes when attempting recovery yourself

  Stops you destroying your material. The ten faults I see most in cases that arrive after a DIY attempt.

• DIY · Safety

  How to test without risking your file

  Practical and protective. The protocol anyone doing this seriously uses, explained for doing it at home.