MultiBit · 2013 wallets
MultiBit: the 2013 wallet nobody maintains any more
MultiBit cases are among the most interesting that come in, for a simple reason: whoever used it bought bitcoin when it cost tens of euros. They are also among the most delicate, because the app has been abandoned since 2017 and many people have been deleting exactly what was needed along the way.
Two different MultiBits
- MultiBit Classic, the original: it kept a wallet file and, very importantly, a separate key file. It did not use a twelve-word phrase.
- MultiBit HD, the later one: it did use a word-based recovery phrase, plus its own password. If you have that phrase, your case resolves in any modern wallet.
Knowing which one you used changes the entire approach. If you have words written down, it was HD. If what you have are files with odd names and no words at all, it was Classic.
What to look for on the drive
Search old drives, backups, USB sticks and cloud folders for any file whose name contains «multibit». Copy them all exactly as they are, without opening or renaming them, to two separate places. In a MultiBit case the real work is usually finding the files, not opening them.
What decides whether it can be recovered
| What you have | Outlook |
|---|---|
| The complete MultiBit HD phrase | You solve it yourself in another wallet |
| The HD phrase and a forgotten password | Good outlook: the phrase wins |
| Classic files and a half-remembered password | The typical case, often with a way out |
| Classic files and no memory at all | Hard, though files from that era are lightweight |
| No files and no words | There is no case |
That last nuance matters: files from 2013 carry far lighter protection than today’s wallets, so vastly more passwords can be tested per unit of time. I put numbers on it in passwords in 2013 versus today.