How to recover a lost seed phrase?

bitcoin seed phrase in the center of crypto

What’s actually possible

If you still have access to the wallet/app/device, back up immediately and move funds to a new wallet with a fresh backup. If you have a partial seed, targeted reconstruction is often possible (thanks to checksums). If you lost the seed but still have wallet files (e.g., wallet.dat, .wallet, wallet.aes.json, Ethereum keystore JSON) or a hardware device, you may still be able to move coins. With no seed, no files, no device, no password, there is no backdoor.

Know your seed type and data

Common seed types

  • BIP39 (12/24 words): used by most modern Bitcoin/Ethereum wallets; may include an optional passphrase that changes the wallet entirely.
  • Electrum seed (12/24 words): not BIP39; restore inside Electrum as an Electrum seed.
  • SLIP-39 / Shamir shares: a set of shares (M-of-N) used by some devices; requires the threshold to reconstruct.

Data and things to gather

  • Seed words (even if incomplete) and any passphrase candidates.
  • Wallet files: Bitcoin Core wallet.dat, Electrum .wallet, Blockchain.com wallet.aes.json, Ethereum keystore JSON (UTC--... files).
  • Hardware device (if it still works).
  • Known addresses you used (BTC or ETH) to verify successful recovery.

How do I recover a seed phrase?

If you still have access (app/device opens)

  • Action: reveal/export what the app allows, then move funds to a new wallet you control with a fresh backup.
  • Examples: Electrum (reveal seed), MetaMask (reveal SRP for the default account), Bitcoin Core (export keys or spend), working hardware device (spend to new wallet).

If you have the full seed

  • Bitcoin (BIP39): restore in a modern wallet; pick the correct derivation path for your old address type (44’/49’/84′).
  • Ethereum (BIP39): restore; check account indexes m/44'/60'/0'/0/x until you see the expected address.
  • Electrum seed: restore inside Electrum as an Electrum seed (not BIP39).

If you have a partial seed

  • Action: use a seed-recovery workflow that tries missing/typo words against the official wordlist and validates with the checksum, targeting a known address as proof.
  • What helps: correct word count, positions of known words, likely typos, likely passphrase candidates, and a known receive address.

If you have no seed, but you have other data

  • Bitcoin Core (wallet.dat): open with the app (and passphrase if set) and move funds; without the passphrase, it becomes a password-recovery problem.
  • Electrum (.wallet): open with password and move funds; without the password, targeted password search is possible if you have strong hints.
  • Blockchain.com (wallet.aes.json): if you know the account password, you can derive keys and move funds; without it, only a password search with strong hints has a chance.
  • Ethereum keystore JSON (UTC): decrypt with the correct password and move funds; without the password, only a structured password search may help.
  • Working hardware device: connect and move funds to a new wallet with a fresh backup.

If you have nothing at all

  • Reality: without seed, files, device, or passwords, there is no recovery path.

Safety baseline

  • Work offline while handling seeds/keys or decrypted files.
  • Verify installers and only use official downloads.
  • Don’t paste seeds or keys into random websites; test tooling offline whenever possible.
  • After recovery, move funds to a new wallet and verify the new backup procedure.

looking for bitcoin and ethereum seed phrase

Scenario A — Still have access: extract, verify, move

Electrum (Bitcoin)

  • Reveal seed: open the wallet; use the seed reveal flow (requires wallet password).
  • Move funds: set up a new wallet and send all UTXOs to fresh addresses you control.

Bitcoin Core (wallet.dat)

  • Export keys (optional): like electrum or other
  • Move funds: send to a new wallet once you have verified destination addresses.

MetaMask (Ethereum)

  • Reveal Secret Recovery Phrase from settings if the app is unlocked (requires your password).
  • Move funds: send ETH and tokens to the new wallet; confirm token contracts and gas settings.

Working hardware device

  • Connect and verify accounts, then move funds to a new wallet with a newly created seed and a written backup.

Scenario B — Partial seed reconstruction

What makes it feasible

  • Fixed wordlist & checksum: BIP39 words must be in the 2048-word list, and the checksum prunes wrong combinations.
  • Proof via address: a known BTC/ETH address lets you verify a candidate seed deterministically.

What you prepare

  • Known words & positions (mark unknowns).
  • Likely passphrase candidates if you ever used one.
  • Known addresses (BTC, ETH) associated with the wallet.

What to expect

  • 1–3 missing/uncertain words or a couple of typos are often solvable with good constraints.
  • Unknown passphrase is the usual roadblock; with strong hints, it may still be attackable.

Scenario C — No seed, but files/devices available

Bitcoin Core (wallet.dat)

  • Open and move funds: if you know the wallet passphrase, spend coins to your new wallet.
  • Password missing: success depends on the quality of your password hints and a structured search.

Electrum (.wallet)

  • Open and move funds: with the wallet password.
  • Password missing: targeted password search can be attempted with good hints (length, patterns, languages, separators).

Blockchain.com (wallet.aes.json)

  • With password: derive keys and move coins.
  • Password missing: only a password attack with strong candidate sets has a chance.

Ethereum keystore (UTC JSON)

  • With password: decrypt and move ETH/tokens to a new wallet.
  • Password missing: feasibility depends on hints; otherwise not practical.

different wallet type and different recovery options

Wallet-specific quick steps

Restore a BIP39 seed (Bitcoin)

  1. Enter seed in your chosen wallet’s restore flow.
  2. Pick the correct path by your old address type:
    • Legacy (1…): m/44'/0'/0'
    • P2SH-SegWit (3…): m/49'/0'/0'
    • Native SegWit (bc1…): m/84'/0'/0'
  3. Verify history and move funds to a new wallet with a fresh backup.

Restore a BIP39 seed (Ethereum)

  1. Enter seed in a trusted wallet.
  2. Check account indexes along m/44'/60'/0'/0/x until you see the expected address.
  3. Verify tokens by adding token contracts if balances don’t appear automatically.

Restore an Electrum seed

  1. New wallet → I already have a seed in Electrum.
  2. Enter Electrum seed; if you used an extension/passphrase, add it in options.
  3. Verify history and move funds to a new wallet.

“My seed is correct, but I see no funds” — Checklist

  • Wrong path or script (Bitcoin): try 44’/49’/84′ matching your old address style (1… / 3… / bc1…).
  • Wrong account index (Ethereum): check higher indexes (Account 2, 3, …).
  • Passphrase used? the plain seed will open an empty wallet if a BIP39 passphrase was set; you must enter the exact passphrase.
  • Electrum vs BIP39: don’t mix formats; Electrum seeds restore as Electrum seeds.
  • Gap limit (Bitcoin): generate additional receive addresses if you used many in a row.
  • Network mismatch (Ethereum): ensure you’re on the correct network and token contracts are added.

Password reality check

  • Attackable: encrypted files such as wallet.dat, Electrum .wallet, Blockchain.com JSON, Ethereum keystore JSON—if you have strong password hints.
  • Not attackable: a missing seed/passphrase with no other artifacts.
  • What improves odds: length ranges, likely words, separators, substitutions, years, languages, keyboard layout quirks.
  • What destroys odds: truly random, high-entropy passwords without patterns.

FAQ

Can a lost seed phrase be recovered?

Sometimes. If you have partial words, positions, likely typos, or a known address to verify against, structured reconstruction can succeed. Without any of that—and no files/device—there is no path.

I forgot my BIP39 passphrase, but I have hints. Is there a chance?

Yes. A passphrase with good candidate patterns (length, words, separators, years, languages) can be tested against your known address set. Results depend entirely on hint quality. We can help assess feasibility and structure a safe, targeted search.

I only have my public address. Can you recover from that?

No. A public address alone is not enough. You need a seed, a private key, an encrypted file plus password, or a working device.

Where are typical wallet files stored?

  • Bitcoin Core: wallet.dat in the Bitcoin data directory.
  • Electrum: .wallet file in the Electrum data directory.
  • Blockchain.com: wallet.aes.json from your account data.
  • Ethereum: keystore JSON (UTC--...) in the keystore directory.

What should I prepare before contacting recovery help?

  • What you have: seed words (even partial), files, devices, known addresses.
  • What you know: passphrase/password hints (lengths, words, separators, languages, years).
  • What you used: wallet/app names and approximate dates.