If you’re staring at an old MultiBit wallet file on your computer, wondering why it won’t open or where your bitcoins went, you’re probably not aware yet that the MultiBit wallet was officially shut down.
Many crypto users downloaded MultiBit Classic & HD between 2011 and 2017—only to forget about it… until now.
But don’t panic just yet, especially if you’ve held onto something useful like your seed phrase or wallet file.
Even though the wallet was shut down in 2017, there are still ways to recover your bitcoins. MultiBit is just a gateway, since the coins themselves stay on the blockchain, not inside the wallet.
While the developers of MultiBit never provided an official migration strategy, users were advised to move their funds into wallets like Electrum.
The good news? It’s still possible to access your funds in 2025—either through another Bitcoin wallet or by using crypto recovery services like Crypto Recovers, which can make the whole process faster and much less stressful.
In this guide, we’ll walk you through:
- What happened to MultiBit and why it was discontinued
- Whether MultiBit still works today
- How to tell if you used MultiBit Classic or HD
- The best wallets for migrating and recovering your coins
- What to do when things get tricky — and when to ask for help
Let’s dive in.
The Legacy of MultiBit Wallets
MultiBit was one of the first desktop Bitcoin wallets built for nontechnical users, making it much easier for everyday people to store and send Bitcoin in the early 2010s.
Unlike Bitcoin Core, which required users to download the entire blockchain, MultiBit used simplified payment verification (SPV) technology. This allowed users to verify transactions without having to store gigabytes of blockchain data on their computers.
Thanks to its lightweight design, MultiBit had a much smaller storage footprint compared to full node clients. Users could sync with the Bitcoin network in minutes instead of hours or days. That made it a popular choice for anyone who wanted to use Bitcoin without dealing with the technical complexity of running a full node.
Over time, it evolved into two main versions:
- MultiBit Classic (based on private keys and wallet files)
- MultiBit HD (introduced hierarchical deterministic wallets with seed phrases)
By 2014, MultiBit Wallet had achieved remarkable success with approximately 1.5 million downloads worldwide. This growth peaked during Bitcoin’s dramatic price surge in 2013, when public interest in cryptocurrency reached new heights.
The Acquisition by KeepKey
In 2016, KeepKey, a hardware wallet company, acquired MultiBit.The payment for this purchase was made completely using Bitcoin instead of regular money. The creators of MultiBit, Jim Burton and Gary Rowe, announced the end of development and support for the wallet, hoping with “existing support and development teams, we would be able to keep Multibit alive”.
KeepKey’s aim? To improve the wallet’s design and integrate it more tightly with KeepKey’s hardware devices. KeepKey developers intended to expand their product from hardware to software wallet development while combining their security features with MultiBit’s user base.
At the time, there were few wallet companies offering both hardware and software. The acquisition was a strategic move to offer a complete ecosystem: a hardware wallet plus a desktop interface.
However, this move did not save the wallet from obsolescence, and the project ran into problems.
Why MultiBit Wallet Was Discontinued
Although the integration seemed promising for both the KeepKey wallet and MultiBit, the reality was that MultiBit’s technology was simply too outdated. The company cited insufficient resources and ongoing technical issues as the main reasons for the shutdown.
For example, the developers built MultiBit’s codebase, especially in MultiBit HD, using older Java frameworks. As Bitcoin evolved, it became increasingly difficult to maintain or upgrade the code.
Adding support for new features like SegWit or stronger encryption would have required a complete rewrite, which the company couldn’t afford.
And last but not least, MultiBit HD had a design flaw: the 12-word seed phrase was encrypted with the user’s password, which made it incompatible with other wallets.
This meant that even if you had your seed phrase, you couldn’t recover your funds without the password.
By July 2017, KeepKey made the difficult decision to discontinue MultiBit development entirely. They also removed official downloads and left MultiBit users with no further support.
What Was MultiBit Wallet’s Exit Strategy?
No, KeepKey did not offer an official migration strategy for MultiBit users, and that became a major source of frustration in the Bitcoin community. They didn’t develop any migration tools and didn’t include an auto-export function either.
Users had to figure out on their own how to manually extract private keys or send their BTC to another wallet—often from buggy or unstable versions of MultiBit.
MultiBit Classic users had to export their private keys manually, assuming they still had access to the wallet. MultiBit HD users needed both the 12-word seed phrase and their password.
For some, that process turned out to be impossible due to software bugs. When neither option worked, some users ended up turning to crypto recovery services for help.
Can You Still Download MultiBit Classic & HD
You can no longer download the original MultiBit wallet from official sources. The project was shut down in 2017, and the official website has been taken offline.
However, while the official downloads are gone, the final versions of both MultiBit Classic and MultiBit HD are still available on GitHub for advanced users. Developers no longer maintain these versions; they may contain vulnerabilities and might not run properly on modern systems. If you choose to use them, do so only in offline and never on your main device.
A safer option is to use another wallet that supports the same backup formats (BIP39 or BIP32) such as Sparrow, Wasabi, and Electrum.
How to Know Whether You Have MultiBit Classic or MultiBit HD
If you’re unsure what type of MultiBit wallet you have, the first step is to check the information you have about the wallet. Look at the wallet file name and its extension.
MultiBit HD wallets typically use folders containing multiple files, not a single .wallet file. Your computer usually stores these wallets in folders like:
- Windows: C:\Users\[YourName]\AppData\Roaming\MultiBitHD
- macOS: ~/Library/Application Support/MultiBitHD/
MultiBit Classic wallets usually have a .wallet file extension. Check its location:
- Linux: ~/.multibit/wallets
- Windows: C:\Users\[YourUsername]\AppData\Roaming\MultiBit\wallets
- macOS: /Users/[YourUsername]/Library/Application Support/MultiBit/wallets
The interfaces of the two versions are also different. MultiBit Classic has a simpler, older interface with fewer features—it looks like typical early 2010s software.
MultiBit HD has a more modern interface and includes options like wallet encryption, an account-based structure, and a 12-word recovery phrase.
Also, check if you have a 12-word seed phrase—that definitely belongs to MultiBit HD. If you don’t have one and only remember a password or private key, you most likely used MultiBit Classic.
You will need your seed phrase, wallet files, and password to restore your bitcoins on another compatible wallet.
Recovering Crypto from Your Old MultiBit Wallet
In short, to recover a MultiBit HD wallet, you need the 12-word recovery phrase and, if used, the wallet password.
To recover a MultiBit Classic wallet, you need the original .wallet file and, if encrypted, the corresponding password or private keys.
| MultiBit Wallet Type | What You Need | Where to Get the Data | Possible Problems |
|---|---|---|---|
| MultiBit HD | Wallet file (.wallet); 12-word recovery phrase (BIP39); Password (if encryption was used) | Old backups (USB, cloud, hard drive); Email archives (for seed or wallet file)- Previous installations | Phrase may be wrong (typos or not BIP39); Password forgotten; Wallet file corrupted; File compatibility with modern wallets |
| MultiBit Classic | Wallet file (.wallet); Private key(s) or wallet backup; Password (if encrypted) | Old computer; External drives; File search for .wallet extensions | Wallet format outdated; No backup of private keys; Encrypted file and password lost; Corrupted or incomplete .wallet file |
The more information you can gather, the easier it will be to recover your funds. Unfortunately, if you don’t have any of the key details—like your wallet file, password, or recovery phrase—it may not be possible to recover your Bitcoins from your MultiBit wallet.
Top Software Alternatives to MultiBit Wallet
Originally, KeepKey recommended that MultiBit users move their funds to Electrum, a modern, actively maintained, and secure Bitcoin wallet. Electrum supports recovery using BIP39 seed phrases and private keys, making it compatible with both MultiBit HD and Classic formats — even in 2025.
However, Electrum isn’t your only option. There are other tools and methods you can consider, depending on what information you still have access to. Lets take a closer look.
Electrum Wallet
One of the biggest advantages of recovering a MultiBit wallet using Electrum is that it supports importing both private keys and seed phrases. This makes it suitable for restoring both MultiBit Classic (with private keys) and MultiBit HD (using seed) wallets.
However, there are some downsides. Electrum’s interface can be technical for beginners, especially during the recovery process. It also does not support direct import of .wallet files, so you will need some basic technical skills to extract private keys or recover using your seed phrase.
Sparrow Wallet
Sparrow Wallet is one of the best options for recovering a MultiBit HD wallet, as it fully supports seed phrase recovery. It’s beginner-friendly, with a clean and intuitive user interface that makes the process easier for non-technical users.
The main limitation is that Sparrow does not support private key import from encrypted .wallet files, so if you’re using MultiBit Classic, you’ll need to extract the private keys manually.
Tip: When recovering from a MultiBit HD wallet, choose “Other” as the wallet type and enter your 12-word seed phrase.
Wasabi Wallet
If you care about privacy, Wasabi Wallet is a solid option for restoring your Bitcoin. It’s one of the few modern wallets that supports BIP39 seed phrases used by MultiBit HD, and it has a strong reputation within the Bitcoin community for its privacy-focused features.
Restoring a MultiBit HD wallet with Wasabi is relatively easy, as long as you know the correct derivation path.
Read our guide on MultiBit wallet recovery (Classic & HD) if you face any difficulties getting your Bitcoins.
Struggling to Open Your Old MultiBit Wallet? Contact Crypto Recovers for Help
MultiBit may be dead, but your Bitcoin doesn’t have to be. Not everyone has the time, patience, or technical skill to dig through corrupted wallet files or debug Java environments.
That’s where crypto recovery services like Crypto Recovers come in.
We have already helped dosens of users recover lost wallets from old software like MultiBit, Armory, and even encrypted backups with forgotten passwords.
Contact us if you face one of the following problems while getting into your old wallet:
- Your wallet file is corrupted or won’t open
- Your seed phrase is invalid or incomplete
- You forgot the wallet password
- You’re unsure how to migrate without losing funds
- You’ve tried for weeks and keep hitting the same wall
