Wallet
Bitcoin Core Wallet Recovery Service
Help with Bitcoin Core wallet.dat files: forgotten passwords, corrupted or deleted files, and old wallets that current versions no longer load, handled offline from a copy. Free assessment; no recovery, no fee.
Request an assessment+31 85 109 1211
- Since 2019Recovery specialist
- KvK 75927276Registered in the Netherlands
- AmsterdamPhysical office
- Non-custodialYou move the coins
Quick answers
Can Bitcoin Core keys be recovered without wallet.dat?
No. Bitcoin Core has no recovery phrase; the keys live in the wallet.dat file. Without the file, a backup or an export, there is nothing to work from.
Is wallet.dat encryption bypassable?
No, and anyone claiming otherwise is not describing something that can be done. Recovery is a password search against the file encryption, on a copy.
My wallet is from 2011-2015. Does that matter?
It can, though not because of Randstorm: that weakness was in the JSBN library early BitcoinJS web wallets relied on, not in Bitcoin Core. For this era it is the legacy Berkeley DB wallet.dat format that is worth assessing before writing the wallet off.
Our Bitcoin Core recovery services
Forgotten Bitcoin Core password
Bitcoin Core encrypts the private keys with AES-256-CBC under a master key, and protects that master key with a key derived from your password through at least 25,000 rounds of SHA-512. There is no reset and no bypass, so the only way back in is finding the password. GPU speed helps, but what narrows the search is what you remember. We assess that before any commitment, then test candidates offline. Forgot your Bitcoin Core password?
Corrupted wallet.dat
When Bitcoin Core says a wallet.dat is corrupted, reports database errors or crashes on startup, the case is not automatically hopeless. Recovery depends on which records remain intact, and damage to the database index does not prove that the keys are lost. In a severely truncated file, keys can sometimes be carved out of the surviving records. Repair cannot be assumed before the file is examined, so every attempt runs on a copy. What a corrupted wallet file still holds
Deleted or lost wallet.dat
The file was deleted, the operating system reinstalled or the drive formatted, perhaps years ago. Deleting a file removes the pointer, not the data, so wallet.dat can survive in unallocated space until something overwrites it. On a hard drive left largely untouched since, recovery is often possible; on an SSD, TRIM can erase the freed blocks quickly. Stop using the drive now and leave an old drive switched off, since it can fail when powered on again. We work from a forensic image, never the original. A deleted wallet.dat recovered
Old wallet.dat from the early Bitcoin years
A wallet.dat from 2009 to 2015, made on a machine that no longer exists, is not a lost cause. Wallets created before Bitcoin Core 23.0 (2022) are usually legacy Berkeley DB files, and since version 30.0 Bitcoin Core can no longer load them: they must be migrated to the descriptor format, or opened in an older release, always on a copy. That refusal is a format problem, not damage. Restore an old wallet.dat
Found a wallet.dat with no idea what is inside
Bitcoin Core encrypts only the private keys. The addresses and transactions in the file stay readable, so whether an old wallet.dat holds funded addresses can usually be checked before any password work starts, and you know whether the file is worth pursuing. A balance proves that an address holds coins, not that this file holds its keys, and a watch-only wallet holds no keys at all. How wallet formats are identified
wallet.dat loads but shows a zero balance
Bitcoin Core shows an accurate balance only after it has synced and scanned the blockchain, so a file loaded on a fresh install can read zero for a while. Look up your receiving addresses on a block explorer first: if the coins show there, the problem is syncing, not loss, and if they moved out long ago, no password recovery changes that. An older backup can also lack keys the wallet created later, for example after it was encrypted. Zero balance after a restore
Before you contact us
Common mistakes to avoid
- Don't keep running salvage or repair attempts on your original wallet.dat. Repair tools write to the file they open, so work from a copy.
- Don't migrate an old wallet with Bitcoin Core 30.0 or 30.1. A failed migration in those versions could delete the files in the wallet directory; the fix shipped in 30.2. Migrate a copy only.
- Don't keep using a drive after deleting wallet.dat from it. Every new file written lowers the odds of recovering the old data.
- Don't buy a wallet.dat offered for sale "with Bitcoin inside". It is a known scam: the seller keeps a copy of the keys, or the advertised balance was never real. We do not take on bought wallet files. How wallet-for-sale scams work
- Don't send your wallet.dat to anyone offering an assessment before a signed agreement is in place, and never upload it to a website that offers to open or check it.
- Never share your wallet password with anyone, including us, to get an assessment.
Information that helps the assessment
- Whether you still have the wallet.dat file itself, older copies or backups, or only the drive it was stored on.
- What you remember about the password: length, character types, base words, any recurring pattern, and the keyboard layout you used then.
- Roughly when the wallet was created and encrypted. Wallets from the early years behave differently in a password search than newer ones.
- Which Bitcoin Core version last opened the file, and the exact error message, if there is one.
- A receiving address you know the wallet used, if you have one.
- For a deleted file, whether the drive is a hard drive or an SSD, and how much it has been used since.
- What happened, and what you have already tried.
Boundaries
What we do not do
Theft, scams or a wrong address
A confirmed blockchain transaction cannot be reversed, cancelled or redirected, by us or by anyone.
A completely lost recovery phrase
With no phrase, wallet file, device, backup or partial information left, there is nothing to reconstruct from.
Guaranteed outcomes
No honest service can guarantee success. Whether recovery is possible depends on what you still have, and the assessment tells you before you commit.
We tell you honestly what is realistic before you commit — including when the answer is no.
How it works
A clear process from first contact to handover.
Tell us what happened
Share the wallet or software name, approximate year, device, problem and what material still exists. Do not send a seed phrase, private key, password, wallet file or ID document.
Initial feasibility view
Once we have enough information, we usually explain the likely recovery route, the main uncertainties and an initial indication of duration.
Verify and agree
We verify identity and ownership or legal authority. Scope, working method, fee and sensitive-material handling are agreed in writing before sensitive work begins.
Transfer or hand over material
PGP, our secure encrypted upload environment, in-person handover or agreed shipment may be used. We request only what is needed and work with copies where possible.
Technical recovery
We test the agreed recovery route in a controlled environment. You receive meaningful updates when findings affect the outlook, scope or next decision.
Client-controlled handover
Access is handed back through the agreed route. You open the wallet and move the assets to a wallet you control; case material is then handled according to the agreement and privacy policy.
Trust
A real company with a verifiable process.
Registered & named
Registered in the Netherlands (KvK 75927276) with a named team and a physical office in Amsterdam.
A written agreement first
Scope, fee and security measures are agreed in writing before any work. If you prefer, we can sign an NDA before you share substantive case details.
Always non-custodial
We restore access; you move the coins yourself. We never hold, manage or transfer your assets.
Ownership is verified
Identity, ownership and legal authority are verified with risk-based KYC/AML checks.
Good to know about Bitcoin Core recovery
- Why wallet age matters. Bitcoin Core sets the number of derivation rounds so that one password check takes about a tenth of a second on the computer that encrypts the wallet, and never uses fewer than 25,000. A wallet encrypted years ago on a slower machine is therefore cheaper to test per guess than one encrypted on modern hardware. Wallet encryption itself only arrived in September 2011 (version 0.4.0), so an earlier wallet has a password only if one was added later.
- Wallet passphrase. Bitcoin Core asks for the password in its interface or through the
walletpassphrasecommand, and its own dialogs call it the wallet passphrase, which is not the same thing as a BIP-39 passphrase. - Which cryptocurrency it can store. Bitcoin Core stores bitcoin only. See Bitcoin wallet recovery for other Bitcoin wallets.
Bitcoin Core wallet recovery FAQ
Does Bitcoin Core have a seed phrase I can use to restore?
No. No version of Bitcoin Core has ever generated a 12- or 24-word phrase. Since version 0.13, new wallets derive their keys from an HD seed, but that seed is stored inside wallet.dat, not written out as words, so 12 or 24 words you find belong to a different wallet. Bitcoin Core and seed phrases
How do I know you won't empty my wallet.dat once you find the password?
Because the search does not need your wallet. For a password case we can work from a small extract of the encrypted master key, its salt and its iteration count. It contains no addresses or private keys, so the wallet.dat never has to leave your possession, and once the password is found you open the wallet and move the funds yourself.
What if I only remember part of my password?
That is a common starting point. A known base word, a keyboard pattern you always used, or the rough length and character types can shrink the search enormously: each detail cuts the candidate list down. We build a structured candidate list around what you remember and test it systematically. How a wallet.dat password search works
Do I need to download the whole blockchain?
No. Getting your coins back depends on the private keys in wallet.dat, not on downloading the entire blockchain. A full sync only matters if you want to keep running Bitcoin Core as a node afterward. The keys can be exported and the funds moved with a lighter wallet, by a route that depends on the wallet format and the Bitcoin Core version.
How long does Bitcoin Core password recovery take?
A bounded search around a remembered pattern can finish in days; a case with little to go on can take several weeks or longer, and a long random password with no remembered structure may not be recoverable at all. After the free assessment you get a realistic estimate for your case.
How much does crypto wallet recovery cost?
It depends on the wallet's value and how complex the case is: our success fee runs from 20% of the recovered amount down to 2%. The exact rate is agreed in writing before any work starts — no hidden costs and no hourly rates.
Do you take custody of the assets at any point?
No. We restore access; you open the wallet and move the funds yourself. We cannot initiate a transaction on your behalf.
Do I need to send my seed phrase or password?
No — first contact needs no sensitive material, and we never ask for it through forms or chat. Under a written agreement we can work with copies of wallet files in a controlled environment, so your keys stay under your control.
What if my wallet was stolen or I was scammed?
We do not take stolen-crypto or scam cases, and blockchain transactions cannot be reversed. That is a police and legal matter.
