Wallet
MultiBit Wallet Recovery Service
Help with MultiBit Classic and HD wallets: forgotten passwords, lost or incomplete seed phrases, and damaged or deleted wallet files, 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
What is the difference between MultiBit Classic and HD?
Classic came before recovery phrases: recovery works from the .wallet file, or from a .key private-key export if one was made. A password was optional in Classic, so some of those files open straight away; where one was set, the automatic .key exports carry the same password. HD replaced all of that with a backup phrase of 12 words by default, and with the words the password no longer matters.
Is MultiBit software still needed?
No. Extract the keys (Classic) or the recovery-phrase words (HD) and import them into a current, compatible wallet; you do not need to keep using the discontinued application.
Do special characters break MultiBit passwords?
The MultiBit code family had a known bug that could reject passwords containing unusual characters. If the correct password is rejected, that bug may be the cause.
What if MultiBit will not open at all?
A wallet that will not open on a modern system (Java errors, crashes) is not lost: the .wallet file still holds the keys, and a copy of it is enough to extract them and import them into a current wallet.
Our MultiBit recovery services
Forgotten MultiBit password
A password was optional in MultiBit Classic. Where one was set, the keys in the .wallet file are encrypted with a key derived through scrypt, which slows every guess on purpose, so what you remember matters more than hardware. Classic's automatic .key backups carry the same password and are a much faster target. In MultiBit HD the password only matters when the seed phrase is gone. In one Classic case, an overlooked notebook of old password variations turned an open-ended search into a structured one. A MultiBit Classic password case
Lost MultiBit HD seed phrase
MultiBit HD called its recovery phrase the wallet words. If they are lost but the wallet folder survives, the file is your fallback: the words are stored inside mbhd.wallet.aes, encrypted with the wallet password. Recovering the password brings them back, and with them a restore in a current wallet. Keep the whole folder, including its backup subfolders. Wallet, wallet file and keys explained
Incomplete or invalid MultiBit HD seed phrase
MultiBit HD wallet words follow BIP-39. A misspelled or swapped word usually fails the checksum, a phrase that passes anyway opens a different, empty wallet, and a missing word stops the restore altogether. With most words known and a rough idea where the gaps are, we test candidates against the checksum and an address the wallet used. We reconstruct phrases with up to four missing words; feasibility and search time depend on which positions are known. Recovering missing seed words
MultiBit HD seed phrase shows a zero balance
A correct phrase can open an empty-looking wallet in other software. MultiBit HD kept its accounts under the non-standard derivation path m/0' with legacy addresses, and wallets created with early beta releases converted the words into keys differently. We check the path, the conversion and the accounts against an address you know before anyone concludes the funds are gone. Zero balance after a restore
Old or deleted MultiBit wallet file
A .wallet or .wallet.aes file found on a forgotten USB drive or an old computer is not a lost cause: an intact old file goes through the same recovery route as a recent one. A deleted file may survive in the drive's unallocated space until new data overwrites it, so stop using that drive now and image it before any scan. Found an old MultiBit wallet file?
Corrupted MultiBit wallet file
An improper shutdown, a failing drive or an interrupted write can leave a .wallet file truncated, refusing to open or showing a wrong balance. If enough of the structure survives, keys can sometimes still be extracted from the remaining records, and the automatic backups MultiBit kept beside the wallet may be intact. What a corrupted wallet file still holds
Zero balance or MultiBit not syncing
The original software no longer syncs reliably with the current Bitcoin network, so a wallet that opens can still show zero, and on a modern system it may not start at all. Neither means the bitcoin is gone. Check your receiving addresses on a block explorer such as mempool.space. What still works is extracting the keys or wallet words from a copy of the file and sweeping the funds yourself into a current wallet you control. Why a wallet stops syncing
Before you contact us
Common mistakes to avoid
- Don't download or run a "MultiBit" installer from a website, ad or forum post. MultiBit's official site is gone, and a copy from elsewhere can be modified to capture your wallet file and password the moment you use it.
- Don't run repair or recovery tools on your only copy of a wallet file. Make two copies and work from those.
- Don't keep using a drive after deleting a wallet file from it. Every new file written lowers the odds of getting it back.
- Don't assume a zero balance means your bitcoin is gone. Check your receiving addresses on a block explorer first, and enter only the address, never a key.
- Don't enter wallet words, private keys or a password into a website or online tool.
- Don't buy a MultiBit wallet file sold "with a balance". The seller keeps the keys. How wallet-for-sale scams work
- Never share your password or full wallet words with anyone, including us, to get an assessment.
Information that helps the assessment
- Which version you used, MultiBit Classic or MultiBit HD, and roughly when you created the wallet.
- Which files survive: a Classic .wallet file and any .key files in its key-backup folder, or the MultiBit HD wallet folder with mbhd.wallet.aes and its backups.
- What you remember about the password: length, structure, characters and the variations you used at the time.
- For MultiBit HD, how many wallet words you have and which ones are missing or uncertain. Describe them; don't send them.
- A receiving address the wallet used, if you have one.
- For a deleted file, which drive held it 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 MultiBit recovery
- Classic or HD decides the route. MultiBit Classic (2011 to 2017) has no recovery phrase, so it is a file problem first and a password problem only where one was set. MultiBit HD (2015 onwards) is a BIP-32 wallet with wallet words. Step-by-step MultiBit recovery guide
- Automatic backups. Classic wrote timestamped .key exports to a key-backup folder next to the wallet file. MultiBit HD kept rolling backups encrypted with the password, zip backups encrypted with a key derived from the wallet words, and copies in a cloud backup folder if you chose one. Look for all of them before concluding a wallet is gone.
- Why the app shows zero. MultiBit was a light (SPV) wallet built on bitcoinj, which asks network nodes for bloom-filtered data (BIP-37). Bitcoin Core stopped serving that by default in version 0.19 (2019), one reason the old software no longer syncs reliably. Opening MultiBit and waiting is not a recovery plan.
- File age. The age of a .wallet file does not change its format: a file from 2013 parses the same way as one from 2016. Age matters in two other ways: whether the drive still holds the file, and on early wallets whether a key was stored in uncompressed form, whose address differs from the compressed form of the same key.
- No new MultiBit software. KeepKey, MultiBit's last owner, discontinued it on July 26, 2017 and told users to move their keys to other wallet software. Anything offered as "new MultiBit software" is fake. Recovery happens by extracting keys, not by resurrecting the app.
- How we work on MultiBit files. We extract keys or wallet words from a copy of the file with verified offline tooling, without launching MultiBit, and handle Classic's key storage and HD's seed-based structure each on its own terms. The Crypto Recovers team has been helping MultiBit users since 2019.
- Which cryptocurrency it can store. MultiBit stored bitcoin only. See Bitcoin wallet recovery for other Bitcoin wallets.
MultiBit wallet recovery FAQ
Is MultiBit still supported?
No. KeepKey discontinued MultiBit in July 2017: no updates, no official download site and no support desk to ask. Your bitcoin was never inside the software, so the shutdown did not touch it. What happened to MultiBit
Can I reinstall MultiBit to get back into my wallet?
We advise against it. The old multibit.org address now forwards to an unrelated software site, so an installer found through a web search is a third-party copy that may be modified to capture your wallet file and password. The keys or wallet words can be extracted from a copy of the file and used in a current wallet instead. Old wallet won't open
Where do I enter my MultiBit HD seed phrase?
Not into MultiBit. In Electrum, choose "I already have a seed", select "BIP39 seed" under "Options", then press "Detect Existing Accounts" or choose "legacy (p2pkh)" with the derivation path m/0'. Compare the first address with one you know the wallet used. Wallets from early MultiBit HD betas need a tool that repeats their original word conversion.
I forgot my password and lost my seed phrase. Is recovery possible?
Possibly, if the wallet file survives. The HD wallet words are stored inside the encrypted file, and a Classic file holds the keys themselves, so the password is then the only barrier. With no .wallet file, no wallet words, no private keys and no drive to recover from, there is nothing left to work with: MultiBit kept no copy on a server.
My wallet file won't open or shows an error. Is it corrupted beyond repair?
Not necessarily. A file MultiBit refuses to load can still hold intact private keys, and its automatic backups may be undamaged. Make copies of everything first, and don't attempt further repairs on your only copy.
How long does MultiBit wallet recovery take?
A password search with a strong list of hints can finish in days; a case with little password memory can take several weeks or longer, and some cannot be solved. 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.
