Guide 04
The first 24 hours — a calm order, not a countdown.
The password is gone, but the money is still on the blockchain and the file is still on your disk — nothing is lost yet. There is usually no blockchain countdown: the same steps work whether you start today, tomorrow or next week — but data-retention countdowns exist. Cloud trash, recently deleted photos/files, email trash, backup retention and SSD behavior can be time-sensitive, so freeze the device and check recoverable-trash and backup-retention windows promptly. This page is simply the most efficient order, so you never have to wonder what to do next.
By Robbert Bink · ~4 min read · Published 6 August 2026 · Last reviewed: 14 August 2026
Do not touch anything. Back up the wallet file read-only. Write down every clue you remember. Then search, rebuild, and only then decide. The cases that become unrecoverable do so through specific mistakes — reinstalls, wipes, repeated guesses, or paying the wrong person — not through the passage of time. Avoid those mistakes whenever you start.
Step 1 · Freeze everything
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1
Stop using the wallet app
Close it. Some wallets migrate or rewrite files on update or shutdown. Until you know what you are doing, the app stays closed.
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2
Do not guess
A handful of careful attempts is fine. Repeated guessing is dangerous on hardware wallets and self-wiping devices, which can wipe after a small number of failures. For wallet files, do not hammer the live app or the original file — make a forensic copy and test offline against the copy.
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3
Do not reinstall, wipe, or “fix” anything
No disk clean-up tools, no reformats, no “repair” software. Deleted ≠ gone, but only while the disk stays untouched — and on a modern SSD with TRIM, deleted data can become unrecoverable quickly even without obvious overwriting. If the only copy may have been deleted from an SSD, stop using the device immediately, avoid rebooting or installing recovery tools on it, and image the drive or get specialist help before experimenting.
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4
Do not pay anyone or share your seed
Instant recovery for a fee is not how this works — legitimate recovery is an offline process.
Step 2 · Secure the evidence
This step protects everything else you still have. Full instructions in protect your wallet files, but the essence:
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1
Copy the wallet file read-only
Find the file (
.dat,.json, or whatever your wallet uses — not sure? identify it here) and copy it to a USB stick and a second device. Mark both read-only. -
2
Write down the wallet details
App name, version, file extension, when you installed it, the wallet address with the funds. This identifies your case and feeds the feasibility math — it helps, but never proves ownership on its own.
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3
Write down every clue
Length, characters, words, dates, patterns, other passwords from that era. Memory decays fastest under stress — write it down while it’s fresh, on paper or in a password journal.
Step 3 · Search, rebuild, assess
| Step | What to do | Guide |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Run the 30-minute sweep: password managers, browsers, notes, email, old devices, backups, photos. Then, if nothing turns up, work the full 68-place checklist. | Where old passwords hide |
| 2 | Rebuild the password from habits: base word, number, symbol, capitalisation rule, substitutions. | How your memory made it |
| 3 | Identify the exact wallet format and version — it decides the encryption speed and your odds. | Which wallet file do you have? |
| 4 | Read the feasibility equation — format, memory, randomness. | Is recovery technically possible? |
| 5 | Decide: test your own candidate list offline, or work the feasibility math and the search checklist first. |
The mistakes that end recoverable cases
Reinstalling the wallet before backing it up. Wiping the device “to start fresh”. Typing hundreds of guesses into the real app until it locks. Uploading the file to an online “decryptor”. Paying a stranger who “found your funds”. Sending your seed phrase to anyone. Each of these converts a possible recovery into an impossible one — and all of them are avoidable.
Starting later — the same steps apply
If the search and memory work came up empty, your case moves to the feasibility stage: is your wallet type technically recoverable with the clues you have? The answer decides whether running offline tools yourself is worth the time — and when it is, the complete DIY route takes you from file to password. If you are contacted out of the blue about your case, treat it with caution. Meanwhile, if you haven’t yet: set up the backups that make this the last time it ever happens.
Keep going — it’s all free
Not sure what you lost or what’s possible?
Take the quick diagnosis for a first verdict — it stops early when the answer is already clear — then work the search checklist. Everything here is informative, runs offline, and is free to use.