Password recovery · encrypted files & drives
Your wallet password is locked behind an encrypted file or drive. Here’s how to get it back.
People often save the wallet password — or the note that contains it — in a password-protected ZIP, Office document or PDF. Sometimes the wallet file itself sits on an encrypted drive (BitLocker, FileVault, VeraCrypt). Forgot that second password? It is exactly the kind of problem this site covers.
By Robbert Bink · ~5 min read · Published 9 August 2026 · Last reviewed: 14 August 2026
A password-protected file — ZIP, Office, PDF or an encrypted drive — can usually be attacked offline with the same toolset as wallet files: hashcat plus the *2john extractors. If the password was human-made and you have clues, recovery is realistic; a long random one is not crackable by anyone. Never upload the file — everything runs offline, on a copy.
When the wallet password lives inside a document
Three scenarios cover nearly every real case:
- A password list or notes file — the wallet password saved in a
.docx,.xlsxor PDF, locked with its own password; - An encrypted backup archive — the wallet backup zipped (or RAR-ed) together with a text file containing the password;
- A protected PDF — a setup or recovery document with the password, seed or private-key notes inside.
The where old passwords hide guide maps every one of these trails — including the browsers, notes apps and emails where the document itself may have been saved unprotected.
First: search, then crack
Before attacking the document, exhaust the 68-place search checklist — the same password is often also in a password manager, an email or an old device, where recovery is instant. If cracking is the path, follow the standard rules: work on a read-only copy, offline, with tools from official sources only (the protection rules apply to documents too).
Which protected documents can be cracked offline
These are the official hashcat modes for the formats that commonly hold wallet passwords — straight from the hashcat example-hashes list:
| File | What it usually holds | hashcat mode | Extraction |
|---|---|---|---|
7-Zip (.7z) | Encrypted wallet backups | 11600 | 7z2john |
| WinZip AES | Older encrypted backups | 13600 | zip2john |
PKZIP / ZipCrypto (.zip) | Classic .zip encryption | 17200 / 17210 / 17220 / 17225 / 17230 — depends on the extracted hash | zip2john |
| RAR3-hp | Encrypted archive (header + data) | 12500 | rar2john |
| RAR3-p compressed | Encrypted archive (data only) | 23800 | rar2john |
| RAR3-p uncompressed | Encrypted archive (data only) | 23700 | rar2john |
| RAR5 | Encrypted archive | 13000 | rar2john |
MS Office (.docx/.xlsx) | Notes and password lists | 9400 / 9500 / 9600 — Office 2007 / 2010 / 2013; older Office: 9700–9820 | office2john |
| PDF (Acrobat 2–11) | Printed notes and scans | 10400 / 10500 / 10600 / 10700, and in some cases 25400 — let pdf2john output and hashcat --help decide | pdf2john |
KeePass (.kdb/.kdbx) | Dedicated password vault | 13400 (AES-KDF, KDBX ≤ 3); 34300/34301 (KDBX 4) | keepass2john — identify the version and KDF first: KDBX 4 may use Argon2 (34300) or AES-KDF (34301) — see password manager recovery |
The extraction scripts ship with the John the Ripper jumbo build. Same rule as every wallet on this site: the document password decides everything — human-made with clues is realistic, random is not. Check the math before investing time.
What if the wallet file is on an encrypted drive?
Sometimes the wallet file itself — not the password note — is the thing behind the second lock: an old laptop with full-disk encryption (BitLocker, FileVault), a VeraCrypt container, or an encrypted backup image. Open the volume and the wallet file inside is just a normal wallet again: the same tools, one extra door.
These are crackable — with the same honest limit as everything else on this site. Volume encryption is memory-hard and far slower per guess than a wallet file: only human-chosen passwords with clues are realistic, and you need the right header or recovery material first. A random or manager-generated password is effectively unreachable.
| Format | Tool & mode | What you need | Speed class |
|---|---|---|---|
| BitLocker — user-password protector (Windows full-disk) | hashcat 22100 · bitlocker2john/bitlocker2hashcat.py | Drive header with a user-password-protected VMK | Hundreds to low thousands of guesses/sec on a GPU — slower per guess than wallet.dat, only human-made passwords with clues |
| BitLocker — TPM / TPM+PIN / startup-key | not the same offline password-cracking route | — | TPM-protected VMKs cannot be converted to a mode-22100 hash by the current extractor |
| BitLocker — 48-digit recovery password | not an ordinary mode-22100 password search | — | Recovery-key brute force is treated as infeasible by the official extractor |
| FileVault 2 (older macOS / CoreStorage) | hashcat 16700 · fvde2john | Recovery-key dump from the encrypted volume | Slow — hundreds of guesses/sec or fewer; only human-made passwords with clues |
| FileVault / APFS (macOS 10.13+ encrypted volume) | separate route — hashcat 18300 (APFS) after identifying the exact configuration | APFS volume / keybag material | Different key architecture from legacy FileVault 2 — on Apple silicon / T2 Macs the Secure Enclave handles key material, so do not assume the CoreStorage route applies |
| VeraCrypt (container or system) | current hashcat route: 29411–29483 via veracrypt2hashcat.py; legacy 13711–13783 only if deliberately using the legacy route | Container header; your PIM value if you set one | Memory-hard — tens to low hundreds of guesses/sec; a PIM makes it slower |
| TrueCrypt (legacy container) | current hashcat route: 29311–29343 via truecrypt2hashcat.py; legacy 6211–6243 | Container header | Memory-hard and slow — only worth it with clues |
| LUKS (Linux) | Hashcat: luks2hashcat.py → 14600/29511–29543 (LUKS1 variants) and 34100 for supported LUKS2/Argon2 configs (check the exact KDF first). John: luks2john | Volume header | LUKS1 crackable with clues (modes 29511–29543 by configuration). LUKS2 with a supported Argon2 configuration is recoverable via mode 34100 (argon2id + SHA-256 + AES) — but not every LUKS2 variant is supported, so identify the exact KDF, hash and cipher parameters before choosing a route |
| Apple DMG (encrypted disk image) | John the Ripper · dmg2john | The encrypted image | No hashcat mode — JtR only; realistic only with a human-chosen password and clues |
| BestCrypt | hashcat 23900 (v3) / 24000 (v4) · JtR bestcrypt2john | Volume/container header | Memory-hard and slow — only worth it with clues |
| DiskCryptor | hashcat 20011–20013 · JtR diskcryptor2john | Volume/container header | Memory-hard and slow — only worth it with clues |
These formats are not part of this site’s measured benchmark suite — the speed classes above are order-of-magnitude, not measurements. Check the current tool documentation before estimating a run.
The method, in order
- Search first. The wallet file (or its seed) often exists outside the encrypted volume — work the 68-place checklist before touching the drive.
- Back up the drive or image before anything else. The protection rules apply fully — including the old/dead-computer rule: copy, don’t repair.
- Extract the header or hash on a copy (the
*2john/ header tools above). Keep the original volume untouched. - Attack with your candidate list — the hint-list method decides the case; test small before running long.
- Unlocked? The wallet file inside is now a normal wallet — follow its row in the master list.
The walkthrough — five steps
-
1
Protect the file
Copy the encrypted document to read-only media and work on the copy, offline, on your own machine. Never upload it to a public checker or unknown website — an online “unlock” site is handing your password list to a stranger. The protection rules apply.
-
2
Extract the hash line
Run the right extractor from the table above (
7z2john,zip2john,rar2john,office2john,pdf2john) — it turns the file into a one-line hash without ever exposing its contents. The JtR walkthrough covers the general flow. -
3
Pick the mode
From the table above — for example
11600for 7-Zip or9400for Office 2007 files. The hashcat walkthrough explains how modes and masks work. -
4
Build the attack
A wordlist from your password hint list with rules, or a mask when you remember the shape:
hashcat -m 11600 archive.hash words.txt -r rules/best66.ruleDocument passwords follow the same habits as every password you ever made — years, names, patterns. That memory work is what decides the outcome.
-
5
Open the file, then the wallet
A cracked password unlocks the document on your copy. Inside is the wallet password — and from there the normal wallet path applies: find your wallet in the master list and follow its verdict.
Never upload your encrypted file to a public checker or unknown website
The document may contain your wallet password, seed or private keys. Legitimate recovery runs offline on your own machine — never upload the file to a public checker or unknown website.
Frequently asked questions
Can a BitLocker or VeraCrypt drive really be cracked?
Yes, when a wallet file sits inside and the password was human-made with clues. Volume encryption is memory-hard, so every guess is far slower than a wallet file — but with a good candidate list these are the same offline tools, run on a copy. A random or manager-generated password is not realistic.
Can a password-protected ZIP really be cracked?
Yes, offline, with the modes above. Speed depends on the file’s encryption (for example AES vs the older ZipCrypto scheme) and on your clues — a human-chosen password with a good candidate list is realistically recoverable; a random one is not.
What if the document password is long and random?
The same math as every wallet on this site: a genuinely random password is beyond any hardware, for anyone. The realistic path is to find it stored — work the search checklist before spending time cracking.
Should I use an online service to unlock the file?
No. An encrypted document that may hold wallet secrets should never leave your machine. Every format above cracks fine offline with free tools — that is the whole point of this walkthrough.
Sources & references
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.