How the Recovery Process Works
Recovery work is structured around a single decision point: whether the surviving information constrains the search enough to make success plausible. Everything before that is diagnosis; everything after is execution.
The seven stages
- 1
Initial case assessment
You describe the wallet, the symptom and the history. The goal is to classify the case as a password problem, a seed problem, a file problem or a misunderstanding — the last being more common than expected, particularly with 'empty' wallets.
- 2
Identification of the wallet type
Wallet software, version and era determine the encryption scheme, derivation paths and file formats involved. A 2013 Bitcoin Core wallet and a 2023 MetaMask vault share almost nothing technically.
- 3
Review of remaining information
Files, devices, browser profiles, partial phrases, password habits and known addresses are catalogued. Each item removes uncertainty and shrinks the search space.
- 4
Ownership verification
Before technical work begins, ownership must be credible: possession of the device or file, wallet history you can describe, original documentation, or legal evidence for an inherited wallet.
- 5
Recovery feasibility analysis
The candidate space is estimated against the cost of testing a single candidate. The output is a plain statement: likely, borderline or not feasible — with the reasoning.
- 6
Specialist recovery work, if appropriate
Where the case is viable, work proceeds under agreed scope and conditions. Sensitive material is handled under strict controls and never through public channels.
- 7
Outcome
Either access is restored and you move the funds to a wallet you fully control, or you receive a documented explanation of why the search cannot succeed.
Why feasibility differs so much between cases
Every recovery is a search with a verification step. Verification is cheap: derive an address, compare it to one you know. The cost is in the number of candidates and the deliberate slowness of wallet key-derivation functions, which are designed so that each attempt takes real time.
This is why a forgotten password with remembered structure can succeed while an unconstrained one cannot, and why two missing seed words is routine while six is not. Nothing about the difference is commercial — it is arithmetic, and it can be estimated before you spend anything.
Where to go next
Not sure whether your case is recoverable?
Describe the wallet, what happened and what information you still have. You will get an honest assessment of whether recovery is technically feasible — without sending any secret credentials.
Start Recovery Assessment