This is one of the hardest situations in crypto. Before you give up, work through what is possible. This guide is part of our guide to the BIP39 passphrase.

What cannot be done

No device or company stores your passphrase. It is mixed into the maths that creates your seed, so there is nothing to look up. There is also no hint of whether a guess is close. A wrong guess simply opens a different, valid, empty wallet.

First, rule out a simple mistake

Before you assume it is lost, try these with your own wallet:

  1. Check the case of the first letter. Phones capitalize words automatically.
  2. Check for a trailing space, or a double space.
  3. Try common variations that you use.
  4. Check whether you used a different keyboard language.
  5. Make sure that the wallet is showing the right account and address type.

Our guide to passphrase typos, case and spaces covers these in detail.

If you remember part of it

If you know most of it, your search space may be small. A motivated, technical person can try variations offline:

  • You need your seed phrase and an address that you know you used.
  • Software tries candidates, and checks for that address.
  • The work happens on an air-gapped computer that you control.

This takes skill, and the tool must be trustworthy. Doing this badly can expose your seed phrase. If you are not confident, get help from someone you know and trust in person. Never hand your words to a stranger.

If you remember nothing

If it was truly random and strong, it will not be found. That is the protection working exactly as designed, and it applies to you as much as to an attacker.

If it was short or personal, there may be some hope, because the set of likely guesses is small.

Search your records

  • Old notes, safes and envelopes.
  • Any written instructions to family.
  • Password managers, even old ones.

Beware of recovery offers

People who post about a lost passphrase attract scammers. They ask for your seed phrase, or an upfront fee. Do not share your phrase. See recovery services: which are scams.

If your funds are still accessible somehow

If an unlocked wallet still shows the funds, move them to a new, well-backed-up wallet at once.

Preventing this

Back up your passphrase, and test it every year. If your memory is the only copy, fix that today.