Seed phrase recovery

Seed Phrase Recovery

BIP-39 phrase reconstruction with checksum-constrained search

A BIP-39 recovery phrase is not an arbitrary word list - the final word encodes a checksum over everything before it, which means most random combinations are invalid before any derivation is attempted. Partial, damaged or misordered phrases remain tractable when enough positions are known or constraint information exists. Reconstruction proceeds by checksum validation and systematic search, verified against client-supplied addresses on air-gapped equipment before any funds move.

10%recovery fee

Only charged on successful recovery

Meet the team

Meet our recovery experts

A team built on years of experience across New Zealand's most complex crypto matters.

Nic Turnbull

Co-Founder

Technical recovery across every wallet type and failure mode

Remote

Can fly anywhere in New Zealand

Harry Satoshi

Co-Founder

Firm development, operations, and client oversight across every recovery

Remote

Can fly anywhere in New Zealand

Our methods

How we recover a seed phrase

Every recovery is methodical and fully offline. Your key material never leaves our air-gapped equipment, and the work happens in an environment of your choosing.

Checksum-constrained reconstruction

Using BIP-39's built-in validation to discard invalid candidates before any derivation is attempted.

A 12-word phrase carries 128 bits of entropy plus a 4-bit checksum; a 24-word phrase carries 256 bits plus an 8-bit checksum
The checksum is the leading bits of the SHA-256 hash of the entropy, so 15 of every 16 candidate 12-word phrases are invalid, and 255 of every 256 at 24 words
One unknown word in a 24-word phrase collapses to roughly 8 checksum-valid candidates; the same gap at 12 words leaves around 128
Candidates ranked by likelihood before any exhaustive search begins
No blockchain query is made until a checksum-valid candidate exists
Validation against the full 2,048-word BIP-39 list in the correct language

Partial phrase reconstruction

Rebuilding phrases with missing, damaged, or illegible positions.

Each BIP-39 word is uniquely identified by its first four letters, so a smudged word ending is frequently no obstacle
Single and multi-position unknown-word recovery, with search space growing by 2,048 per unknown before checksum filtering
Constraint narrowing from partial letters, known position, or approximate recollection, each cutting the space by orders of magnitude
Transcription of water, fire, and fade-damaged media, with enumeration of every plausible reading
Feasibility and expected duration assessed and stated before any work is agreed
Candidate count and search coverage documented at completion

Word order and transposition analysis

Resolving phrases where the words are correct but the sequence is not.

Word order encodes entropy, so a wrong sequence is a permutation problem, not a dictionary problem
Permutation search across suspect positions, with the checksum discarding the overwhelming majority of orderings automatically
Adjacent-transposition detection for the most common transcription error first
Combined order-and-substitution search where both faults are present
Feasibility boundary assessment for fully unknown orderings, which are not tractable at 24 words
Every surviving candidate carried through to on-chain verification

Wordlist and language identification

Determining which BIP-39 wordlist a phrase was generated against before reconstruction begins.

Detection across all ten BIP-39 languages: English, Japanese, Korean, Spanish, Chinese Simplified and Traditional, French, Italian, Czech, and Portuguese
A valid phrase in one wordlist will not validate against another, a check some services skip entirely
Cross-validation where a word appears in more than one language's list
Handling of phrases recorded in a language other than the wallet's interface language
Normalisation of accented and multi-byte characters to their canonical BIP-39 form
Identification of near-miss words auto-corrected or substituted at the time of writing

Passphrase and derivation resolution

Separating a genuinely lost wallet from one that is simply being looked at in the wrong place.

A correct phrase showing an empty balance is usually a derivation path or passphrase issue, not a reconstruction failure
Derivation scanning across BIP-44 legacy, BIP-49 wrapped SegWit, BIP-84 native SegWit, and BIP-86 taproot paths
Multiple account indices and extended address-gap scanning, where balances sit outside a wallet's default range
BIP-39 passphrase testing, where an optional 25th word derives an entirely separate wallet from the same phrase
Cross-wallet checks, since implementations differ in default paths and passphrase handling
Verification against the specific coin and chain the phrase was used on

Verification and controlled migration

Confirming a match against known-good data before any funds move.

Every candidate checked against a client-supplied address or on-chain balance history before it is acted on
Confirmation of the exact derivation path and address type holding the balance
Air-gapped execution throughout, on equipment that has never touched a network
Migration to a new wallet you control, only once the match is proven
Recovered phrases and keys destroyed or returned at handover, nothing retained
Guidance on secure storage so the same loss cannot recur

Lost access to your wallet?

Not sure what's actually wrong? That's normal.

Most people who come to us don't know the technical term for what happened to their wallet - and they don't need to. Tell us what you remember, what you still have, and what you've already tried. We'll ask the right questions and work out the rest. There's no obligation, and if we don't think it's recoverable, we'll tell you on the first call.

01
Tell us what happened
A short description of the wallet, what you still have, and what you have already tried. No sensitive detail at this stage. We reply within 24 hours.
02
Free assessment call
We call you. Confidential, no obligation. You get an honest read on whether this is recoverable and roughly how long it would take. If it is not, we say so here - not after taking a fee.
03
Terms in writing
If we think we can help, a short agreement sets out the recovery percentage and the scope. Nothing is payable unless we succeed. An NDA is signed before any work begins.
04
The recovery itself
Methodical, offline, documented. For anything of significant value we travel to you at our cost and work on air-gapped equipment, so your key material never leaves the room.
05
Handover
Assets moved to a wallet you control, with help setting it up properly so this cannot happen again. Follow-up consulting is included at no extra cost.

Failure modes

Failure modes we handle

Two words smudged on a 24-word backup
Two unknown positions out of 24. The remaining words plus the 8-bit checksum narrow the valid candidates enough that this is usually solvable in hours.
One word missing from a 12-word phrase
A single missing position has 2,048 raw candidates, of which the 4-bit checksum leaves roughly 128, all verifiable against a known address in minutes.
Correct words, empty wallet on restore
Almost always a derivation path or an unrecorded passphrase, not a lost wallet. The funds have not moved, and both causes are recoverable.
Ambiguous handwriting across several positions
Where a word could be read more than one way, we enumerate every plausible reading and test the combinations against the checksum and the chain.
Water or fire-damaged backup with partial legibility
Partial reconstruction from what survives. Difficulty scales with the number of fully lost positions, but a single legible letter per position often restores the whole.
Phrase written in another language
A phrase generated against a non-English wordlist that no English-configured wallet will accept. Identifying the correct language resolves cases other services declare unrecoverable.

A recent case like this one

View all case studies

$400Krecovered
August 2025
Seed phrase reconstruction
Bitcoin locked behind a decade of stacked obstacles
Access had been gone for more than ten years. The backup predated current standards, storage had degraded what was written down, and format plus path unknowns were stacked on top of each other. We worked the obstacles in order on-site: fixed the historical format first, verified each stage against the chain, then restored access on air-gapped equipment.

Scam Warning

Most “crypto recovery” services are scams

If someone contacts you first about recovering your crypto, it's a scam - we only ever work with people who come to us. The rest ask for payment upfront, promise results nobody can promise, and want your recovery phrase typed into a website. Scammers also trade lists of people who've responded before, which is often how they found you.

You'll hear back from Nic or Harry directly - not a call centre. Beware of scammers.

Contact us

Describe your situation in general terms - no recovery phrases or private keys through this form. We will call you back within 24 hours with an honest read on whether seed phrase recovery is possible in your case.

No fee unless we succeed
10% of what's recovered, agreed in writing beforehand. Nothing if we fail.
We can come to you
Anywhere in New Zealand, at our cost, for cases of significant value.
Nothing is retained
Keys and phrases are destroyed or returned at the end of the engagement. NDA signed before we start.

FAQ

Seed phrase recovery - common questions

Can you recover a wallet from only some of the words?

Yes, up to a point. One or two missing words is routine and usually same-day. Three to five is feasible and depends on what else you can tell us about the gaps. Six or more with no additional information is generally not economic, and we will say so on the first call rather than bill you to find out.

My handwriting is unreadable in places. Is that a problem?

Usually not. Every BIP-39 word is uniquely determined by its first four letters, so even a badly written word is often identifiable outright. Where it genuinely cannot be read, we test the plausible readings against the checksum.

The words are definitely right but my wallet shows a zero balance. Is my crypto gone?

Almost certainly not. This is the single most common case we see, and it is nearly always a derivation path mismatch or an optional passphrase, not a lost wallet. The funds have not moved. Both causes are recoverable.

My phrase has 13, 18, or 25 words. Is that still a seed phrase?

BIP-39 defines valid lengths of 12, 15, 18, 21, and 24 words. A 13 or 25-word phrase usually means an extra passphrase word was written alongside the seed, which is a specific and recoverable situation we handle.

Is it safe to send you my recovery phrase?

No, and we will never ask you to. Phrases are only ever handled in person, on air-gapped equipment, at the point of recovery. Anyone asking you to type a recovery phrase into a website or send it by message should be treated as hostile.

My phrase is not English. Can you still recover it?

Yes. BIP-39 supports ten languages, and a phrase generated in one will not validate against another. Identifying the correct wordlist is often the entire problem, and it is one many services miss.

How long does it take?

Most cases resolve on the day. Missing-word reconstruction is the exception, and the time scales with how many positions are unknown and how much you can tell us about them.