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Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesFind Drivers →Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsFix Now →Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →Recovery depends first on what you use. If you control a self-custody wallet, access can usually be restored only with its recovery phrase, private key, or a usable backup. If your crypto is held in an exchange account, use that exchange’s official account-recovery process instead. No legitimate helper can recreate missing private keys, and anyone asking for your seed phrase, PIN, password, or authentication code is a major scam warning.
Identify what you are trying to recover
A wallet app or hardware wallet is normally self-custody: the keys are under your control. An exchange account is different; the platform holds the keys and gives you an account login.
| Situation | Correct recovery route | What a support team can and cannot do |
|---|---|---|
| Self-custody wallet | Restore with the recovery phrase, private key, or compatible backup | Support can explain the documented process but cannot reset cryptography or recreate absent keys |
| Exchange account | Use the exchange’s official website or app for login recovery and support | The exchange may restore account access; it cannot reverse an irreversible blockchain transfer |
Before taking action, inventory what remains: your recovery phrase, private key, encrypted wallet file, original device, wallet password, account email, and authentication methods. Do not send any of these secrets to a person who contacts you first.
If you still have the recovery phrase
A recovery phrase is effectively control of the wallet. Anyone who obtains it may move the assets, so enter it only in the wallet maker’s official recovery flow on a trusted device.
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- Effortlessly build your crypto portfolio via the all in one Ledger Wallet app: buy, sell, send, receive, swap, stake and more across popular blockchains. 15,000+ coins & tokens in a single dashboard. Keep a close eye on the market. Compare service providers. Track performance. Get timely alerts. Build your portfolio with confidence.
- Enjoy Bluetooth connectivity, iOS access, and hours of battery use with this mobile-first, secure backup signer. Freedom you can depend on.
- Genuine Check: confirm your signer is authentic during setup with the Ledger Wallet app.
- Protect your signer: keep it in mint condition at all times with a bespoke Pod or Case to avoid scratches and everyday wear and tear.
- Confirm the wallet brand, app, or hardware model and open its official recovery instructions.
- Check each word, spelling, order, and word count. A single error can produce a different, apparently empty wallet.
- Verify compatibility with the wallet’s recovery standard and any required passphrase. BitBox, for example, documents restoring 12- or 24-word BIP-39 phrases on a BitBox02 or another trusted compatible hardware wallet.
- Type the phrase only into the wallet’s verified app or device. Never put it into a website, browser extension, online form, password manager, cloud drive, photo library, notes app, or chat.
- After restoration, confirm that the expected addresses and balances appear. If they do not, stop rather than repeatedly guessing settings; the wallet may use a different derivation path, account type, or passphrase.
Exodus likewise describes restoring with the 12 words in their correct order and warns that possession of those words permits theft.
If the device is lost, broken, or replaced
The device does not contain the coins themselves. It stores or uses the keys that control blockchain addresses. Restoring the same phrase on a compatible replacement reconnects you to those addresses; it does not transfer coins from the old device.
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- Buy or use replacement hardware only after checking the manufacturer’s current compatibility documentation.
- Obtain hardware through a trustworthy channel and verify its authenticity and firmware process.
- Restore privately, away from cameras, screen-sharing software, and other people.
- If the phrase might have been photographed, typed online, or shown to anyone, treat it as exposed and follow the compromise procedure below instead of continuing to use it.
If you have an exchange account
- Type the exchange’s known web address yourself or open its official app; do not use a link from an unsolicited email, text, social-media message, or direct message.
- Use the published password, email, identity, and two-factor recovery screens.
- Contact support through the same official channel if automated recovery fails.
- Never disclose an authentication code to someone who calls or messages you, and review account sessions, withdrawal settings, and security notifications after access is restored.
Exchange support can restore access to the platform account under its policies. It cannot cancel an on-chain transaction that has already been confirmed.
If the phrase and private key are gone
For a self-custody wallet, there is ordinarily no password-reset function when the seed phrase and private keys are missing. Ethereum.org’s guidance is unequivocal that funds cannot be recovered without one of those key materials. A company, miner, or support agent cannot bypass that cryptographic limit.
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- Connectivity: USB-C cable connection only. No Bluetooth.Compatible with the Ledger Wallet crypto app, both desktop (Windows, macOS, Linux) and mobile (Android only). Not compatible with iOS.
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Stop and preserve anything that remains: an encrypted wallet file, an old phone or computer, a partial phrase, a remembered password, or written records. A qualified specialist may be able to assess whether those items provide enough information for a limited attempt, but an assessment is not a promise of recovery. Do not email or upload the materials at the first contact; describe the wallet type and problem without revealing secrets.
If the wallet may be compromised
Restoring a compromised phrase on a new device does not make it safe. Anyone who copied the phrase may still control the same addresses.
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- Use a clean, trusted device and create a completely new wallet with a new recovery phrase.
- If any assets remain, move them to the new wallet as soon as it is safe to do so. Check the destination address carefully before confirming.
- Secure the email account and any exchange accounts connected to the wallet, including new passwords and strong two-factor authentication.
- Remove suspicious wallet extensions, mobile apps, remote-access tools, and browser sessions, and update the operating system.
- Record the new phrase offline and keep it separate from the compromised one. Never reuse the old phrase.
How to recognize recovery scams
Ethereum.org says, “Never share your seed phrase with anyone claiming to help you recover your wallet.” Trezor’s security guidance similarly says, “Never share your wallet backup (recovery seed) with anyone!” Requests for a backup, PIN, password, or code are scam indicators, even when the sender uses a logo, a support badge, or technical language.
- Do not send a recovery phrase, private key, password, authentication code, or wallet file in an initial email or chat.
- Ignore unsolicited “recovery agents,” social-media helpers, and paid advertisements promising guaranteed access.
- Initiate contact through the wallet maker’s or exchange’s official site, not through a supplied callback number or link.
- Be wary of urgency, requests for remote computer control, or demands for cryptocurrency upfront.
When a paid recovery service might be relevant
Some providers advertise help with encrypted wallet files, forgotten passwords, incomplete phrases, or old devices. Blockchain.com’s support material describes partner assistance for certain lost-password, backup-phrase, and encrypted-file cases, sometimes with identity checks. Those descriptions establish what a provider offers to assess, not that a particular wallet can be recovered.
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Commercial terms vary. One provider advertises a 20% fee on recovered funds, while another describes a success-based model. These are provider-published terms, not independent recovery rates or evidence that missing keys can be reconstructed. Verify the business identity, technical scope, security practices, fee, and payment trigger directly. Never place your phrase in an affiliate or lead form.
How to choose the safest next step
| Check | Question to answer |
|---|---|
| Custody | Is this a self-custody wallet or an exchange account? |
| Evidence | Do you have the phrase, private key, encrypted file, original device, partial phrase, or only a login email? |
| Compatibility | Does the wallet app or replacement device support the phrase standard, account type, and passphrase? |
| Security | Does the proposed process keep secrets private, or ask you to disclose them? |
| Limits and cost | What can the provider actually assess, what is charged, and is payment contingent on verified recovery? |
A compatible hardware wallet can be useful when you already possess valid recovery material and need replacement hardware. It cannot recover a phrase or key that has been lost.
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