Testing recovery – and what to do if you lose access

A backup you’ve never tried out is a hope, not security. Mistakes creep in easily when you write down a seed phraseGlossarySeed phrase (recovery phrase)A sequence of usually 12 or 24 words from which your wallet derives all its private keys. Anyone who knows the words has full access to your bitcoin – so they belong in an offline backup and never in anyone else’s hands.On the learning path: Stage 5 · Step 3 – Backing up your seed phrase →In the glossary →×, and the checksum in the BIP 39GlossaryBIP 39 (standard for seed words)The widely used standard that turns random data into 12 to 24 words from a fixed list of 2,048 words. Your wallet calculates all its keys from these words – BIP 39 is behind most seed phrases.On the learning path: Stage 5 · Step 3 – Backing up your seed phrase →In the glossary →× standard catches only some of them. With 12 words it’s just 4 bits long, so a wrong word from the word list goes unnoticed in roughly one case in 16.^[1] A forgotten passphraseGlossaryPassphrase (the ‘25th word’)An extra word of your choice added to your seed phrase. The same words then produce a completely different wallet. This protects you if someone finds your words – but if you forget the passphrase, access is lost for good.On the learning path: Stage 5 · Step 3 – Backing up your seed phrase →In the glossary →×, a different backup format or the wrong address type escape it completely. So test while only a small amount is at stake. It sounds like more work than it is: we’ll show you three ways, from a quick check to a trial recovery.

Three ways to check your backup

1. Backup check on the device

Some hardware walletsTermHardware walletA small dedicated device that keeps your private keys offline and signs transactions internally.On the learning path: Stage 6 · Step 1 – Hardware wallets compared →In the glossary →AdManufacturers with a paid linkProviders from our comparisonBitBox02Hardware wallet · SwitzerlandVisit BitBox* (paid link, opens in a new window)Trezor SafeHardware wallet · Czech RepublicVisit Trezor* (paid link, opens in a new window)Blockstream JadeHardware wallet · Canada/USAVisit Blockstream Jade* (paid link, opens in a new window)All 6 compared – including non-partners →Only buy hardware wallets from the manufacturer or an authorised reseller.*Paid link: if you sign up or buy through it, we earn a commission. Your price stays the same. How we make money →× compare the words you enter with the stored wallet and tell you whether they match. With TrezorProvider · Hardware walletTrezor SafeHardware wallets by SatoshiLabs from the Czech Republic – Safe 3, Safe 5 and Safe 7, each also as a Bitcoin-only edition.Hardware manufacturer – no financial licence required · reviewed Sept 2026Price: Safe 3: $59 · Safe 5: $129 · Safe 7: $249 (same amounts in euros, as of Sept 2026)On the learning path: Stage 6 · Step 1 – Hardware wallets compared →Our profile →AdVisit Trezor* (paid link, opens in a new window)on trezor.ioOnly buy hardware wallets from the manufacturer or an authorised reseller.*Paid link: if you sign up or buy through it, we earn a commission. Your price stays the same. How we make money →×, the device isn’t wiped in the process and doesn’t remember the words you enter. Trezor recommends the check before every firmware update and before you reset the device.^[2]

2. Trial recovery

A real run-through is more thorough, ideally straight after setup:

1. Receive a test amount

   Send a small amount to the new wallet, for example $20 worth of bitcoin. Note down the first receiving address. Larger amounts only once the test is passed.

2. Delete the wallet or use a second device

   Reset the device or delete the app. Or use a second device, so the first one stays unchanged.

3. Restore from the backup only

   Enter the words from your paper or metal backupTermMetal backupA backup of your seed phrase on steel or titanium – punched, engraved or made with letter tiles.On the learning path: Stage 5 · Step 3 – Backing up your seed phrase →In the glossary →AdManufacturers with a paid linkProviders from our comparisonCryptosteelMetal backup · United Kingdom (made in Poland)Visit Cryptosteel* (paid link, opens in a new window)BlockplateMetal backupNo partnership · Profile →All 4 compared – including non-partners →*Paid link: if you sign up or buy through it, we earn a commission. Your price stays the same. How we make money →×, not from memory. If you use a passphrase, enter it from the backup too.

4. Compare the result

   Does the test amount appear and does the first receiving address match? Then your backup works. If not, you’ve found the mistake in time – possible causes are listed below.

3. Test in a different wallet

Your backup should still work if the manufacturer or the app no longer exists. Restore it as a test in a different compatible wallet – for a hardware wallet, on a device from another manufacturer, not in an app on your phone or computer, otherwise the words are no longer offline. walletsrecovery.org shows which wallet supports which standards.^[3]

If the restored wallet looks empty

This is often harmless. Your bitcoin are on the blockchain, not in the app – the wallet may just be looking in the wrong place. From the keys alone, it can’t tell which addresses to generate.^[4] Check these causes one by one. If none fits, a word may have been written down wrongly without the checksum noticing – then the table in the next section helps.

Different address type or derivation path

Many key trees can be calculated from one seed phrase; the derivation pathGlossaryDerivation pathThe route a wallet follows to calculate individual keys from your seed phrase, for example m/84'/0'/0'. If another wallet uses a different path when you restore, it looks empty – even though nothing has been lost.In the glossary →× determines which one is used. The first characters of your old Bitcoin addressGlossaryBitcoin addressA string of characters like ‘bc1q…’ that someone can send bitcoin to. It is usually derived from a public key, can be shared without risk to your funds and should be generated afresh for every payment.On the learning path: Stage 5 · Step 4 – First withdrawal →In the glossary →× usually reveal the right one:

If the new app only looks for bc1q addresses but your old ones begin with ‘3’, it looks empty – choose the matching address type or path in the settings. Not all wallets stick to these standard paths; walletsrecovery.org lists the paths of individual wallets.^[4],[3] More on address types: Keys, addresses & seed phrases.

The gap limit

The wallet goes through your addresses in order. Under the BIP 44 standard, it stops searching once it finds 20 unused addresses in a row.^[5] If you generated many addresses without using them – for invoices that were never paid, say – later payments lie outside the search range. Some wallets, such as SparrowProvider · Software walletSparrow WalletBitcoin desktop wallet with no purchase price and full transparency: coin control, PSBT, multisig and support for most hardware wallets.Non-custodial software – no financial licence required · reviewed Sept 2026Price: no purchase price (donations welcome); network fee when sending (as of Sept 2026)On the learning path: Stage 5 · Step 2 – Setting up your first wallet →Our profile →Official website ↗×, let you raise the gap limit in the advanced settings.^[9]

Passphrase forgotten or mistyped

Every passphrase opens a valid wallet – including a mistyped one.^[1] If it’s missing or a single character differs, you land in an empty wallet. Watch upper and lower case and spaces. More in The passphrase.

Different backup format

• Electrum has generated its own seeds with a version number since version 2.0; they aren’t BIP 39.^[10] The easiest way to restore an Electrum seed is in Electrum.
• Shamir backups (SLIP-39) have 20 or 33 words from a different word list and aren’t compatible with BIP 39. Trezor’s Safe series has created this kind of backup by default since June 2024. It can only be restored with wallets that support SLIP-39.^[11]
• Multisig wallets need, besides the seed phrases, the wallet configuration with the public keys of all participants (xpubsGlossaryxpub (extended public key)An extended public key from which all the addresses of a wallet account can be calculated. Nobody can spend bitcoin with it – but anyone who knows it can see your entire account history.In the glossary →×). More in Multisig simply explained.

Access lost – what now?

What to do depends on what’s missing:

Repeat regularly

Repeat the backup check once a year, before firmware updates or resetting the device^[2] and after every change to the backup (new metal backup, new location, new passphrase). When you switch devices, test straight away in the new wallet.

If you want to use the third way on another manufacturer’s device, you’ll need a second device – it can then also serve as a replacement if your first one fails. You don’t have to. Buy it directly from the manufacturer or from a retailer the manufacturer names.

What’s next?