What should I do if I lose the private key of my cryptocurrency wallet?

Before panicking, systematically check for your lost private key: review possible storage locations, verify backups (paper, hardware, cloud), and use your seed phrase if available; contact your wallet provider if necessary.

Feb 28, 2025 at 11:24 am

• Calm down first and recall carefully whether the private key is really lost. For example, whether the location is stored incorrectly or the form is remembered incorrectly. Sometimes it seems to be lost, but it is actually memory deviation.

• Check whether there are records similar to private keys, such as confusing private keys from different wallets, or recording private key-related information in multiple places, which need to be checked one by one.

• Confirm whether the private key display is abnormal due to a wallet software failure, rather than real loss.

• Check the paper backup and think about whether you have copied the private key on paper, maybe in a notebook, sticky note, or stored in a secure file bag or safe.

• Check the hardware wallet backup. If you have used the hardware wallet, see if there are related backup devices, such as a specific USB storage device, which may contain private key backups.

• Recalling cloud storage backup, if you have backed up your private key to the cloud disk, log in to the corresponding cloud service account and find the relevant backup files. But pay attention to the security of cloud storage.

• Check the backup options in the software wallet. Some wallet software has a backup function on its own. Enter the wallet settings and find the backup records.

• Recalling the content of mnemonic words. Mnemonic words are usually a set of meaningful words, which are generally generated when creating a wallet and need to be carefully recalled and recorded.

• Open the wallet recovery interface. Different wallet operation locations vary. It is commonly found in the "Recover Wallet" option in the wallet login page or settings menu.

• Enter mnemonics as prompts, pay attention to the accurate word order and spelling, and then complete the wallet recovery operation according to the process.

• Find the official contact information of the wallet, and you can obtain customer service email, phone number or online customer service portal through the official wallet website, official social media account and other channels.

• Prepare relevant information, such as wallet registration information, screenshots of transaction records, approximate time of creating a wallet, etc., to facilitate customer service to verify identity.

• Explain the loss of the private key to the customer service in detail, including the discovery of the lost time, the abnormal situation of using the wallet before, etc., and wait for the customer service to assist in handling it.

• Search for professional private key recovery institutions, and screen institutions with good export reputation and high credibility through online search, industry forum consultation, etc.

• Understand the organization's services and charging standards, clarify the technical means, success rate and required fees for restoring private keys, and avoid fraud.

• Submit information carefully and provide necessary information as required after confirming that the institution is reliable, but do not disclose sensitive privacy information at will.

• Multiple backup methods are adopted, and private keys are backed up using paper, hardware, cloud storage and other methods to increase security.

• Regularly check the validity of the backup file, periodically check whether the backup file can be read normally and whether the private key information is complete.

• Enhance security awareness and do not enter private keys in untrusted environments at will, avoid clicking suspicious links and downloading unknown software to prevent private keys from being stolen.

• Learn wallet security knowledge, understand wallet security settings, common risks and prevention methods, and improve self-protection capabilities.

• Keep relevant equipment well and ensure that the hardware equipment, paper files, etc. that store private keys in a safe and easy-to-find place.

• If the hardware wallet is damaged, contact the hardware wallet manufacturer to consult if there is a private key recovery solution for the damaged device.

• If you are unable to access the private key because you forget your password, try to use the password recovery function of your wallet and follow the prompts, such as resetting your password through email verification, etc.

• If the private key is lost and the amount of assets in the wallet is huge, you can consider seeking professional legal advice to understand whether there is a legal way to protect your rights.

• Modify your wallet password immediately, set up complex and unique passwords, including letters, numbers, and special characters, and improve security.

• Re-back up private keys and mnemonics, adopting a safer and more reliable backup method, such as using a metallic mnemonic backup board.

• Check the wallet security settings, turn on additional security functions such as dual-factor authentication and fingerprint recognition to further ensure the security of the wallet.

• Pay close attention to wallet transaction records, regularly check wallet transaction details, promptly discover abnormal transactions and take measures.

• Update the wallet software version and keep the wallet software as the latest version to fix possible security vulnerabilities.