In short
Don’t type seed words into a computer or phone. The safe route is to restore them onto a new hardware wallet bought from the manufacturer, check what’s there, and then move the coins to a wallet of your own with a fresh seed. If it looks empty, there may be a passphrase, a different coin or a multisig involved.
Work out what you have
- A hardware wallet: a small device, usually with a brand on it such as Ledger, Trezor, BitBox, Blockstream (Jade), Coldcard or Keystone. On its own it’s locked with a PIN.
- A seed phrase: 12 or 24 English words, in order, on paper, a card or a metal plate. This is the master key to the wallet. Some backups use 20 or 33 words, which usually means a Trezor multi-share or single-share backup (how that format differs). Seeds made by Electrum in its own format won’t restore on a hardware wallet. If a restore fails, stop and get help from someone you trust rather than trying websites.
- A passphrase: sometimes written separately as an extra word or sentence, sometimes described as a “25th word”. It changes which wallet the seed opens.
- A file or printout with “wsh(“, “multi” or “descriptor” on it: that points to a multisig wallet, which needs more than one seed. See below.
If you have the device and the PIN
The simplest case. Connect the device to the maker’s official app (downloaded from the maker’s own website, typed into the address bar yourself), unlock it with the PIN and look at the balance. The app will guide you to send coins elsewhere.
Remember that a wrong PIN counts. After a limited number of wrong attempts the device wipes itself, and then only the seed words can bring the wallet back.
If you only have the seed words
The safe way to use them:
- Buy a new hardware wallet from the maker’s own shop. Not second-hand, not from a marketplace seller. It doesn’t have to be the same brand. If the backup has 20 or 33 words, use a device that supports that format, such as a Trezor.
- Choose “restore” or “recover wallet” during setup, and enter the words on the device itself, not on a computer.
- Open the maker’s official app and see which coins and balances appear.
- Move the coins to a wallet that is yours alone, with a new seed that only you have written down. The old seed has been in someone else’s hands and on paper in a house full of people; treat it as no longer private. If the seed was created on a Coldcard, moving to a new seed matters even more: Coinkite found that Coldcard firmware from 2021 to July 2026 could create weak seeds (Coinkite).
Never type seed words into a website or app
Websites and apps that ask you to “enter your 12 or 24 words to check your balance” or “to sync your wallet” are the most common way inheritances get stolen. A seed typed into a computer or phone can be copied by malware, and a seed typed into a website goes straight to whoever runs it.
“The wallet is empty”
Don’t panic, and don’t assume the coins were stolen. The usual explanations:
- A passphrase. A seed with a passphrase opens a different wallet than the seed alone, and the seed alone shows an empty one without any error. Look for a separate word or sentence in their papers.
- A different coin or account. A seed can hold Bitcoin, Ethereum and many other coins, each shown only once the right app or account is added. In the maker’s app, add the other coins and check again.
- A different address type or account number. Some wallet software uses a different default path. An experienced helper can scan for these without moving anything.
- A multisig. The seed is only one of several keys. See the next section.
Multisig and timelock wallets
If the person was more technical, their coins may be in a multisig wallet, which needs two or more keys together, or a wallet with a timelocked recovery key. You’ll need the other keys (or the person holding them) and the wallet configuration file. Their letter of instruction should explain. The guides on multisig inheritance and timelocked keys show how these setups work, which helps you know what to look for.
This is the point where it’s worth getting help from someone you trust who knows the software, sitting next to you, rather than a stranger online.
After you’ve moved the coins
- Write down the value on the date of death and the date you received the coins; the estate and your own taxes will need them.
- Store your new seed as carefully as the person you inherited from did, or better.
- Think about your own plan. It’s a good moment. Start here.