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Trezor recovery issues

TABLE OF CONTENTS
  • Recovery seed - general info
  • Failed backup
  • Case 1: There are no cryptocurrency funds in your wallet.
  • Case 2: You do have cryptocurrency funds in your wallet.
  • Dry-run recovery (test of recovery seed)
  • Recovery process
  • Invalid seed
  • Seed is lost
  • Case 1: Wallet is accessible
  • Case 2: Wallet is inaccessible


 

Recovery seed - general info

In cryptocurrencies, a recovery seed (sometimes referred to simply as "seed") is a list of words in a specific order which store all the information needed to recover a wallet.

 

Keeping the recovery seed private and safe is key for long-term safety of the user's cryptocurrency funds.

 

 

Failed backup

Your Trezor device may accidentally lose power during the backup procedure. This might be caused by a poor cable connection or other mishaps. As the recovery seed is displayed only once, there is no way to read it again if the device is disconnected during the backup procedure. You have to erase your device and start over with the setup process. Although the process takes several minutes, it is strongly recommended to complete it as a very first step before you start to use your Trezor. Otherwise, you will not be able to restore access to your wallet in case of loss or damage.

Please follow the instructions below depending on your situation.

 

 

Case 1: There are no cryptocurrency funds in your wallet.

This case also applies to you if you have not used other Trezor services yet, such as GPG, SSH or Trezor Password Manager.

 

 

  • Go to Trezor Suite and connect your Trezor device.
  • Unlock your Trezor device with your  PIN. Ignore this step if you have not set up the PIN protection yet.
  • Wipe your Trezor. Information on how to wipe your Trezor device can be found here:
  • Reconnect your Trezor device to initialize a new wallet with a new backed-up recovery seed.
  • In case you have written the original seed down, throw it away and keep only the seed generated after the wipe.

 

 

Case 2: You do have cryptocurrency funds in your wallet.

This case also applies to you if you have been using other Trezor services, such as GPG, SSH or Trezor Password Manager.

 

 

  • Go to Trezor Suite and connect your Trezor device.
  • Unlock your Trezor device with your PIN. Wait for Trezor Suite to load your accounts.
  • Send all your funds to a different wallet.
  • Repeat step three for all your cryptocurrencies. Remember that you might have stored some cryptocurrencies that are not natively supported in Trezor Suite using a 3rd party wallets.
  • If you have been using the Trezor Password Manager, please save your passwords elsewhere. You will not be able to access this database again.
  • Make sure that all your funds have been moved elsewhere. You will not be able to access this wallet and any accounts in it again.
  • Wipe your Trezor. Information on how to wipe your Trezor device can be found here:
  • Reconnect your Trezor device to initialize a new wallet with a new backed-up recovery seed.
  • Now you can send your funds back to your newly generated wallet.


 

Dry-run recovery (test of recovery seed)

The dry-run recovery is a useful way to test your recovery seed. It is recommended to test your seed before you wipe or factory reset the Trezor device. It is also useful to test it before every firmware update. It allows you to double check that your recovery seed backup is correct, which may come handy if something goes wrong during a firmware update and your Trezor is wiped.

 


 

Recovery process

You can recover your wallet with all its accounts, addresses and private keys using your recovery seed. This feature is used after your wallet is wiped from your Trezor or you lose/damage your Trezor and need to recover your wallet using another device.

 

 

 

Invalid seed

In case you perform a recovery process or dry-run recovery and the result is "Recovery failed", "Invalid recovery seed", or "Recovery seed is valid but does not match the one in the device", there are two possible options:
 

  • You are not entering the words in the correct order (applies to Trezor Model One). Please note that the Trezor Model One instructs you to enter the words from your seed in a particular order. Follow the order shown on your Trezor's display, which is different from the order in which they are written down.


If using the Trezor Model T, the words are entered in order directly on the touchscreen display.

 

  • You have misspelled a word. Luckily, the recovery seed is always comprised of words drawn from a limited, very specific and public list. It is recommended to go through the list and try to find all of the words you have written down. If there is a word which you cannot find on the list, it is not spelled correctly. Looking out for similar words like boy/box, aware/awake might also be helpful.
 

Find a list of the most commonly misspelled words here.


The list is available at: https://github.com/bitcoin/bips/blob/master/bip-0039/english.txt


 

Seed is lost

Your recovery seed is the essential 'record' of your Trezor device. Without the recovery seed, you will not be able to recover your wallet if your Trezor device is ever wiped, lost, or damaged. 

Please follow the instructions below depending on your situation.


 

Case 1: Wallet is accessible

You need to move your funds to another wallet with the known recovery seed as soon as possible.  More information on how to proceed in this situation can be found here.

 

 

Case 2: Wallet is inaccessible

If your recovery seed is lost and you are unable to access your wallet with your Trezor device, unfortunately there is nothing we can do to help you access your wallet.
 

We have no control over your recovery seed, thus the loss of a recovery seed is terminal, unfortunately.

 

If you require further assistance, please contact us via our chatbot Hal who will help resolve your issue.