Incomplete seed phrase
An incomplete seed phrase can be rebuilt when only a few words are missing.
Is this your case
Situations we assess
01
The paper with the seed was damaged and one or more words became unreadable.
02
You wrote down 12 or 24 words, but the software says the phrase is invalid (checksum error), a sign of a wrong or swapped word.
03
The words exist, but the order is uncertain because they were written in columns, on separate cards or in photos.
04
One or two words were written in another language or with a similar spelling (for example, English words copied by ear).
05
The seed restores a wallet, but it is empty: possibly a word replaced by another valid one or a different derivation path.
Materials
What we need to assess the case
During the initial call we only discuss the structure of the problem. The words themselves enter the process only after the contract, through the agreed channel.
- The words you have, with the position of each, and the positions or letters of the words in doubt.
- A public address, xpub or transaction from the wallet, indispensable to confirm the reconstruction.
- The software or device that created the seed (Ledger, Trezor, MetaMask, Electrum, Trust Wallet, others), to define the derivation paths.
- If there was an additional passphrase, what you remember about it, because seed and passphrase are tested together.
- Proof of identity and ownership, verified before any technical work.
Process
How we handle an incomplete seed case
The path is the same as in every other case: triage without secrets, a 30 minute assessment, a proposal, offline execution and an assisted transfer to a new wallet.
Step 01
Tell us what happened
Complete a short form with the wallet type, the problem and what you still have. Do not submit any secret.
Step 02
Speak with a specialist
Have a free technical assessment lasting 30 minutes in English or Portuguese.
Step 03
Receive an initial assessment
Understand preliminary viability, which materials may be required and the next steps.
Step 04
Authorize the work
After ownership verification and service formalization, we request only what is strictly necessary.
Step 05
Pay only after a recovery
When successful, you move the assets to a new wallet during an assisted session and pay the agreed success fee.
Viability
What determines viability
Each missing word multiplies the combinations by 2048. The checksum discards part of the candidates (1 in 16 twelve word phrases is valid, 1 in 256 for 24 words), and each valid phrase still has to be derived and compared with the known address.
- Number of missing words
- Up to 3 missing words in a 24 word seed (or 2 to 3 in a 12 word seed) is usually feasible within days. Four words is the practical limit in many cases; five or more only with strong clues about the first letters.
- Order uncertainty
- Twelve words in a completely unknown order produce 479 million permutations before the checksum. If only a few pairs are in doubt, the number drops dramatically.
- Clues about the words
- Readable first letters, word length or a word in doubt between two options reduce the space from 2048 to a few dozen candidates per position.
- Address and derivation path
- Without a known address there is no way to confirm the right phrase. Knowing the source software avoids testing every BIP44, BIP49, BIP84 and BIP86 path.
Service limits
What we cannot do
- We cannot recreate a completely lost seed. Cryptography does not allow a seed to be derived from a public address or public key.
- We cannot recover seeds that never held funds in the wallet you indicate: without an address with history, there is nothing to verify against.
- We do not guarantee recovery; with many missing words and no clues, we report the case as unfeasible during the assessment.
Security and confidentiality
Your data is treated as the most sensitive asset in the process.
We minimize data collection for every case. Recovery attempts are performed offline on equipment controlled by Vault, with access restricted to the specialists responsible.
Never send a seed phrase, private key or password to someone who contacts you without your request. Always verify Vault Recovery's official channels.
01
No secrets are requested in the initial form.
02
Work begins only after identity, ownership or legal authority is verified.
03
We request only the material required for the specific case.
04
Recovery attempts take place in a controlled offline environment.
05
You participate in moving the assets to a new wallet under your control.
06
Sensitive files and data are permanently deleted after the case is concluded.
Commercial model
A fee only if the seed is rebuilt
The assessment is free. If the phrase is rebuilt and the funds are transferred to your new wallet, the fee follows the brackets below. Without success, there is no fee.
No recovery commission if recovery fails
- Recovered value
- 01Up to USD 100,000
- Success fee
- 20%
- Recovered value
- 02Over USD 100,000 up to USD 200,000
- Success fee
- 17.5%
- Recovered value
- 03Over USD 200,000
- Success fee
- 15%
Cases that require device shipping, replacement parts or laboratory work may involve operational costs disclosed in advance and charged separately from the success fee.
Frequently asked questions
Frequently asked questions about this case.
The same questions and answers visible here feed the structured data of the page.
Related cases
Other situations that often combine with this one.
If your case involves more than one obstacle, the assessment considers them together.
Free assessment
Missing words in your seed? Let us estimate viability together.
Book a free 30 minute call. You describe the structure of the problem (positions, clues, source software) without revealing any word, and a specialist estimates the search space.
Free assessment · English or Portuguese · No secret is requested at this stage
Step 1 of 3
Initial case assessment
Share only what is necessary so we can direct the conversation to the right specialist.
Never enter a seed phrase, password, passphrase, private key, or sensitive file in this form.