MultiBit wallets after a death

MultiBit was a Bitcoin desktop wallet from 2011 until 2017, in two generations: the original MultiBit and the later MultiBit HD. Both were discontinued, which is exactly why estates find them today, and why the right recovery or migration route matters.

What a MultiBit wallet actually is

• It lives on a computer as wallet files: .wallet files for MultiBit Classic, possibly .key files as private-key exports or backups, and mbhd.wallet.aes for MultiBit HD, always encrypted with a password.
• MultiBit HD wallets were also backed up by a seed phrase, which can restore the wallet without the files.
• Development stopped in 2017. Modern software no longer opens these wallets, so a wallet that “shows nothing” proves very little, the empty screen is not evidence that no bitcoins existed.

What finding one means

Finding a MultiBit installation or wallet file is a strong indication that a Bitcoin wallet was created or used; check the addresses and transaction history on a controlled copy before concluding that bitcoins were actually received or held. MultiBit Classic and MultiBit HD have different access and recovery routes. With MultiBit Classic, the wallet file and any private-key backups are relevant; if the file or backup used is encrypted, the corresponding password is also needed. With MultiBit HD, access may, depending on the version and situation, run through a usable encrypted wallet file with the correct password, while the correct wallet words/seed can also form a separate recovery route. The file, password and seed are therefore not by definition all three needed together. Determine first which MultiBit version was used and which material is still available. The wallet can look empty when opened incorrectly or in the wrong software version.

How to preserve it

• Leave the wallet files, the MultiBit folder and the device exactly as found.
• Do not open MultiBit, do not update it, and do not click “repair”, “rescan” or “restore” prompts.
• Do not upload the wallet files to an unknown or unsecured service that offers to “check” them. Do not open the original file directly; after authority is confirmed, first determine which extraction, migration or recovery route matches the MultiBit generation found and work where possible with a controlled copy. If specialised technical recovery is needed, agree in advance in writing what material is necessary and how it will be processed securely. Historical software is used only when technically necessary, in a controlled, isolated environment.
• Record only that a MultiBit wallet exists, where, and when.

What to do with it

• When the estate is ready: first determine which archival, extraction or migration method suits the relevant generation; if historical software must still be used, do so only in a controlled, isolated environment. The MultiBit generation and file format used matter. The wrong recovery or migration method can give an incomplete or empty result; this does not mean that historical MultiBit software is necessary.
• Discontinued software: do not download anything on a guess. MultiBit is no longer updated or distributed by its developers. Do not download “MultiBit”, “MultiBit HD” or tools that claim to “open” or “repair” MultiBit files from random websites, app stores, messages or search ads; fake copies are common. Use verified original software with someone who knows what they are doing, or a professional with verified experience in old wallets. Never type your password or seed into anything you have not verified.
• The classic mistake: concluding “there is nothing” because an old wallet looks empty in modern software.
• MultiBit HD: the wallet file (mbhd.wallet.aes) is always encrypted with a password, so it does not open without it. If the wallet words (seed phrase) are available, the wallet can often be restored from them without the password. MultiBit Classic (.wallet or .key files): a wallet file is only encrypted if a password was added; without a password the file opens directly. If the file is encrypted and the password or the seed is missing, read what is realistically possible in wallet recovery.
• Until authority is confirmed, leave the files exactly as found.

What happens next

1. Confirm what else exists: passwords, seed phrases, backups, notes. See wallet passwords and passphrases and what is a seed phrase.
2. Confirm legal authority before anyone touches the wallet, see legal authority vs technical access.

For the general identification flow, start at what did you find, or return to the wallet format library.