Bitcoin: btcrecover Doesn’t Support Latest Bitcoin Core Wallet Format
In recent days, users of the popular cryptocurrency Bitcoin have encountered an issue when trying to use the btcrecover tool against their encrypted Bitcoin Core (BTC) wallet files. Specifically, those using the latest Bitcoin Core 27.0 version are encountering a frustrating error message when trying to recover their wallet from a corrupted file.
Problem:
The btcrecover command is designed to analyze and potentially recover a corrupted or encrypted Bitcoin wallet. However, in this case, it appears that Bitcoin Core 27.0 has changed its wallet format, making the btcrecover tool incompatible.
Error message:
When attempting to use btcrecover against a corrupted wallet file stored in the “.wallet.dat” format encrypted with a short passphrase, users will receive the error message “unrecognized wallet format”. This error occurs even if the original Bitcoin Core 27.0 wallet file is still intact and only contains incorrect or incomplete data.
Problem:
The problem is that Bitcoin Core 27.0 has changed the way wallet files are stored and structured. Specifically, the new version includes a new format for storing encrypted wallet files that is incompatible with the older btcrecover tool.
Solutions:
To resolve this issue, users can try the following solutions:
- Try an older version of Bitcoin Core:
Users may need to roll back their system to an older version of Bitcoin Core (e.g. 25.x) that does not use the new wallet format.
- Use a different btcrecover command:
If a user is unable to recover their wallet using the default btcrecover command, they can try using a custom recovery tool specifically designed for older versions of Bitcoin Core (e.g. bc-rcc “).
- Restore from backup file: In some cases, users can restore their wallet from a previous backup file that contains the original Bitcoin Core 27.0 wallet data.
Conclusion:
btcrecover not supporting the latest Bitcoin Core wallet format is a bug in the newer version of Bitcoin Core. Users who encounter this error should look for alternative solutions, such as using an older version of Bitcoin Core or a custom recovery tool specifically designed for their specific situation.
Additional resources:
- Bitcoin Core GitHub repository: [
- Bitcoin Core Documentation: [
Note: This article is intended to provide general information and may not be complete or up-to-date. For the most accurate and up-to-date information, users should consult the official Bitcoin Core documentation and seek help from the Bitcoin community.
