Before you continue
- Do not delete or overwrite original wallet data.
- Make at least two copies before attempting any repair.
- Preserve the original folder structure where possible.
- Do not install random tools found through search advertisements.
- Do not enter wallet words into a website.
- Do not send private keys, wallet files or passwords through ordinary email.
- Verify software signatures and hashes where possible.
- Verify at least one historical Bitcoin address before assuming a wallet is correct.
- After recovery, transfer funds to a newly generated, maintained wallet.
The short answer
spvchain/checkpoints (add .disabled, never touch the wallet file) and retry. If sync never finishes, restore your HD seed or export Classic keys — no sync needed — and verify your known addresses on an independent block explorer.Why MultiBit gets stuck syncing
MultiBit Classic and HD were discontinued in 2017. Their lightweight SPV design downloads only blockchain headers, and those headers are checked against peers and checkpoint files that are years old. On today's network this commonly means the app hangs at "syncing", takes forever to finish, or syncs to an old block height and never catches up. A sync failure does not by itself prove that the wallet data or funds are lost — but the wallet file, known addresses and transaction history still need to be verified.
Step 1 — back up the wallet file first
Before changing anything, copy your wallet data somewhere safe: .wallet/.key files for Classic, and mbhd.wallet.aes plus your seed phrase for HD. Your private keys live in these files — the sync files are just cached headers, so never delete them permanently until recovery is complete.
Step 2 — rebuild the sync files
Close MultiBit completely, then rename only the cached header files — spvchain and checkpoints — in the MultiBit data folder, for example by appending .disabled. On relaunch the app rebuilds them from scratch. Never delete the .wallet file while doing this, and don't permanently delete anything until recovery is complete. If the app hangs at "syncing" again, the peers it knows are too old — skip straight to Step 4.
Step 3 — check Java and the system clock
Two silent causes of stuck sync: the wrong Java runtime and a wrong clock. Make sure MultiBit runs on a 64-bit Java 8 runtime, and confirm your computer's date, time and time zone are correct — Bitcoin nodes reject connections when the clock is off, which looks exactly like a sync that never progresses.
Step 4 — recover without the app at all
You don't need MultiBit to finish syncing to reach your bitcoin:
- HD: restore your 12-, 18- or 24-word seed in Electrum (BIP39, path
m/0') — see the seed restore guide. - Classic: import unencrypted
.keyexports, or read the.walletfile with a carefully vetted open-source tool (verify its source and hashes, run it offline) — see exporting private keys.
Transaction not showing?
A transaction that doesn't appear in MultiBit is usually the sync problem above: the app can't see the blockchain properly, so it misses the transaction. Check the transaction on a block explorer using your receiving address. If it confirms there, the coins have not moved — export your keys or restore your seed in Electrum to see and spend them. Note that a public block-explorer lookup can link your IP address to that address; for privacy-sensitive cases use your own node or a privacy-preserving connection.