How to Restore a MultiBit HD Seed Phrase

The short answer

Later MultiBit HD wallets restore from the seed phrase. In Electrum create a new standard wallet, choose "I already have a seed", enter your wallet words, tick BIP39, and set the path to m/0'. Zero balance after restore? Usually the derivation path — but not always; verify the wallet type and a known address first (see the caveat below).

Why this works

MultiBit HD is a hierarchical deterministic wallet: later wallets derive every address from your seed phrase using standard BIP39 / BIP32 math. Modern wallets like Electrum implement the same standards, so the same words reproduce the same wallet. An early MultiBit HD soft wallet had a documented BIP32 compatibility issue (issue #445) — see the caveat below. You do not need to install MultiBit at all.

Step-by-step in Electrum

Download and install Electrum (the official electrum.org release).
Choose File → New/Restore, then Standard wallet.
Select "I already have a seed" and enter your words in the exact order they were written down.
Click Options and tick BIP39 seed — this is essential for MultiBit HD words.
When asked for the derivation path, choose legacy (p2pkh) and change the path to m/0'.
Finish setup and wait for Electrum to scan the blockchain — your balance should appear; then verify at least one derived address against a known historical address before assuming the restoration is correct.

Why the derivation path is `m/0'`

MultiBit HD launched in 2014, before BIP44 became the convention. It used bitcoinj's early derivation scheme: receive addresses at m/0'/0, change addresses at m/0'/1, account at m/0'. If you restore with the default m/44'/0'/0', Electrum derives different addresses and shows an empty wallet even though your coins are there.

Restored with m/0' and still empty? Check your word order, spelling (word 1 vs word 8 mix-ups are common), whether the seed is 12, 18 or 24 words, and that BIP39 was enabled.

18- and 24-word seeds

MultiBit HD offered 18-word phrases as well as 12-word ones, and documented 24-word cases exist. Enter all the words in order. Electrum compatibility has changed across versions, so check the current Electrum documentation for your installed version. If your backup has an extra word or two, double-check you haven't mixed two phrases together.

An early MultiBit HD compatibility caveat (issue #445)

An early MultiBit HD soft-wallet compatibility problem is documented (official issue #445, associated with the Beta 8 milestone): the same wallet words could produce different keys than a normally BIP32-compliant implementation using the expected path. If a restore with the documented path does not reproduce your known historical addresses, do not assume the words are wrong or try arbitrary paths — stop and verify the wallet type and version first.

Keep your seed private

Your seed phrase is the key to your bitcoin — anyone with the words can spend your coins. Keep it safe and enter it only in wallet software you trust.

Seed recovery FAQ

Are MultiBit HD seeds 12, 18 or 24 words?

MultiBit HD records show 12-, 18- and 24-word seed sets. Twelve- and eighteen-word sets appear more frequently in surviving support records, but documented 24-word cases also exist. Word count alone does not identify the exact version. Choose BIP39 in Electrum and enter your words in order, then verify against a known historical address.

Why does my restored wallet show a zero balance?

Usually the derivation path: MultiBit HD's documented early scheme used m/0' (receive m/0'/0, change m/0'/1), not m/44'/0'/0'. Also check word order, spelling, and that BIP39 was enabled. A zero balance is not proof the path is wrong — an early MultiBit HD wallet had a documented BIP32 compatibility issue (issue #445). If it still shows zero, stop and verify the wallet type.

Do I need to install MultiBit to use my HD seed?

No. Later MultiBit HD wallets use standard BIP39/BIP32 math, so you can restore the seed directly in Electrum — but an early MultiBit HD wallet had a documented BIP32 compatibility issue (issue #445). If the documented path does not reproduce your known addresses, stop and verify the wallet type and version.

My seed phrase is not accepted — what went wrong?

Check three things: the word list (MultiBit HD used standard BIP39 words), the order of the words, and whether you have 12, 18 or 24 words. A single wrong or missing word breaks the checksum. If one word is wrong or missing, run an offline search over the likely candidates — tools exist for exactly this, and the rest of the phrase narrows it down.

Is my MultiBit HD seed 12, 18 or 24 words?

MultiBit HD records show 12-, 18- and 24-word seed sets. Twelve- and eighteen-word sets appear more frequently in surviving support records, but documented 24-word cases also exist. A 24-word set should not automatically be dismissed as another wallet, and word count alone does not determine the exact version or recovery method. Restore in Electrum with BIP39 and the derivation path m/0', then verify against a known historical address.

Move to Electrum

Sweep to a fresh wallet after restoring.

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MultiBit HD guide

Seed phrases, files and locations.

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Next: move to Electrum