MultiBit Classic Wallet Not Opening? Recovery Options

If MultiBit Classic will not open, preserve the original wallet folder before reinstalling or changing anything. Application failure, a password error and missing transaction history are different problems. Start with the file type and exact error, rather than assuming one command will fix them all.

Start with the backup, not the error message

Record the old application version, operating system, backup filenames and exact message. Check old user profiles and external backups as well as the current computer. A .wallet extension alone is not enough to identify a format. The legacy project’s file-location reference distinguishes Classic files from HD folders.

File or backup	What it tells you
`.wallet`	Classic wallet data; it is not the same as a text key export.
`.key`	A private-key export, which may be password protected.
`mbhd.wallet.aes`	MultiBit HD wallet data; it requires an HD-specific recovery method.

Classic opens, but the wallet does not sync

If the wallet can be opened and its keys accessed, use its export function to prepare a migration. Synchronization and key access are separate issues. The original maintainers recommended moving to other wallet software when support ended. See our recovery tutorial for the export and sweep workflow.

Classic does not open, but a .key export survives

An unencrypted export may contain readable private keys, comments and timestamps. An encrypted export needs the correct password and a method compatible with its format. The MultiBit export specification documents the historical OpenSSL-compatible format. Its old command examples need to be interpreted alongside the current OpenSSL documentation; digest defaults have changed over time.

Only a .wallet file, or a MultiBit HD backup?

Do not treat wallet data as a text key export. Classic wallet data requires compatible wallet parsing; HD uses a separate format, with encryption changes between releases documented in the HD release notes. A Classic export command is not a general HD recovery procedure. Preserve every available backup before seeking format-specific help.

“Provided AES key is wrong” or “bad decrypt”

These messages do not prove a single cause. A wrong password, incompatible method or damaged input can require different investigations. Repeatedly adding command flags without identifying the input format is not a diagnosis. Keep the original file, note which tool produced the error, and document any password clues.

Keys recovered, but the new wallet shows no balance

Confirm that the addresses correspond to your old wallet, that the destination software supports the key or seed format, and that its transaction history is up to date. A zero balance on one restore attempt does not by itself establish the state of every backup. For Classic private keys, follow the documented export-and-sweep route rather than HD seed instructions.

When to request a recovery assessment

Describe what you have and what you tried: version, filenames, error message and password clues. KeychainX can assess possible next steps. The result depends on the available data; the presence of a file or an error message is not a recovery guarantee.