Recovery guide · Hardware wallets

KeepKey recovery: an aging device, the same standard seed

KeepKey hasn't received meaningful updates in years, the original desktop client struggles on modern operating systems, and ShapeShift's pivot has left a lot of owners unsure what's still supported. The hardware itself is a side issue — KeepKey uses a standard 12-word BIP39 recovery sentence. With the sentence, your funds restore into any current wallet in minutes.

You have the 12-word recovery sentence

Restore into Electrum for Bitcoin, MetaMask for Ethereum and ERC-20s, or any modern hardware wallet (Trezor and Ledger both accept BIP39 seeds). Verify balances on a public block explorer before moving anything. Once funds are confirmed in the new wallet, treat the KeepKey as retired — generate a fresh seed on the new device and sweep funds to it.

Forgotten PIN, sentence intact

The PIN protects the device, not the keys. Wipe the KeepKey (enter wrong PINs to clear it), then restore from your 12 words on any compatible wallet. Skip the device entirely if you'd rather move to a modern setup.

Device works but client won't connect

On newer macOS and Windows, the old KeepKey desktop app often fails to detect the device. If you still know the PIN, plug the device in and use the KeepKey integration in a modern wallet (Rabby, ShapeShift web) to see balances. If the device is broken or won't power on, the 12 words alone are enough — the device isn't needed.

The hard cases

• 11 of 12 words known — the 12th can be solved deterministically from the BIP39 checksum.
• All 12 words but a checksum failure — usually one or two transcription errors; targeted search resolves most.
• No words at all, but you still have the device, and you remember most of the PIN — bounded PIN search is possible on certain firmware versions.
• A passphrase ('25th word') was set and only partially remembered.