Samourai Wallet Recovery After the Shutdown

Samourai Wallet was seized and shut down by US authorities in 2024, and the app no longer works. Your coins were never inside the app - they sit on the Bitcoin blockchain - so the shutdown removed the software, not the funds. What still matters is the backup: a valid seed phrase, plus the passphrase if you set one, restores the wallet in compatible software. A preserved encrypted Samourai backup file, such as samourai.txt, may also provide a route with the password needed to decrypt it. Keep any remaining backup files or wallet data; lacking a written phrase alone does not establish that there is nothing to recover from.

What Happened to Samourai Wallet

Samourai Wallet was especially famous for advanced privacy tools like CoinJoin mixing (Whirlpool) and transaction obfuscation. It launched in 2015 and was mainly used by people who wanted to obscure Bitcoin transaction history.

In April 2024, the U.S. Department of Justice charged Samourai Wallet’s co-founders, Keonne Rodriguez and William Lonergan Hill, accusing them of running an unlicensed money-transmitting business and helping move criminal funds through the wallet’s privacy features. Authorities claimed the platform processed over $2 billion in transactions.

In July 2025, as part of a plea agreement, both founders pleaded guilty to conspiracy to operate an unlicensed money-transmitting business. In November 2025 the court sentenced Rodriguez to five years in prison and Hill to four (US Department of Justice, Southern District of New York).

Can You Still Use Samourai Wallet Today?

As a result of the arrests, law enforcement seized the Samourai Wallet developers’ domains and servers, and Google Play Store removed the app. Official development and support for Samourai Wallet have also stopped.

If you still have the seed phrase, and the passphrase if you set one, your Bitcoin is recoverable: the coins sit on the Bitcoin blockchain, not inside the wallet app, and importing that seed into another compatible wallet restores access.

How to Recover Funds from a Discontinued Samourai Wallet

Before starting the recovery, you need to gather the most important information: a valid 12 word seed phrase and, if you used one, your passphrase and a compatible wallet. We recommend using Sparrow Wallet, Electrum Wallet, or BlueWallet, as they are commonly used and compatible options.

Enter the words in the exact same order, without typos. Even one wrong letter can make the entire phrase invalid. The same applies to the passphrase: one incorrect symbol or character can block access to your funds.

You have the seed phrase and want to move to Electrum

To use Electrum for Samourai Wallet recovery, you’ll need to:

• Download & install Electrum Wallet.
• Create a new wallet and choose “I already have a seed”. In the seed options, select BIP39 rather than Electrum’s own seed format.
• Enter your Samourai Wallet seed phrase in the correct order, enter your passphrase (if you have used it before), and configure the correct derivation path.
• Set a strong password for your wallet.
• Electrum will display your balance and transactions.

After recovering your funds, check if the amount is right. Make sure it matches the amount you expected and there are no surprises. If you have trouble recovering your wallet, reach out to Crypto Recovers for help.

When the restore doesn't go smoothly

Your seed phrase has a typo or a word out of order

If your seed phrase is invalid or incomplete, the first step is to check for typos in the words. You can verify each word using the BIP‑39 word list if needed. Enter the 12 words in the exact order you originally received them. The same applies to missing words: you can verify them with the list or contact us at Crypto Recovers. We can brute-force the phrase using the right tools and save you a significant amount of time.

You can’t remember the passphrase

A forgotten passphrase becomes a structured search against the remaining wallet data and a known public address. Write down any possible password combinations, symbols, names, dates or patterns you remember; these details can help focus the search. The complete case requires assessment.

The wallet you’re restoring into doesn’t show your funds

Another common issue is wallet compatibility. Since Samourai is a Bitcoin wallet, recovery may fail if the wallet you’re using is not a Bitcoin wallet or it does not support the BIP‑39 standard. Outdated or unofficial wallet versions may not detect funds correctly.

You used Whirlpool, Ricochet, Dojo or PayNyms

Samourai Wallet also uses some advanced privacy features such as Whirlpool (mixing), Ricochet, Dojo, and PayNyms. Because of this, your coins may not appear right away. Funds sent through Whirlpool or Ricochet often use different addresses or derivation paths. This means when you scan only standard addresses, some outputs may stay hidden in non‑standard paths.

If you run into any difficulties during recovery, contact Crypto Recovers: we’re here to make the process smoother and less stressful.

When professional recovery is the right call

If both the seed phrase and passphrase are missing, the remaining wallet material and complete case require assessment. If part of the 12-word seed phrase survives, Crypto Recovers can assess whether a bounded search is realistic — that turns on how many words are missing, whether their positions are known, and whether a known public address is available to test candidates against, not on a fixed number. A forgotten or invalid passphrase can also be assessed against a known public address; remembered details can help focus the search.

We’ve been recovering Bitcoin wallets since 2019 and have refined our cracking techniques and developed custom brute‑force tools over the years. You can meet with our team either in person at our office or online to discuss your recovery chances.

We begin work only after signing a legal agreement to ensure the safety of your data and funds. The best part is that there’s no upfront payment. Our fee is success-based and negotiable for larger wallets, and you pay it yourself only after a successful recovery. Unlike old-style services we never deduct anything from your wallet; you move your own coins to a wallet you created.

FAQ: Samourai Wallet

What happened to Samourai Wallet?

Samourai Wallet was shut down after U.S. authorities charged its founders with running an unlicensed money-transmitting business. The founders pleaded guilty in 2025 and received prison sentences, which ended the project’s operations.

Are my funds lost forever if Samourai Wallet is seized?

No. The seizure removed the software, not the coins — they sit on the Bitcoin blockchain. If you still have your seed phrase and, where you set one, your passphrase, you can move your Bitcoin to another compatible wallet. If some words are missing, there may still be a route: what matters is how many are gone, whether you know the positions they sat in, and whether an old receiving address is available to check candidates against. No fixed cutoff decides it.

How do I recover my Bitcoin from Samourai Wallet?

To recover your Bitcoin from Samourai Wallet, you need your seed phrase and, if you used one, your passphrase. Import them into a compatible wallet such as Sparrow Wallet, Electrum Wallet, or BlueWallet, and check that the balance matches what you expect before doing anything else.

What if my seed phrase isn’t working during recovery?

If your seed phrase is not working during recovery, the cause is often a typo, a missed word, or a missing passphrase. Check each word against the BIP-39 list and confirm you entered them in the original order before assuming the phrase itself is wrong.