Funds Not Showing? Derivation Paths Explained

Key Takeaways

Often a derivation path/account issue, not lost funds.

Wallet defaults vary (BIP44/49/84).

Address hints or xpubs speed up validation.

A deep scan across 2M+ paths can locate hidden funds.

Non-custodial process: we never access your funds.

What Are Derivation Paths?

A derivation path tells the wallet how to generate addresses from your seed phrase. Different wallets use different default paths. If you restore a seed in a wallet that uses a different path than the original, your balance will show as zero — even though the funds are still on the blockchain.

Standard	Path	Address Type	Example Wallets
BIP44	m/44'/0'/0'	Legacy (1...)	Older Bitcoin Core, Mycelium
BIP49	m/49'/0'/0'	Nested SegWit (3...)	Ledger (older), Trezor
BIP84	m/84'/0'/0'	Native SegWit (bc1q...)	Electrum, Ledger Live, BlueWallet
BIP86	m/86'/0'/0'	Taproot (bc1p...)	Sparrow, newer wallets

Standard

Path

Address Type

Example Wallets

BIP44

m/44'/0'/0'

Legacy (1...)

Older Bitcoin Core, Mycelium

BIP49

m/49'/0'/0'

Nested SegWit (3...)

Ledger (older), Trezor

BIP84

m/84'/0'/0'

Native SegWit (bc1q...)

Electrum, Ledger Live, BlueWallet

BIP86

m/86'/0'/0'

Taproot (bc1p...)

Sparrow, newer wallets

What to Do

Try restoring in multiple wallets that support different derivation paths.
Check all account indices (Account 0, 1, 2...) — some wallets create multiple accounts.
If you have a known receiving address, use it to verify which path matches.
Check the blockchain directly using a block explorer with your known address.

What to Avoid

Do not assume funds are stolen just because balance shows zero.
Avoid entering your seed into random online tools.
Do not give up before checking alternative derivation paths.

When Professional Help is Needed

If standard wallet restoration doesn't find your funds, a deep derivation path scan can search across 2,000,000+ paths and account indices systematically. This is useful when:

Free Confidential Assessment

Share your seed type, known addresses (if any), and which wallets you've tried. We will evaluate if a deep scan can locate your funds.