Where are the cryptos on my Ledger wallet gone?

[andigesi]

Hello,

I baught a Ledger wallet in December 2017 and placed 4 currencies on it:
Ethereum, Bitcoin, Bitcoin Cash, Ripple.

Now (April 2020) I wanted to check my portfolio, just to realize that the Desktop Software is not working anymore (it was called "Ledger Manager", I also had installed "Ledger Wallet Bitcoin" and "Ledger Wallet Ripple" on my laptop).

I checked on their website that there is a new software, so I installed "Ledger Live" on my Mac.
This app can find my Ledger device and it shows that "Bitcoin Cash" and "Ripple" wallets are installed.
But it does not find my wallets for "Bitcoin" and "Ethereum" that are much more important.

And the worst thing is that I cannot click the function "Portfolio" which is greyed out.
So I cannot even check if my cryptos are still there.

Mac: OSX 10.14.6
Ledger device: Firmware 1.3.2
(It seems to be outdated, but I cannot install new firmware on my wallet as long as I have not secured my saved crypto currencies somehow)


Please help me, I do not know how to get access to my savings and how to do transactions.

Thank you!

[crwth]

Have you saved the recovery words that should've been kept when setting up your Ledger? If you did, then you have nothing to worry about losing your wallet because it's meant to recover the wallet.

[Rath_]

And the worst thing is that I cannot click the function "Portfolio" which is greyed out.

That's weird. It might be related to the outdated firmware of your device.

But it does not find my wallets for "Bitcoin" and "Ethereum" that are much more important.

Can you try downloading Electrum and creating a new wallet using your hardware wallet? It won't wipe it. You will be asked to choose what type of addresses you had before and you will need to enter the derivation path (you can skip that if you used the first account). This article should help you a bit.

[HCP]

Mac: OSX 10.14.6
Ledger device: Firmware 1.3.2
(It seems to be outdated, but I cannot install new firmware on my wallet as long as I have not secured my saved crypto currencies somehow)

Please help me, I do not know how to get access to my savings and how to do transactions.

The issue is indeed most likely due to your firmware being outdated. You will need to update it if you want to use Ledger Live.

Do not be concerned about installing a new firmware IF you have access to the 24 words recovery seed mnemonic. If you have the 24 words, you will be able to fully recover, even if you completely wipe your device. So, before you attempt anything else, do you have those 24 words which should have been written down when you setup your Ledger?

[andigesi]

Thank you for all your quick feedback!

I got the 24 words phrase, so that is not a problem.
But I mean, these 24 words they can only restore my Ledger device, right?
But would it also restore all 4 wallets that are on the device?
I am not so sure about that.

So what is the best (and also safest) step-by-step way to deal with it from now?

Sorry for bothering you guys, but I wrote to Ledger and they send a reply that tells me
that it will take 10 days to get an answer and I would go crazy by then

[BitMaxz]

But I mean, these 24 words they can only restore my Ledger device, right?
But would it also restore all 4 wallets that are on the device?

So what is the best (and also safest) step-by-step way to deal with it from now?

I think if you didn't use the same pin/password when restoring your seed phrase it won't recover your old wallet.
So make sure to use the same pin/password to your ledger wallet.


You can follow the step by step guide from here "Restore from recovery phrase"

[HCP]

I got the 24 words phrase, so that is not a problem.
But I mean, these 24 words they can only restore my Ledger device, right?
But would it also restore all 4 wallets that are on the device?
I am not so sure about that.

Yes... all the wallets generated within your ledger for all coins all use the same "seed" as the starting point. This "seed" will be restored from your 24 words when/if you need to restore using it.

That is the whole point of seed-based recovery for HD wallets... you can always recover everything from those 24 words.

You can even use a completely new device, put in the 24 words and you'll get the same wallets recovered.

So what is the best (and also safest) step-by-step way to deal with it from now?

So, from this point, I'd recommend starting with a firmware update and then see if the device plays nicely with Ledger Live after it is updated to the latest firmware.

[DireWolfM14]

I got the 24 words phrase, so that is not a problem.
But I mean, these 24 words they can only restore my Ledger device, right?

They will restore your Ledger, but they can do much more than that.

But would it also restore all 4 wallets that are on the device?

Any wallet that is compatible with your particular coin, and a mnemonic phrase will be able to recover the coin in question.  For example, Electrum will be able to recover your bitcoin, MEW your Ethereum...

So what is the best (and also safest) step-by-step way to deal with it from now?

Like HCP, said the best thing is to try update the firmware with Ledger Live, and see where you are then.  Most of the time things work out like they should, but every once in a while the update resets the device, and your information is wiped.  If that happens, just use the 24-word phrase to restore your wallet.  

The other important thing is to remember if you setup a passphrase.  This is an advance security option, you should remember if you enabled it.  If you are using a passphrase you might have set it up a secondary PIN on the Ledger device.  You'll need the passphrase in order to restore your coins.

[Pmalek]

Since you are using an older firmware version on your device you should delete all installed wallet apps before initiating the firmware upgrade.
Here is an article that will guide you throughout the update process, make sure you read it thoroughly and understand everything.
https://support.ledger.com/hc/en-us/articles/360002731113-Update-device-firmware

[o_e_l_e_o]

I think if you didn't use the same pin/password when restoring your seed phrase it won't recover your old wallet.

The PIN is irrelevant to restoring your wallet. All it does is unlock the Ledger device. You can use any PIN code you like, and you can even change the PIN code on a wallet without resetting or accessing the seed phrase: https://support.ledger.com/hc/en-us/articles/360003357833-Change-your-PIN-code

Similarly, the password you use to unlock Ledger Live is also irrelevant to restoring your wallet, and again, can be changed freely.

What is important is the passphrase. It is the passphrase, not the PIN or password, which will lead to a different set of addresses when combined with your seed phrase. If you have linked a passphrase to a secondary PIN (rather than just entering it manually each time), then it will be wiped if you reset the device, so you need to have it backed up somewhere. The PIN it linked to is irrelevant though.

[andigesi]

Thank you all sincerely for your time and great advise!

I got three (hopefully) last question:
As you suggested, I would try to make a firmware update and hope that it works out.

The explanation says that I should remove existing wallets in Ledger Live before starting the update.
My question is – Ledger Live doesnot find all of my wallets. There are 4 wallets installed (that I can see
on my Ledger display) but Ledger Live does only recognize 2 of them.

Question 1:
Shall I remove all 4 wallets manually on my Ledger device
or shall I remove only the 2 wallets that Ledger can find by using the Ledger Live Manager?

Question 2:
DireWolf14 said that besides the 24 words I also need to remember a passphrase.
Isn't the passphrase these 24 words? At least I cannot remember another password than that.
But it is more than a year ago I set everything up, so it is possible.
Just in case I set up a passphrase and cannot remember it – is then everything lost?
What's my best option for proceeding in this case?

Question 3:
If everything works out as planned, and the firmware is upgraded, I then need to reinstall
my 4 wallets in Ledger Live, right?
Will I then see the cryptos in my portfolios right away? Or do I have do do anything from there to get my
cryptos back onto my wallet and make them visible in Ledger Live?

Thank you!

[Rath_]

Shall I remove all 4 wallets manually on my Ledger device
or shall I remove only the 2 wallets that Ledger can find by using the Ledger Live Manager?

You should remove all the apps (not accounts) using the Ledger Manager before updating your Ledger. You can do it in the 'Manager' tab which is under 'Receive'. It's a one time thing. You shouldn't have to do it before future updates.

Isn't the passphrase these 24 words? At least I cannot remember another password than that.

A passphrase acts as a 25th word. On Ledger devices, you set up a passphrase and bind it to another PIN. If you don't recall having 2 PIN codes then you are likely not to have set up the passphrase.

Just in case I set up a passphrase and cannot remember it – is then everything lost? What's my best option for proceeding in this case?

Unfortunately, yes. The best way would be to import your seed to another device or software wallet (Electrum) to see if you can access your coins. The latter method compromises your seed so setting up the device from the scratch is advised. By that, I mean generating a new seed and moving every crypto manually.

If everything works out as planned, and the firmware is upgraded, I then need to reinstall
my 4 wallets in Ledger Live, right?
Will I then see the cryptos in my portfolios right away? Or do I have do do anything from there to get my
cryptos back onto my wallet and make them visible in Ledger Live?

You will need to reinstall the apps using Ledger Manager after you have recovered your wallets using your seed. Your crypto should show up assuming you didn't have a passphrase.

[Lucius]

Ledger device: Firmware 1.3.2

As far as my memory goes, there was no firmware version 1.3.2, so it is not even possible to have this version on the device. Only version with 1.3.x was 1.3.1 released on 28 February 2017 -> https://support.ledger.com/hc/en-us/articles/360010446000-Firmware-release-notes


andigesi, just follow link posted by Pmalek, there are all the instructions literally step by step, and as long as you have your seed you need nothing to worry about, your coins are safe. I would just warn you that you are not try to use your seed words on any other software, we have mayn fake wallets out there, and only safe way is to type them in hardware device (in case your device is reset during firmware update).

[HCP]

Isn't the passphrase these 24 words? At least I cannot remember another password than that.

A passphrase acts as a 25th word. On Ledger devices, you set up a passphrase and bind it to another PIN. If you don't recall having 2 PIN codes then you are likely not to have set up the passphrase.

With Ledger you have actually TWO options for using a passphrase/25th word... You can either bind it to a secondary PIN (to shortcut the process) or you can "set temporary" and manually enter the passphrase when you want to access those wallets.

So, just because a user only ever setup one PIN, doesn't mean they didn't use a passphrase.

Having said that... the process for manually entering a "temporary" passphrase (particularly a strong, "random" one with numbers/letters/symbols etc) is particularly onerous on a Ledger Nano S.   Which is why most users opt for the "2nd PIN" option.

[andigesi]

First of all – thank you all SO MUCH.
It is great that you take the time to walk me through this, I really appreciate this.

1) I uninstalled the apps
2) I made the Firmware Update 1.6 – everything worked out as planned.
3) I reinstalled the apps and they are on the wallet again.

So far so good, BUT:
I still cannot click "portfolio" in Ledger Live. It is still grey.
Seems I still havenot got access to my Cryptos.

Please tell me what else I could do.

Thank you!

PS:
Just in case anyone is unsure if he should transfer his Cryptos to a Ledger wallet, I want to inform you that
Ledger "support" has not yet even gotten back to me once. Due to this fact I wouldnot recommend anyone
to buy this pricy product. You're completely left alone if you got any technical problems.
I havenot yet encountered any problems with any of my software / online wallets and deeply regret that I chose Ledger.

[TryNinja]

So far so good, BUT:
I still cannot click "portfolio" in Ledger Live. It is still grey.
Seems I still havenot got access to my Cryptos.

Please tell me what else I could do.

It's grey because you didn't add your crypto "accounts" to Ledger Live (sometimes they just vanish, but in this case it's probably because you updated the firmware). Just go to "Accounts", press the "Add account" button and do the procedure for every one of your coins.

[andigesi]

That was the solution.
Finally I got my Cryptos back.

TryNinja, HCP, Lucius, BitCryptex, o_e_l_e_o, Pmalek, DireWolfM14, BitMaxz, crwth >
Big big thanks to all of you, you made me very happy!