“I’ve lost my crypto” can describe several very different problems. Perhaps a laptop failed, a wallet password is missing, or an exchange account no longer opens. Perhaps the assets were sent away. Working out which happened is more useful than buying a recovery tool immediately.
If you lost the device or backup
List the computers, phones and backups used when the wallet was active. Preserve any surviving storage and search the likely wallet folders. A working copy is safer for experiments than the only original. A failed disk needs a storage-recovery assessment; a misplaced file needs a search. Use the backup guide when you have several copies to sort.
If you lost a password or recovery phrase
Check which credential the original wallet requires. A hardware-wallet PIN, an encrypted-file password and a recovery phrase have different jobs. A complete phrase may still require an additional passphrase or the correct wallet configuration. Finding some words is a lead to evaluate privately, not a reason to put them into an online guessing service. No tool can promise access when the necessary key material is absent.
If the money was on an exchange
An exchange email can identify the account used at the time. It is not a private key and does not prove that funds are still there. Use the provider’s independently located support and account-recovery procedure. Gather receipts, dates and transaction identifiers for that process, without disclosing wallet secrets to someone who contacted you unexpectedly.
If the assets were transferred or stolen
A public address can help establish a transaction history, but it cannot authorize a transfer back. Tracing, finding old wallet files and obtaining a lawful return of stolen assets are different tasks. Preserve messages and transaction records, contact the relevant platform through its real website and consider reporting the incident to the appropriate authorities. Read our recovery-scam checklist before responding to a promised refund.