Motivation
I am encountering a persistent “Wallet requires newer version of Bitcoin Core (code -4)” error when trying to open my wallet.dat file on macOS. This issue occurs even when attempting to open the wallet with Bitcoin Core version 0.21.0.1, which the debug log from a later version (29.0) indicated was the last client version to interact with the wallet. Environment:
- Operating System: macOS 15
- Bitcoin Core Version Initially Used: 29.0
- Bitcoin Core Version Tested (Older): 0.21.0.1 Steps to Reproduce:
- Launch Bitcoin Core version 29.0.
- Bitcoin Core attempts to load the wallet located at /Users/mac/Library/Application Support/Bitcoin/wallets/wallet.dat.
- The error “Wallet loading failed. Error loading /Users/mac/Library/Application Support/Bitcoin/wallets/wallet.dat: Wallet requires newer version of Bitcoin Core (code -4)” is displayed.
- As per troubleshooting suggestions, Bitcoin Core version 0.21.0.1 was downloaded and installed (after backing up the wallet1.dat file and uninstalling the newer version).
- Launching Bitcoin Core version 0.21.0.1 resulted in the same “Wallet requires newer version…” error.
- The -rescan command was attempted with version 29.0, and the blockchain synced successfully, but the error persists when trying to load wallet1.dat.
- The -salvagewallet command was attempted with version 0.21.0.1, and it also resulted in the same “Wallet requires newer version…” error. Relevant Information from debug.log (from Bitcoin Core version 29.0): 2025-05-18T05:53:16Z Using wallet /Users/mac/Library/Application Support/Bitcoin/wallets/wallet1.dat 2025-05-18T05:53:16Z init message: Loading wallet… 2025-05-18T05:53:16Z [wallet.dat] Wallet file version = 10500, last client version = 210201 2025-05-18T05:53:16Z [wallet.dat] Releasing wallet wallet.dat..
Expected Behavior: The wallet should load successfully, especially with the Bitcoin Core version (0.21.0.1) that the log indicates last used it. Actual Behavior: The wallet fails to load with a “newer version required” error across multiple client versions, including the one that supposedly last used it. Possible Implications: This behavior might indicate:
- A bug in how Bitcoin Core handles certain types of wallet corruption or metadata.
- An inaccurate reporting of the “last client version” in the debug log.
- A fundamental incompatibility issue that isn’t being correctly identified. Request: Could the developers investigate this unusual behavior? The persistent “newer version required” error even with an older client version suggests a deeper issue that might affect other users in unexpected scenarios. Any insights or potential fixes would be greatly appreciated. Additional Context:
- The user (me) does not have any backups of the wallet.dat file or a recovery phrase.
Possible solution
Possible update the qt framework to 6 and release a new version of Bitcoin core sooner than expected.
Useful Skills
- Compiling Bitcoin Core from source
- Running the C++ unit tests and the Python functional tests
- …
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