Cake Wallet balance zero or funds missing
A zero or missing balance in Cake Wallet is almost always a display problem: the wallet is still syncing, the restore height is later than your first deposit, the seed was restored as the wrong type, or funds are locked waiting for confirmations. Let the sync finish, check the account and network, and for Monero rescan from a date about a week before your first transaction.
Quick steps
- Wait for sync. Let the wallet finish syncing until the status at the top of the home screen disappears or shows SYNCHRONIZED.
- Check locked funds. Compare Available and Full Balance. Monero change unlocks after about 10 blocks; incoming funds need confirmations.
- Check account and network. Switch to the account or subaddress that received the funds, add missing tokens, and confirm the sender used the right network.
- Save transaction keys. Before a Monero rescan, copy any transaction keys you may need to prove payments, because a rescan removes them.
- Rescan from an earlier date. Open Settings, App settings, Connections, Rescan, and enter a date about a week before your first transaction.
- Re-check the seed type. If a restored Bitcoin, Litecoin or Monero wallet stays empty, restore again with the correct seed type, passphrase and derivation path.
- Contact official support. If funds are still missing, contact support with the coin, app version and transaction ID. Never share your seed.
Seeing zero where you expected coins is frightening, but Cake Wallet's documentation says a zero or lower balance is usually temporary and does not mean your funds are lost (Cake Wallet docs, 2026). Work through the causes below in order. Each one is quick to check.
1. The wallet has not finished syncing
The app can only show the right balance after it has scanned the blockchain up to the latest block. While the top of the home screen shows Blocks Remaining, Connecting or Attempting sync, the balance can be zero or too low. The app's own warning says your balance and transaction list may not be complete until it says SYNCHRONIZED. If sync is stuck, fix that first: see Cake Wallet not syncing.
2. Funds are locked or unconfirmed
Cake Wallet shows more than one balance. On Monero, Full Balance includes everything, while Available Balance is what you can spend now. After you send Monero, the change returning to you is locked for about 10 blocks, roughly 20 minutes. Cake Wallet notes this is a Monero protocol rule it does not control (Cake Wallet docs, 2026). The same applies to incoming funds on any coin: they become spendable after enough confirmations.
Bitcoin-type wallets can also show an Unconfirmed Balance and an Unavailable balance. The app explains that unavailable funds are those locked in pending transactions or frozen in Coin Control. Frozen coins stay unavailable until you unfreeze them under Coin Control.
A Litecoin wallet with MWEB shows standard Litecoin and "Litecoin Private" separately. Moving coins between the two (peg-in or peg-out) needs six confirmations before they appear on the other side (Cake Wallet docs, 2026).
3. The restore height is too late (Monero, Zcash)
Cake Wallet only scans the blockchain from the restore height forward. If that height is after your funds arrived, the older transactions and their balance will not appear. Cake Wallet's docs call this the most common reason a restored wallet looks empty, and add that an earlier height does not put funds at risk; it only makes the scan longer (Cake Wallet docs, 2026).
To fix it, rescan. Force-closing and reopening the wallet triggers a quick rescan. If that does not help, open Settings (gear icon), App settings, Connections, then Rescan, and enter a date about a week before the wallet's first transaction. If you do not know the date, pick one you are sure is earlier, such as a year before. Our restore height finder converts a date to a block height.
Warning: Cake Wallet says rescanning removes saved transaction keys and destination addresses, which you might need to prove a payment. Save any you need first. During the rescan, the balance shows 0 and history reloads gradually; keep the app open until it finishes. Rescan is offered for Monero, Zcash and Decred wallets.
4. Wrong seed type or derivation (Bitcoin, Litecoin, Monero)
The same words can create different wallets depending on how they are read:
- Bitcoin and Litecoin: Cake Wallet supports BIP39 seeds (12 or 24 words, the default) and Electrum seeds. New Bitcoin wallets use the path m/84'/0'/0' for the first account; Electrum seeds use m/0' (Cake Wallet docs, 2026). When you restore, the app checks a list of common derivation paths for history and, if more than one has activity, shows a "Choose Wallet Derivation" screen. Pick the one with your transactions. The list in the source code includes standard BIP44, BIP49, BIP84 and BIP86 paths, Electrum and several Samourai paths.
- Bitcoin accounts: if you used more than one account, turn on Multiple Accounts in Bitcoin Settings after restoring so the wallet finds the second and later accounts, and add any missing ones with Add Account.
- Monero: a 16-word Polyseed, a 25-word legacy seed and a 12-word BIP39 Monero seed are different formats. Make sure you chose the matching option when restoring. A seed passphrase, if you set one, must be entered exactly.
Not sure which type you have? Our seed type checker works from the word count only and never asks for your words. Full steps are in how to restore Cake Wallet.
5. Wrong account, address or network
- Monero accounts and subaddresses: funds appear only under the account that received them. Switch accounts and check again. See subaddresses and accounts.
- Tokens: USDT, USDC and other tokens do not appear automatically. Add the token, and make sure the sender used the same network you are viewing. USDT sent on one chain will not show in a wallet for another chain. See Ethereum, USDT and tokens.
- Exchange withdrawals: confirm the exchange actually broadcast the withdrawal, look up the transaction ID on a block explorer, and check that it went to your address on the correct network.
- Built-in swaps: check the trade status. See exchange stuck.
If nothing works
Contact support at [email protected] or in the app with the coin, app version and a transaction ID. If funds left your wallet to an address you do not recognise, the seed may have been exposed: move any remaining funds to a new wallet with a new seed. Never give your seed to anyone offering to "recover" funds; Cake Wallet never asks for it and never messages you first.
Frequently asked questions
Why does my Monero Available Balance show 0 after I sent some?
The change from your send is locked for about 10 blocks, roughly 20 minutes. Cake Wallet says this is a Monero protocol rule. Full Balance still includes it.
Can a rescan lose my funds?
No. A rescan only re-reads the blockchain. It does remove saved transaction keys and destination addresses, so save any you need first.
What restore date should I use if I don't remember?
Use a date you are sure is earlier than your first deposit. An early date is safe; it only makes the scan longer.
My USDT is on the explorer but not in Cake Wallet. Why?
Tokens must be added manually, and the sender must have used the same network as the wallet you are viewing.
I restored my Bitcoin seed and see nothing. What now?
Check that you chose the right seed type, the right passphrase and, if asked, the derivation path that shows transactions. Turn on Multiple Accounts if you used more than one account.