When acquiring a new Ledger Hardware Wallet, the preferred route is going to Ledger.com/Start. It ensures you use official firmware, downloads, and avoid counterfeit scripts. This pathway gives you the foundation for secure crypto storage.
Much like how users of Trezor must often start at Trezor.io/start, these onboarding portals (for Ledger and Trezor) guide through initialization, recovery seed setup, PIN creation, and device verification, ensuring bare‑metal trust from day one.
Ensure packaging is intact. Check for tampering. Open the box and confirm accessories: device, USB cable, recovery card. If anything seems off, return or exchange.
From Ledger.com/Start, download the Ledger Live application suitable for your platform—Windows, macOS, Linux, or mobile. Make sure your OS is updated.
Launch Ledger Live, connect your device, set up as new device or restore using recovery phrase if you have one. Create a strong PIN on the device itself—not on the computer.
Your device will show a 24‑word recovery seed. Write it down exactly in the order shown. Store it offline, preferably in multiple places. This phrase is critical to recovery if device is lost or fails.
Ledger Live will perform a Genuine Check to confirm your hardware is authentic. Then install any firmware updates as prompted. Keeping your firmware, app, and device software current is crucial.
Once setup is complete, you can access all powerful features within Ledger Live: managing multiple accounts, sending and receiving crypto, staking supported assets, and integrating NFTs if your device supports it. Every action requires your hardware wallet confirmation.
This follows the secure model similar in the Trezor world—Trezor Suite + Trezor Login requires device approval. Ledger uses its native app flows so you may not need extra bridging software like Trezor Bridge except in special cases.
Ledger Live offers simple, clean dashboards. Portfolio overview, transaction logs, price alerts. Device status (firmware, app updates) are shown clearly. The goal: make crypto handling less intimidating yet secure.
Device confirmations, offline storage of private keys, recovery phrase backup, and genuine device verification are the pillars. These are the same core principles shared by Trezor Hardware Wallets via their own suite and login flows.
Trezor Suite is Trezor’s official software for managing wallets. It often integrates with or begins from Trezor.io/start, requires Trezor Bridge for browser interactions, and has a different UI style. Ledger’s experience via Ledger.com/Start + Ledger Live aims to streamline many operations natively.
Both Ledger and Trezor Hardware Wallets rely on physical device security, recovery seeds, and offline key storage. Both encourage firmware updates and verification steps for authenticity.