Independent guide · not affiliated with Ledger SAS

Ledger.com/start® — set up your hardware wallet, step by step

The start page at Ledger.com/start is the doorway a new Ledger device walks through: it installs the companion app, protects the device with a PIN, and generates the recovery phrase that actually owns your coins. This guide explains that flow in plain language — what to download, what to write down, and what must never leave your hands.

Start your setup Read the safety rules
  • About 10 minutes
  • Nano S Plus · Nano X · Stax · Flex
  • Desktop & mobile
  • Free — you pay only for the device
The 60-second version

What Ledger.com/start actually does

Ledger.com/start is the official entry point Ledger provides for a newly unboxed hardware wallet. From there you download Ledger Live, the companion app for desktop and mobile, and the app walks you through initialising the device: choose a PIN, generate a recovery phrase, and confirm each prompt on the device itself. You never create an account, and you never type your recovery phrase into a computer.

  • Download from the source. Ledger Live comes from the start page or your phone's official app store — never from a link in a DM, an email or a search ad.
  • Initialise it yourself. A wallet that arrives with a recovery phrase already written down has been tampered with. Send it back.
  • Trust the device screen. It is the one display an attacker cannot fake. Read every prompt there before you approve it.
  • Understand what owns what. The PIN locks the device; the 24 words restore the funds. If the device is lost, the words bring everything back.

Going straight to the source?

If you just want to begin, open the official page and follow it alongside this guide. We link to the real domain, never a look-alike.

Open ledger.com/start

Opens ledger.com in a new tab. Check the address bar before you download anything.

The walkthrough

Four steps to a wallet that is truly yours

Do them in order, take your time, and keep the paperwork somewhere only you can reach.

  1. 01

    Unbox and inspect

    Check the box seal, the cable and the device body for signs of tampering. A Ledger ships without a recovery phrase — if one is included on a card, treat the device as compromised.

  2. 02

    Install Ledger Live

    Get the app from Ledger.com/start on a computer, or from the App Store or Google Play on a phone. Verify the publisher name before you install, and connect the device with the supplied cable.

  3. 03

    Choose a PIN on the device

    Pick 4 to 8 digits and enter them using the device buttons. The PIN is never typed on your keyboard and never shared — three wrong attempts wipe the device, which is a feature, not a fault.

  4. 04

    Write down your recovery phrase

    The device shows 24 words, one at a time. Copy them in order onto the supplied sheet — by hand, offline. No photo, no notes app, no cloud, no password manager, and never to anyone who asks "to validate" it.

Begin at Ledger.com/start Then come back here if a screen looks unfamiliar.
Why the hardware matters

What you get once setup is finished

A Ledger is a small computer whose only job is to keep a private key away from the internet.

Keys stay in your hands

Your private keys are generated inside the device's secure element and are designed never to leave it. No exchange, no custodian, no counterparty between you and your coins.

PIN with a built-in wipe

A 4-to-8 digit PIN guards the device, and three wrong tries wipe it. A stolen Ledger is a paperweight — your recovery phrase is what restores access.

Recovery phrase, offline by design

The 24 words appear once, on the device screen only. Written on paper and stored safely, they are the complete backup of every account on the wallet.

Ledger Live for everyday use

One companion app for balances, sending, receiving, staking and buying — on desktop or phone, with the device confirming anything that moves funds.

Room for thousands of assets

Bitcoin, ether, stablecoins and thousands of tokens, each supported by a small app you install in Ledger Live as you need it — not all at once.

Every transaction approved in your hand

A compromised computer can ask, but it cannot sign. You review the amount and the address on the device screen and press the button yourself.

Read this before you download anything

Three rules that keep your crypto yours

Nearly every story about "hacked" hardware wallets ends in the same place: someone was asked for their 24 words and gave them up.

1

Nobody legitimate ever asks for your 24 words

Not Ledger support, not a wallet "validation" page, not a migration, a giveaway or an airdrop. The phrase is the wallet — anyone holding it holds your funds, instantly and irreversibly.

2

Buy from the official store or an authorised reseller

A device that arrives pre-initialised with a written phrase has been tampered with. Reset it and generate your own phrase — or send it back and report it.

3

Treat urgency as a warning sign

Pop-ups, DMs, emails and ads claiming your wallet is at risk all lead to the same form: type your words here. Close the page. Type the address yourself.

One more habit worth keeping: bookmark the real page instead of clicking through search results, and read the domain in the address bar every single time.

Back to the four steps
Questions people ask first

Ledger.com/start, answered plainly

How long does setup take?

Around ten minutes for the device itself — PIN, recovery phrase and the first account. Installing coin apps and moving funds afterwards depends on how much you hold.

Does Ledger.com/start cost anything?

The page and Ledger Live are free. Your only mandatory purchase is the hardware wallet itself, and the optional add-ons Ledger sells alongside it.

Can I set it up without a phone?

Yes. Ledger Live for desktop covers the full setup over USB. The mobile app is convenient for day-to-day use, and some models connect over Bluetooth as well.

What happens if I lose the device?

You restore from the 24 words on a replacement Ledger and you are back where you left off. Lose the words as well as the device and the funds are gone for good — there is no reset button and no support desk that can reverse it.

Are the 24 words really necessary?

They are how self-custody survives a broken or lost device. Store them offline, in order, on something durable, and consider splitting the backup across two safe locations rather than keeping one copy in one drawer.

Ready when you are

Unbox it, open the official start page, and work through the four steps. Ten minutes now saves a very bad day later.

Go to Ledger.com/start