One dashboard for every account
Ledger Live holds your Bitcoin, Ethereum, Solana and thousands of other assets in one place, each account unlocked by the device in your hand.
Independent guide · not affiliated with Ledger SAS
Ledger.com/start — set up your Ledger wallet the right way, in 20 minutes
Ledger.com/start is where a brand-new hardware wallet becomes a working one. This page is the plain-English walkthrough: what happens at each screen, the order to do things in, and the one rule that keeps your crypto yours — the recovery phrase stays on the device, always.
- Setup time
- 15–25 min
- Words to write down
- 24
- Times Ledger asks for your phrase
- Never
The setup flow
Four steps from box to secured wallet
Do them in this order. Skipping or reordering step 4 is how people lose funds.
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01
Open the real start page
Type ledger.com/start into the address bar yourself, or follow the bookmark you made. Never start from a search ad, an email link or a DM — that is where fake pages live.
-
02
Install Ledger Live
Download the companion app for desktop or mobile from that page only. Ledger Live is where you add accounts, install coin apps and check balances.
-
03
Initialize the device
Power on, choose Set up as new device, and set a PIN you will remember. Choose the PIN on the device buttons — it never touches your computer or phone.
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04
Write down 24 words
The device shows your recovery phrase once. Write it on paper, in order, and store it offline. It is the only way to restore your wallet — and the only thing worth stealing.
What is Ledger.com/start?
One page that turns a sealed box into a usable hardware wallet
Every Ledger — Nano S Plus, Nano X, Flex or Stax — ships blank. It has no accounts, no keys and no coins until you initialize it. Ledger.com/start is the entry point Ledger provides for that first run: it hands you the correct Ledger Live installer for your operating system and then walks you, screen by screen, through setting the device up.
The reason so many people search for that exact phrase is that the ordered flow matters. Install the app before the device, initialize before you add accounts, and record the recovery phrase before you send a single satoshi to it. Get the sequence right and everything afterwards is routine.
- Correct Ledger Live build for macOS, Windows, Linux, iOS and Android
- Guided device initialization with an on-device PIN
- Recovery phrase generated by the secure element, never by a server
- A clear path into adding accounts and installing coin apps
Start setup at ledger.com/start
Opens the official Ledger page in a new tab. No wallet connection required — and never connect a wallet to a page you did not type in yourself.
First-run checklist
- · Device bought from Ledger or an authorised reseller
- · Sealed packaging, no pre-written seed card inside
- · Ledger Live from the official page only
- · Paper and pen ready before step 4
- · A private room — no camera, no screen sharing
- · No account created until the phrase is stored
What you get once you're set up
Six things a properly started Ledger wallet gives you
All of it driven from Ledger Live, with the keys held on the device.
Keys that never leave the chip
Your private keys are generated and stored inside a certified secure element. Signing happens on the device; the key itself is never exported.
A PIN in front of everything
Wrong PIN, wrong device owner. Eight attempts and the device wipes itself, so a lost wallet is inconvenient rather than fatal.
Every screen confirmed on-device
The address and the amount are shown on the device display before anything is signed — the last line of defence against a tampered computer.
Restore anywhere, in minutes
Device lost or broken? A replacement plus your 24 words rebuilds the same accounts. No provider, no support ticket, no waiting on anyone.
Room to grow
Install only the coin apps you need, swap and stake from inside Ledger Live, and add a second device as a backup whenever you want.
Non-negotiable
Your 24 words are yours alone. Anything that asks for them is a scam.
No legitimate setup flow needs your recovery phrase typed into a browser. If a page, app, pop-up, email or person asks for those words, close it — the phrase is a full copy of your wallet in text form. Ledger itself will never ask for it, and neither will this guide.
- Never type your phrase on a website or in a chat
- Never photograph it or store it in the cloud, notes or email
- Never trust a link from an ad, DM or search result
- Never skip the device screen when confirming a transaction
Common questions
Ledger.com/start, answered
Is this the official Ledger website?
No. This is an independent guide written to explain the setup process. Ledger's own page lives at ledger.com/start, and every button here sends you there rather than pretending to be it. We are not affiliated with, endorsed by, or acting for Ledger SAS.
Do I need to buy a device before visiting Ledger.com/start?
Yes — the flow is for initialising hardware you already own. Buy from Ledger directly or an authorised reseller, and check the packaging is sealed. A device that arrives with a recovery phrase already written down has been tampered with; return it.
Can I set up a Ledger on my phone only?
You can. Ledger Live has mobile apps, and the initialisation runs over Bluetooth on Nano X, Flex and Stax. A desktop is still handy for installing coin apps and moving larger transactions, but the device itself holds the keys either way.
What if I lose the device?
Buy a replacement, choose Restore from recovery phrase instead of setting up as new, and enter your 24 words on the new device. Your accounts come back exactly as they were. Without those words, though, there is no recovery route for anyone — including Ledger.
How do I know a start page is genuine?
Type the address yourself or use your own bookmark. Genuine hardware wallets are also never shipped with a filled-in recovery sheet, and no legitimate page will ever ask you to paste those words. Treat those two facts as your filter.
Ready when you are
Twenty minutes from now you can have a hardware wallet initialised, backed up and ready for its first transfer.
Continue to Ledger.com/start