Setting Up Your First Ledger: A Step-by-Step Beginner's Guide

Set aside uninterrupted time before moving funds. Your first goal is to establish a device and backup you understand, rather than to finish setup as quickly as possible. These steps describe the general Nano setup workflow; follow the current instructions for your exact model.

1. Start with the official instructions

Navigate independently to ledger.com/start. Download the companion application from Ledger's own links and choose your device model. Older instructions may refer to Ledger Live; Ledger's newer materials use the Ledger Wallet name.

Do not use a recovery phrase supplied by a seller or printed on a card as your new wallet's backup. If the device appears to be preconfigured or you find instructions asking you to visit an unfamiliar activation website, stop and contact verified manufacturer support before proceeding.

2. Create your own wallet on the device

For a genuinely new wallet, choose the device's new-device setup flow rather than restoring someone else's phrase. Select a PIN using the hardware controls and keep it private. Follow the manufacturer's authenticity checks in the official application; packaging alone is not a sufficient authenticity test.

Distinguish the PIN from the recovery phrase. The PIN controls access to that device. The backup is used to recover the wallet and needs a different storage plan.

3. Record the recovery backup offline

For the standard Nano recovery-sheet workflow, the device displays 24 words. Write them down in the exact order and complete the device's verification prompts. Keep phones, cameras, screen-sharing software, and other people away from the backup process.

Do not type those words into the companion application, a browser, a support chat, or a cloud note. Ledger's hardware-wallet security guidance explains why safeguarding the recovery phrase remains essential even when using a hardware wallet.

4. Add the account you actually need

Use the official application's instructions to install the appropriate device app and add the corresponding account. Check the supported asset and network before requesting a deposit. A token name alone does not establish which network an exchange withdrawal uses.

Record the account label and network in your own non-secret inventory. Do not include recovery words in that inventory. Future you should be able to distinguish a Bitcoin account from an Ethereum account without exposing either wallet's backup.

5. Verify a receiving address

Start the receive flow and compare the address shown by the application with the address presented on the hardware device. If they differ, cancel. Confirm that the sending service supports the selected asset and destination network, including any required destination tag or memo.

Send a small test amount first, allowing for withdrawal minimums and network fees. Confirm receipt on the intended network before considering a larger transfer. Receiving successfully does not prove that every other asset or network is configured correctly.

6. Finish with a recovery plan

Store the backup somewhere protected from unauthorised access and environmental damage. Keep it separate from the device. Understand how your chosen recovery method works before relying on it; use the manufacturer's documented checks rather than improvising a reset after depositing funds.

Revisit your setup whenever you change devices, applications, or backup arrangements. Never reveal recovery words to someone offering to verify the setup for you.

Official references

• Ledger: getting started
• Ledger: hardware-wallet security practices
• Ledger: companion-app announcement and naming