First, the Name
Ledger Live is now officially called Ledger Wallet (formerly Ledger Live). The change was announced on October 23, 2025, together with the Ledger Nano Gen5. The purpose of the app is the same, and since most people still know it as Ledger Live, that is the name you will see on this page.
Five Common Misconceptions About Ledger Live
Reality: It is not. Your assets live on their blockchains. What your Ledger setup protects is the private keys that control them, and those keys sit inside the device’s Secure Element chip, not in the app.
Reality: There is no web version. Ledger Live is a desktop app for Windows, macOS and Linux, and a mobile app for iOS and Android. A site offering “Ledger Live online” is fake.
Reality: No. Ledger Live is built by Ledger SAS, a French company. Trezor is a separate product from SatoshiLabs.
Reality: Never. Ledger does not ask for your 24 words under any circumstances. Never type your recovery phrase into any website, app form, chat or “support” request. Anyone requesting it is trying to steal from you.
Reality: The app cannot sign anything. Every transaction must be approved on the physical device. Malware can try to mislead you, but it cannot press the approve button.
What Ledger Live Actually Does
With the myths out of the way, here is the real feature set:
- Portfolio tracking for more than 15,000 coins and tokens, with balances and history in one view.
- Sending and receiving, with receive addresses and outgoing transactions verified on the device screen.
- Buy, sell and swap through third-party providers in the app. Expect each to have its own fees and possible KYC checks.
- Staking for selected assets, such as ETH and SOL. Rewards are not guaranteed.
- Discover, a section for using dApps from inside the app.
- Clear Signing and Transaction Check, which show readable details of what you are signing.
- Genuine check, verifying that your device is an authentic Ledger.
- My Ledger, where you install coin apps onto the device and update its firmware.
- Ledger Recover, an optional paid subscription for backing up your recovery phrase. Nothing requires you to use it.
📊 15,000+ Assets
Unified balance tracking and historical performance for virtually every major coin, token, and network in existence.
🔍 Clear Signing
Transaction Check decodes raw cryptographic payloads into human-readable destination and fee details before confirmation.
🛡️ Genuine Check
Cryptographic hardware handshake verifying your device contains authentic Ledger firmware and hasn't been tampered with.
⚙️ My Ledger Manager
Install and manage individual blockchain applets on your Secure Element chip and apply verified firmware upgrades.
The Device and the App: Who Does What
The easiest way to picture the relationship is a bank vault and its front desk. The front desk (the app) takes your request, fills in the paperwork and shows you your statements. Only the vault (the device) can authorise anything leaving.
🔒 On the device (The Vault)
- Private keys, generated and stored in the Secure Element.
- A PIN that locks the device.
- An optional passphrase for added protection.
- The screen and buttons (or touchscreen) where you approve actions.
🖥️ In the app (The Front Desk)
- Blockchain data, balances and history.
- Transaction building and fee calculation.
- Connections to providers and dApps.
- App installation and firmware delivery through My Ledger.
What signing looks like
Suppose you want to pay a friend in ETH:
- You open the account in Ledger Live and enter your friend’s address and the amount.
- Ledger Live prepares the transaction and sends it, unsigned, to your device.
- Your device shows the address, amount and fee. Clear Signing makes the details readable.
- You check each detail against what you intended. If something is off, you reject.
- When it matches, you approve. The Secure Element signs internally.
- The signed transaction goes back to Ledger Live, which broadcasts it.
Your keys never left the chip, and nothing was sent until you agreed on the device.
Receiving works the same way, in reverse
When your friend pays you back, you open Receive in Ledger Live and pick the account. The app shows an address, and the device shows the same address on its own screen. Compare them character by character, or at least the beginning and the end, before you share it. If malware on your phone or computer tried to substitute its own address, the device display would expose the mismatch. This small habit costs a few seconds and closes off a whole class of attacks.
Your First Session: Setup in Twelve Steps
Before you begin, find a private spot and grab a pen and the recovery sheet that came with your Ledger.
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1Type ledger.com into the address bar yourself.
Check the spelling. Ledger’s domain is ledger.com, not ledger.io or a variant with extra words.
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2Download the app for your platform.
Desktop builds exist for Windows, macOS and Linux. On a phone, use the App Store or Google Play and check that Ledger is listed as the publisher (Android package: com.ledger.live). The download is free.
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3Install it.
Windows: run the .exe and confirm Ledger is shown as the publisher. macOS: open the .dmg and drag the app to Applications. Linux: make the AppImage executable and add udev rules if your device is not detected over USB.
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4Open the app and choose “Get started”.
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5Select your model:
Nano S Plus, Nano X, Nano Gen5, Flex or Stax.
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6Choose new setup, restore, or connect an existing device.
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7Set your PIN on the device.
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8Write down the 24 words shown on the device, on paper, in order.
No photos, no typing, no cloud storage.
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9Confirm the words on the device.
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10Run the Genuine check in Ledger Live.
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11Install coin apps in My Ledger, then add accounts for each network you use.
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12Send yourself a small test amount,
confirming the receive address on the device before trusting the setup with more.
Did the device not appear in the app? On desktop, try another USB cable or port; on Linux, check the udev rules. On mobile, make sure Bluetooth is on and your model supports it. If you lost track while copying the words, reset and begin again instead of guessing. And if at any point a window asks you to type your 24 words into the app or a website, stop: that is not part of a legitimate setup.
Computer or Phone? Comparing the Two Versions
Ledger Live for Desktop and Ledger Live for Mobile share the same security model. Here is how they differ in practice:
| Feature | Ledger Live for Desktop | Ledger Live for Mobile |
|---|---|---|
| Supported systems | Windows, macOS, Linux | iOS (App Store), Android (Google Play) |
| Connection to device | USB; Bluetooth is not needed | Bluetooth (Nano X, Nano Gen5, Flex, Stax) or USB-OTG on Android (Nano S Plus) |
| Ideal use | Setup, firmware updates, in-depth portfolio management | Balance checks, receiving and sending on the go |
| Core features | Portfolio, send/receive, buy/sell/swap via partners, staking, Discover, My Ledger | Same core features; some options or providers may differ by platform and region |
| Security points | Download only from ledger.com and check the signed publisher | Install only from the official store listing and verify the publisher |
The takeaway: desktop works with every current Ledger model over USB, which makes it the safest bet for first-time setup and heavier management. Mobile adds freedom to check and move funds away from your desk. Bluetooth models connect wirelessly on both iOS and Android, while the Nano S Plus works on mobile only with Android and an OTG cable. In every case, the device still displays and signs each transaction.
Scams That Target Ledger Live Users
A short list worth memorising:
- Fake Ledger Live apps reached through search ads, imitation websites, fake browser extensions or fraudulent store listings.
- Phishing emails and printed letters, some linked to Ledger’s 2020 customer data leak, asking you to “validate” your recovery phrase.
- Fake support accounts on Telegram and Discord.
- Malicious “firmware update” pop-ups that demand your 24 words.
The defence is the same each time: Ledger never asks for your recovery phrase, and you never type it anywhere except on a Ledger device during a restore.
Legitimate software will never ask you to enter your recovery seed on a keyboard or web form. The seed is written down on paper during setup and entered only on the device itself when recovering. Any site or app that asks you to type your seed is a scam. This single habit prevents the large majority of hardware-wallet thefts.