Made with GrigoraOFFICIAL HARDWARE ONBOARDING MANUAL
Welcome to your complete walkthrough for setting up your Ledger Nano X, Nano S Plus, or Stax device. Starting your cold storage journey properly ensures total sovereign custody over your digital assets, tokens, and collectibles while immunizing your private keys against malware, phishing attacks, and online vulnerabilities.
Every hardware wallet engineered by Ledger relies on a certified Secure Element chip (CC EAL5+ or CC EAL6+) designed to withstand sophisticated physical and cryptographic assaults. When you visit ledger.com/start, you begin the initialization process that securely generates your seed phrase offline inside this isolated environment. Unlike software hot wallets running on browser extensions or smartphones, a hardware device ensures your private credentials are never exposed to connected host machines or compromised network cables. Taking the time to execute every initialization step methodically protects your sovereign crypto portfolio for years to come.
STEP 01 // DEVICE AUTHENTICITY
Begin by inspecting the physical integrity of the delivery box. A brand-new device comes with completely blank Recovery Sheets inside the documentation sleeve. If your box contains a pre-filled card with 24 printed words or an already configured PIN code, do not connect the device to any computer; contact Ledger Support immediately as the unit may have been tampered with. Your device must always prompt you with 'Welcome to Ledger' on its embedded screen when powered on for the first time via the provided braided USB-C cable.
STEP 02 // SOFTWARE DEPLOYMENT
Navigate directly to ledger.com/start through an updated web browser. Avoid clicking sponsored search ads, third-party mirrors, or unverified app store listings. Ledger Live is the official desktop and mobile companion interface that allows you to manage accounts, swap tokens, stake cryptocurrencies, and install device applications. Download the binary matching your operating system (macOS, Windows, or Linux) and run the installer. The application will guide you interactively through the device initialization protocol.
STEP 03 // KEY GENERATION
On your hardware unit, select 'Set up as new device'. First, select a 4 to 8-digit PIN code. This PIN guards your device against unauthorized physical access. Next, the hardware screen displays your unique 24-word Secret Recovery Phrase one word at a time. Write down each word precisely in numerical order onto your blank recovery sheet using a pen. Never take a photo of these words, never save them in password managers, and never enter them into a computer keyboard. After recording, confirm each word on the hardware screen buttons to complete generation.
STEP 04 // CRYPTOGRAPHIC CHECK
Connect the initialized device to your computer and allow Ledger Live to run the Genuine Check. Ledger's secure root of trust challenges the internal cryptographic chip to prove it contains an authentic factory-issued cryptographic attestation key. Once authenticated, open the 'My Ledger' tab inside Ledger Live to update firmware to the newest release and download application modules for Bitcoin, Ethereum, Solana, and other networks of your choice.
No representative, technical support staff, or automated prompt will ever ask for your 24-word recovery phrase. If any website, browser popup, phone call, or email requests your recovery seed, it is an unequivocal phishing attempt. Your seed phrase belongs exclusively on physical paper or stamped metal plates, never in digital formats.
Your crypto assets reside directly on decentralized blockchains, not inside the hardware stick itself. As long as you possess your physical 24-word Secret Recovery Phrase, you can instantly recover full access to every wallet address by purchasing another hardware device and choosing 'Restore from Recovery Phrase'.
No. The Secure Element chip is completely isolated. Even if your computer hosts keyloggers or malware, transactions must be manually checked on the device screen and confirmed with physical button presses. Always verify recipient addresses on the physical device screen before confirming.
Ensure your computer is updated, plug in your hardware wallet, and follow the safe onboarding protocol today.