Ledger Start — download Ledger Live and initialize your device safely

Welcome to Ledger Start — the official entry point for securely onboarding a Ledger hardware wallet. Use this page as a compact, practical guide: download Ledger Live from the official site, verify installers when possible, follow the step-by-step initialization flow, and adopt operational safeguards for your recovery phrase. Below are direct actions, checklist items, and a full walkthrough to get your device ready with confidence.

Official download

Always download Ledger Live directly from ledger.com/start. Choose desktop or mobile installers depending on your device. Avoid third-party sites and attachments.

Verify integrity

After downloading, compare the SHA256 checksum or validate signatures if Ledger provides them. Verifying ensures the installer wasn't tampered with.

Initialize securely

Run Ledger Live, connect your Ledger device, follow the onboarding, set a PIN, and record your recovery phrase on the supplied card—offline and safe.

Confirm on-device

Always confirm firmware and transaction details on the device's screen. The device is your final source of truth before signing anything.

Step-by-step: Download, verify, and initialize

Start by visiting the official page at ledger.com/start. Choose the Ledger Live installer for your operating system or open the web app. If you download the installer binary, compute the SHA256 checksum locally (use platform tools such as shasum -a 256 on macOS/Linux or Get-FileHash -Algorithm SHA256 in PowerShell on Windows) and compare it to the value published by Ledger. When available, PGP signatures provide an additional layer of assurance: import the Ledger release key from a trusted source and verify the signature. This verification step protects you from supply-chain tampering and malicious mirrors.

After verification, run the installer. Ledger Live will guide you through the steps to create a new device or restore from an existing recovery phrase. During initialization the hardware will generate a recovery phrase (often 24 words) — write this phrase down exactly as shown and store it offline. Do not photograph, email, or store your recovery phrase on any online service. Set a strong pin on the device and, if applicable, configure any optional passphrase only if you understand the operational implications: passphrases act as an additional secret and losing one will prevent recovery of funds protected by it.

Ledger devices show important information on their display; always validate addresses and amounts on the device screen before approving. The combination of verified downloads, on-device confirmation, and offline seed storage forms a robust defense-in-depth model for protecting digital assets against remote attackers and compromised hosts.

Operational guide, troubleshooting & safety best practices

Keep your host environment clean and up-to-date: install OS security patches, avoid installing untrusted software, and use reputable browsers. When using mobile devices, install Ledger Live only from official app stores. If Ledger Live suggests a firmware update, review release notes and verify any checksums or signature notes provided. If you ever receive unexpected prompts asking for your recovery phrase, stop — Ledger or legitimate services will never ask you to enter your recovery phrase into an app or website.

In case of connection problems, try different USB ports or cables, restart Ledger Live, and reboot your device. For browser-based flows, ensure you are on the correct ledger.com domain and try an incognito window to rule out extension interference. Keep multiple offline backups of your recovery phrase in geographically separate locations to protect against physical damage or loss. For institutional contexts, adopt multisig configurations, role separation, and written procedures for using and recovering keys. Periodic rehearsals of recovery processes ensure that when an incident occurs, your team can respond quickly and correctly.

Finally, subscribe to Ledger's official channels for firmware advisories and release notes. Bookmark ledger.com/start, keep your installers and checksums archived if you need to re-verify later, and remember that the device display is the single most reliable place to confirm transactions. These practices will help you maintain control, protect assets, and use Ledger hardware securely for years to come.