The basics
What is Trezor.io/Start?
It is the official first-run page for a new Trezor hardware wallet. Visiting it pairs the device with Trezor Suite, installs and verifies the firmware, and guides you through creating a PIN and writing down your recovery seed. This website is an independent guide to that process — the real page is at trezor.io/start.
Is this website the official Trezor site?
No. This is an independent, unofficial educational resource. It is not affiliated with, endorsed by or operated by SatoshiLabs or Trezor, and it cannot set up your device or access your funds. It exists to explain the process, and it will never ask you for seed words, a PIN or a password.
How long does set-up take?
Around twenty to thirty minutes for a first device: roughly ten minutes of clicking and firmware writing, and the rest for carefully writing down and verifying the recovery seed. Do not rush the second half.
Do I need an account, email address or phone number?
No. Trezor Suite is a local application and start-up requires no registration of any kind. Nothing legitimate about setting up a hardware wallet needs your identity — which is precisely why a page asking for it should make you suspicious.
Can I set up a Trezor on a phone or tablet?
Suite is built for desktop operating systems, and that is where firmware installation, seed generation and backup verification belong. Mobile browser access has improved for viewing balances, but a computer is the right tool for the one-off set-up.
Does the device need an internet connection?
The device itself never connects to the internet — that is the point of it. Your computer needs a connection to download firmware and coin data, and to see network balances, but your keys never travel over it.
Backup and recovery
What is the recovery seed, in plain terms?
A list of 12, 20 or 24 words generated by the device that encodes the master key to your wallet. Anyone who has the words can restore your funds on a compatible device, with no PIN and no Trezor required. It is the single most important thing you will handle. See the security guide for how to store it.
Where should I keep my recovery seed?
Written by hand on paper or stamped into metal, in two separate offline locations, away from the device and away from the PIN. Never in a photo, a cloud note, a chat message or a password manager.
What happens if I lose the Trezor itself?
Nothing is lost, as long as your seed is safe. Buy a replacement, choose "recover wallet" during set-up, and enter the seed into the new device. Your accounts and balances come back — the device was only ever a signer.
What happens if I lose the recovery seed?
Then the wallet is unrecoverable by anyone, permanently. There is no support desk, no backdoor and no fee that changes this. If the device is still working you can keep using it, but a single failure would lose everything — so create a new wallet and move funds while you can.
Can I change my PIN later?
Yes. The PIN is a device setting you can change in Suite whenever you know the current one. The recovery seed does not change when you change the PIN, and it is not affected if the device eventually wipes itself after failed attempts.
Should I use a passphrase?
A passphrase creates an extra hidden wallet and protects you if your written seed alone is discovered — but forget it and the funds are gone forever, with no recovery path. For a first wallet, set the PIN, skip the passphrase, and add one later once you have restored from your seed at least once.
Devices and software
Which Trezor models does this guide cover?
The whole range — Model One, Model T, Safe 3 and Safe 5. The start-up flow is the same on all of them; only the screen and buttons differ. The comparison page explains what changes.
Do I need a browser extension or a driver?
No. Modern Trezor set-up runs through the Trezor Suite desktop application with no extension needed. Legacy bridge-style helpers are not part of a current installation, and being asked to install one is a sign you are on the wrong page.
Desktop app or web app — which should I use?
Desktop, especially for the first set-up. A locally installed app removes an entire layer of
browser risk during firmware installation. The web version at
suite.trezor.io is a reasonable way to check balances later.
Can two people share one Trezor?
Two people can share a wallet in the sense that both can hold the recovery seed, which is effectively shared custody — and a shared risk. For anything with real value, separate wallets with separate seeds are almost always the better arrangement.
Safety and scams
How do I know a set-up page is fake?
The clearest sign is that it asks for your recovery seed, or for "wallet validation", "sync" or "activation". Genuine set-up never needs any of that. Second sign: it arrived from a search advert, a direct message or a shortened link instead of a bookmark you made yourself.
Will Trezor support ever contact me first?
No. Legitimate support does not message you out of nowhere, does not offer remote sessions, and never asks for seed words. Anyone who does is impersonating support.
A website asked me to enter my seed. What now?
Assume that wallet is compromised and act immediately: create a fresh wallet on your device, write down the new seed, verify it, and move every asset across in small test transactions first. Do not reuse the exposed seed for anything, ever.
My device arrived with a wallet already on it. Is that normal?
No. A new device offers to create a wallet. One that is already initialised, or arrives with a filled-in seed card or a broken seal, should be returned unopened and never funded.
Still have a question?
The walkthrough and the security guide between them cover almost everything people ask. Start with the set-up guide.