Trezor set-up guide: from unboxing to your first transaction

Before you start

Have these ready

• Your device, bought from the official shop or a listed authorised reseller — never second-hand
• The USB cable from the box (some cables charge only, so use the one supplied)
• A computer you control, running Windows, macOS or Linux
• Pen and paper, or your metal backup card
• A quiet room, and enough time not to rush

Step 1 — Install Trezor Suite on your computer

Trezor Suite is the desktop application that talks to your device. Start with the device not plugged in, so the app's first launch is a clean one.

1. Go to the official Trezor website and download the build for your operating system.
2. On Windows, run the installer and approve the one-time driver step. On macOS, drag the app into Applications and allow it once in System Settings → Privacy & Security if macOS asks. On Linux, use the provided package or AppImage.
3. Open Suite. You should see a welcome screen with a "connect your device" prompt and nothing else.

The first launch may offer to run in a "Tor" or private mode, and to download the current coin list. Both are optional; neither affects your keys.

Step 2 — Connect the device and let Suite detect it

Plug the supplied cable into the device and into a port directly on the computer. Avoid unpowered USB hubs, docking stations and monitor ports — they cause most "device not detected" cases.

What you should see

• The device screen lights up and shows its model name or a "connect to Trezor Suite" message.
• Suite recognises the device within a few seconds and moves to the firmware screen.

What you do not need

• No browser extension. Legacy "Trezor Bridge" style helpers are not part of a modern set-up.
• No driver download from a third-party site.
• No account, sign-in, or verification email.

If nothing happens within a minute, work through the troubleshooting steps before trying a different computer.

Step 3 — Install the firmware

New devices usually ship without usable firmware, so the first install is part of set-up. Suite downloads the current official release, checks its signature, and only then writes it to the device.

1. Approve the firmware installation when Suite asks.
2. Keep the cable connected and the device still. Do not unplug, do not close Suite, and do not let the laptop sleep.
3. The device will restart on its own when the write is complete.

Step 4 — Create a new wallet, or recover an existing one

Suite now asks which of two things you are doing:

If a supposedly new device already has a wallet on it, or its packaging was open, or a filled-in seed card came in the box, stop and return it. That device's seed is in someone else's hands, and any funds sent to it are theirs.

Step 5 — Write down the recovery seed

This is the most important minute of the whole process. The device shows the words on its own screen, one at a time. They are never displayed on the computer, and Suite will never ask you to type them.

1. Copy each word by hand, in order, onto paper — or stamp it into a metal backup if you own one.
2. Double-check every spelling. Most seed words are unusual; a swapped letter is a different wallet.
3. Write them a second time and store the two copies in different places.
4. Do not photograph the screen, do not type them into a note, a password manager or a cloud document.

Depending on the model and backup type you choose, you will end up with 12, 20 or 24 words. Some models also support an advanced backup that splits the seed into shares — only use it if you fully understand how each share must be kept, and consider a simple single backup first.

Step 6 — Set a PIN (and a passphrase, if you want one)

Next, the device asks you to choose a PIN. On most models you enter it on the device itself, using a scrambled keypad layout that Suite displays. Remember the layout is never sent to the device as plain digits — the PIN stays local.

• Choose something you will remember in five years. There is no "forgot PIN" email.
• Six digits is fine on a touchscreen model; a shorter PIN is only acceptable because the device wipes itself after repeated wrong attempts.
• Write the PIN nowhere near the recovery seed. If both are stored together, they are worth nothing.

The optional passphrase

A passphrase is a word or sentence you type, which creates an additional hidden wallet. Access to that wallet depends on the passphrase and not on the words written on your paper — meaning a stolen seed alone cannot open it.

That protection cuts both ways: if you forget a passphrase, nobody can recover it, and if you enter it with a typo you will open an empty wallet that looks like your funds have vanished. If you enable one, back it up with the same seriousness as the seed — and store it separately from the seed.

Step 7 — Verify the backup before you deposit anything

Suite asks you to confirm a few words from your seed in a random order. This exists to catch the one mistake that makes a seed useless: writing down a word incorrectly.

• Enter the requested words by checking your paper copy, not your memory.
• If a word does not match, stop and re-check the whole order before continuing.
• Finish the check even if you are confident — confidence is not a backup.

Once the backup is verified, the wallet is live: Suite shows your accounts, with a zero balance and a receive address ready.

Step 8 — Receive a small amount first

Learn the flow with an amount you would not mind losing, then repeat it with real money later.

1. In Suite, open the account for the coin you want and choose Receive.
2. Confirm the address on the device screen matches the one Suite displays.
3. Copy the address from Suite, send a small test amount from an exchange or another wallet.
4. Wait for the transaction to confirm and appear in Suite with the right balance.

To spend, do the reverse: create a transaction in Suite, then approve it on the device, checking the destination address and amount on that small screen. If the device shows a different address from the computer, reject the transaction — that difference is exactly what a compromised computer cannot fake.

After set-up: the habits that keep it safe

Common set-up mistakes