Welcome — a short security-first introduction
This guide walks you through the practical steps to safely bring your Trezor hardware wallet online: unboxing inspection, device initialization, recovery seed handling, firmware and companion software verification, first receive/send, and ongoing best practices. Hardware wallets protect private keys by keeping them inside a secure element — but the rest of the system matters too. Read carefully and follow the on-device confirmations.
1. Unboxing & inspection
Before anything else, visually inspect the box and contents for signs of tampering:
- Check tamper-evident seals: if seals are broken or packaging looks altered, stop and contact the vendor's official support channel.
- Confirm included items match the official packing list (device, cable, recovery card, documentation).
- Record serial numbers and keep proof of purchase in case you need warranty or support assistance.
2. Initial setup — recommended environment
Perform setup on a trusted personal computer and a private network. Avoid public Wi-Fi and unfamiliar machines. If possible, use a freshly installed host or one you know is clean of malware.
- Navigate only to the vendor's official start page by typing the URL or using a bookmark you created from a trusted source.
- Connect the device using the supplied cable and follow the official guided setup. The device will display prompts — always read them on-device.
- Create a new wallet on the device. The device will generate your recovery seed and display it word-by-word on its screen; this is the authoritative seed.
- Set a PIN when asked. The PIN protects device access if the device is stolen — choose a unique PIN you can remember but that is not easily guessable.
3. Recovery seed & passphrase
Understanding seed and optional passphrase mechanics is essential for long-term safety:
- Seed length: Devices commonly use 12, 18, or 24-word BIP-39 compatible seeds. Write words in exact order.
- Durability: Consider steel backup plates for protection against fire and water; use archival-grade pens.
- Passphrase: A passphrase (sometimes called a 25th word) creates an additional hidden wallet derived from the seed. It adds security but increases complexity — losing the passphrase means losing access to that hidden wallet.
- Redundancy: Spread backups across secure, geographically separated locations if the value justifies the complexity (e.g., bank safe deposit boxes, trusted custodian).
4. Firmware & companion software
Firmware updates and wallet software are prime targets for attackers, so verify everything before installing:
- Download firmware and companion apps only from the vendor's official channels. Prefer direct releases on the vendor website or official GitHub releases pages.
- Verify checksums (SHA256) and, where provided, verify digital signatures (GPG) for installers and firmware images before use.
- When updating firmware, follow the device's on-screen instructions carefully. Do not disconnect power mid-update unless instructed by recovery docs.
- Prefer desktop apps or PWAs from official sources rather than third-party forks unless you thoroughly audit and trust them.
5. Sending & receiving — on-device confirmations
Always use the device as your final source of truth when approving transactions:
- When receiving funds: generate a receive address in your wallet interface but always verify that the address shown in the host UI matches the one displayed on your Trezor device.
- When sending funds: the transaction summary (recipient address, amount, fee) that appears on the device is the canonical representation. Do not approve if values or the address are unexpected.
- Watch out for typosquatting addresses and clipboard hijackers; verifying on-device prevents many host compromises.
6. Common issues & what to do
Problems can happen. The following steps help you triage common failures safely:
Device not powering
Try a different USB cable or a different computer USB port. Avoid unpowered hubs. If the device remains dead, contact official support — do not attempt unknown repair methods.
Firmware update interrupted
Follow the vendor's recovery flow — many vendors provide a documented recovery mode to reinstate a device. Keep logs and screenshots of error messages for support.
Lost seed but device present
If you still have the device and it holds funds, generate a new wallet on a new device, transfer funds, and securely store the new seed. Do this before the old device is lost.
Lost seed and device
Without seed or device, funds are irretrievable. This is why multiple, secure backups are critical.
7. Ongoing best practices
- Keep firmware and companion software up to date; read release notes to understand changes before updating.
- Use only trusted, personal hosts for signing important transactions; avoid public machines or shared networks.
- Revoke browser permissions for wallet sites when not in use and limit extensions that can read page content.
- Practice a small test transaction before sending large amounts, and maintain an incident response plan for lost/stolen keys.
8. Advanced topics (overview)
Advanced users may explore:
- Passphrase strategies and deterministic account management.
- Shamir's Secret Sharing or multisignature setups for enterprise-grade resilience.
- Air-gapped signing workflows and offline PSBT/QR code signing for high-security usage.
- Documented recovery drills and periodic verification of backup integrity.