Trezor Suite setup guide

1. Download the app from the official source

There are three ways to run Trezor Suite, and all of them are legitimate — the difference is convenience versus privacy:

• Desktop app (Windows, macOS, Linux) — the recommended option. Full feature set, strongest privacy controls including Tor, and no dependence on a browser session.
• Web app — runs at the official Suite web address in a Chromium-based browser (Chrome, Edge, Brave, Opera). Useful on a computer where you cannot install software.
• Mobile app — Android and iOS builds for checking balances and moving funds from a phone, with Trezor Suite Lite as a lighter view-only option.

Whichever you choose, start from the vendor's own download page. Copycat sites, sponsored search results and "Trezor Suite update" notifications are the single most common way people are tricked.

2. Verify the download

Verification means checking that the file you received matches the file the developers published. It takes a minute and rules out a tampered installer.

• The official site publishes checksums and signatures next to each release.
• Compare the checksum of your downloaded file with the published value using a checksum tool, or have a signing tool verify the signature.
• If the values differ, do not install. Delete the file and download again from the official page.

Existing users can also let the app update itself, which performs its own integrity check on the new version — another reason to keep a legitimate copy installed rather than hunting for installers each time.

3. Install and open Trezor Suite

Run the installer and treat it like any other desktop application. On first launch the app may offer a firmware update for the device; that is normal and recommended, because firmware updates add asset support and security fixes.

Supported platforms are Windows, macOS and 64-bit Linux distributions. Minimum versions move over time, so check the official operating-system requirements page if you are on an older machine. On Linux, connecting a Trezor over USB may require installing the vendor's udev rules — the app usually tells you when that is the case.

4. Connect the hardware wallet

Use the cable that came with the device. Plug it in, then choose set up a new device in Suite. The app will read the device, check that the firmware is genuine, and warn you clearly if the device has already been used — which is exactly what you want to know when hardware arrives by post.

If you are instead restoring an existing wallet, this is the point where you enter your recovery words. Do it on the device itself, and note that Suite itself never needs to see them.

5. Set a device PIN

The PIN lives on the hardware wallet and is entered on the device, not typed into your computer, so a keylogger on your machine learns nothing useful. The app shows a scrambled keypad and you select the digits on the device's own screen.

• Use a PIN that is not a birthday, a repeated digit or a straight sequence.
• Write a hint down only in a way nobody else could use — or memorise it and accept the trade-off.
• Too many wrong attempts wipe the device. That is a feature: it makes brute force impractical. A wiped device can be restored from your recovery seed.

6. Write down your recovery seed — carefully

This step decides how you will recover from a lost, stolen or broken device years from now, so slow down.

1. The device displays your recovery words once, one at a time. Read them from the device screen, never from a computer.
2. Write them on the supplied recovery card in the exact order. Double-check the spelling of each word.
3. Confirm the backup when the device asks you to verify a couple of random words.
4. Store the paper offline: a safe, a locked drawer, or a metal backup if you are worried about fire and water.
5. Never photograph it, never type it into a password manager, and never email it to yourself "just in case".

A practical improvement: buy two devices, restore the second one from your written seed once, and confirm it shows the same accounts. That proves the backup is correct while the amounts involved are still small. Some Trezor devices also support a multi-share (Shamir) backup, which splits the secret into parts you can store in different places.

7. Add your first account and receive funds

With the device unlocked, create an account for the asset you want — Bitcoin for most people. Suite derives the account from your seed, so the same account will reappear if you ever restore the wallet elsewhere.

To receive, open the account, select receive, then:

• Compare the address shown in the app with the address shown on the hardware wallet screen.
• Share the address or QR code with the sender — ideally by copying it from the app rather than retyping it.
• Wait for the network to confirm the transfer; Suite updates the balance automatically, and you can watch the confirmation count rise.

8. Send a small test transaction

Sending is the operation worth rehearsing. Do a small one first, and notice what the device asks you to check: the recipient address and the amount. If either differs from what you intended, decline the transaction on the device — the app cannot override that decision.

Choose a fee level, or set one manually if you want control over confirmation speed, then let the app broadcast the signed transaction. Once it confirms, review the entry in your transaction history and label it, so future you can tell what it was.

Troubleshooting the common snags

The app does not detect the device

• Try the cable that shipped with the device — charging-only cables are a frequent culprit.
• Use a different USB port, and avoid unpowered hubs.
• On Linux, install the required udev rules and reconnect.
• Close other wallet software that may already hold the device connection.

The web app cannot reach the device

• Use a Chromium-based browser, and allow the device permission prompt when it appears.
• Check that the browser is up to date, then reload the page and reconnect.
• If it still fails, install the desktop app instead — it is more reliable and more private.

Firmware update interrupted

• Do not unplug the device mid-update. If it is interrupted, the device will normally restart in bootloader mode and the app can retry.
• Never accept a firmware file from anywhere but the app or the official website.

You forgot the PIN

There is no PIN recovery. After the final failed attempt the device wipes itself, and you restore it by entering your recovery seed on the device — which is precisely why the backup step matters so much.

Where to go next

Setup done, the useful reading is the security and privacy page: passphrases, Tor and full-node settings, and the specific scams that target hardware wallet owners. If you are still deciding on hardware, the device comparison explains what changes between models.