Trezor.io/Start — Starting® Up® Your® Device®

Fast, practical 1,500‑word guide to start up your Trezor hardware wallet safely: unboxing, setup with Trezor Suite, seed handling, basic transactions, and troubleshooting.

Why a secure start matters

Starting your Trezor device correctly establishes the most important protection for your crypto holdings. The device keeps private keys offline and requires physical confirmation for every transaction. This guide focuses on the steps you must perform on the device and the offline steps (like writing your recovery seed) that protect against loss or theft.

Unboxing & initial checks

  1. Confirm you bought the device from Trezor’s official store or an authorized reseller.
  2. Inspect packaging and tamper seals. If packaging appears opened, contact the seller.
  3. Unpack the device, cable, and the recovery seed card. Keep the box and receipt.

Do not: plug in or initialize the device until you are ready to follow the setup steps below.

Download Trezor Suite

Use the official start page to download the desktop app:

  1. Open your browser and go to https://trezor.io/start.
  2. Download Trezor Suite for your OS (Windows, macOS, Linux).
  3. Install and open Suite. Desktop is recommended for first‑time setup.

Tip: Verify the download checksum if you are concerned about tampering — guidance is available on the official site.

Initialize: create a new wallet

  1. Connect your Trezor to the computer and open Trezor Suite.
  2. Choose Create new device in Suite and follow device prompts.
  3. Set a PIN on the device to protect local access.
  4. The device generates a recovery seed — write each word in order on the supplied card. Confirm selected words when prompted.
  5. Store the recovery card in a secure, offline location.

Never type, photograph, or store your recovery seed digitally. Anyone with the seed can control your funds.

Restore an existing wallet

If you already have a seed from another device:

  1. Choose Recover wallet in Suite and connect the device.
  2. Enter the recovery words using the device interface. Use exact spelling and order.
  3. Set a new PIN and finish the setup.

After restoring, Suite will scan for addresses and balances associated with your seed.

Firmware updates

After initialization, install any firmware updates prompted by Suite. Firmware updates patch vulnerabilities and add improvements:

Adding accounts

  1. In Suite, go to Accounts and click Add account.
  2. Select a cryptocurrency and let Suite scan addresses derived from your seed.
  3. Label accounts to organize use (e.g., "Savings", "Trading").

If a coin isn't available in Suite, use a Trezor‑compatible third‑party wallet following official guidance.

Receive & verify addresses

  1. Select an account and click Receive.
  2. Confirm the receiving address shown in Suite matches the address on your Trezor device.
  3. Share the confirmed address or QR with the sender.

Always verify addresses on the device to prevent malware or clipboard‑swap attacks.

Send securely

  1. Click Send in Suite, enter recipient and amount, and choose a fee level.
  2. Proceed to device confirmation and read the recipient, amount, and fee on the Trezor screen before approving.

If the device shows different details than Suite, cancel and investigate — never approve mismatched transactions.

Backup strategies

Consider durable backups for long‑term resilience (steel plates, geographically separated copies). Avoid single points of failure; plan for physical events like fire or flood. If you opt into a passphrase, store it separately and securely.

Troubleshooting

Device not recognized

Try a different USB cable/port, restart Suite, and ensure Bridge/WebUSB is running. On Linux, check udev rules.

Missing balances

Allow Suite time to sync; confirm you added the correct account type. Funds remain recoverable via your seed even if Suite doesn't initially display them.

Lost seed

If you still have the device, create a new seed and transfer funds immediately. If both device and seed are lost, funds cannot be recovered.

Where to get help

Visit https://trezor.io/start and the official support center for step‑by‑step articles and recovery guides. Use only official resources when dealing with recovery or security.