Your secure gateway to managing and growing your digital assets.
Before beginning the installation process, ensure your desktop meets the necessary technical prerequisites for a smooth experience. Ledger Live is designed to work efficiently across major operating systems.
Verify that your operating system is supported. Ledger Live officially supports Windows 8.1+ (64-bit), macOS 10.14+ (64-bit), and modern Linux distributions (64-bit). Using an unsupported OS version may lead to security vulnerabilities or functional issues.
Crucially, only download Ledger Live from the official Ledger website. Never use third-party links or app stores, as this is a common vector for phishing attacks designed to steal your recovery phrase. Select the correct version for your operating system.
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Required Items:
Run the installer file you downloaded. Follow the on-screen prompts. Once installed, open Ledger Live. You will be greeted with a welcome screen. Choose the option to **"Initialize as a new device"** or **"Restore from a recovery phrase"** based on your needs.
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Follow the instructions on your physical Ledger device to set a PIN code. This PIN code is your local access key and is essential for unlocking the device. Choose a strong, memorable, and unique code.
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Ledger Live will prompt you to connect your device and verify its authenticity. This is a critical security step. The application will use a secure challenge-response process to ensure your device is genuine and not tampered with. Approve the pairing on your device.
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Once Ledger Live is set up and your device is authenticated, you can begin managing your crypto portfolio. This involves two main steps: installing crypto apps on your device and adding the corresponding accounts in Ledger Live.
The **Manager** section of Ledger Live is where you install and uninstall cryptocurrency applications (like Bitcoin, Ethereum, etc.) onto your physical Ledger device. Due to the limited storage on some models, you may need to manage which apps are installed, but your crypto assets remain safe even if the app is uninstalled.
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After installing a crypto app (e.g., the Bitcoin app) on your device, navigate to the **Accounts** tab in Ledger Live and click "+ Add account." The application will scan the blockchain to find any existing funds associated with your Ledger’s recovery phrase, or create a new receiving address for you.