01. The Philosophy of Cold Storage
Welcome to the ecosystem of sovereign finance. By acquiring a Trezor device, you have elected to exit the traditional banking layer and become your own financial custodian. This guide extends beyond simple setup instructions; it is a comprehensive educational resource designed to ensure you understand the why behind the how.
Why Hardware Wallets?
In the digital asset space, private keys are everything. Software wallets (hot wallets) stored on mobile phones or laptops are perpetually exposed to the internet, making them vulnerable to malware, keyloggers, and remote exploits. A hardware wallet like Trezor operates on a "Zero Trust" principle regarding your computer. Even if your computer is infected with the most sophisticated viruses, your private keys remain isolated within the Trezor's secure chip, never touching the internet.
The Golden Rule of Self-Custody: Not your keys, not your coins. When you finish this setup, you will possess the only copy of the keys to your wealth.
02. Physical Integrity & Verification
Security begins before you even plug the device in. Supply chain attacks—where a device is intercepted and modified before reaching the user—are rare but possible. Therefore, we must perform a rigorous physical inspection.
The Tamper-Evident Seals
Trezor devices are packaged with holographic tamper-evident seals. These are designed to leave a residue or show visible destruction if peeled back.
- Model One: Inspect the box opening. The glue should be strong, and the holographic seal should be unbroken.
- Model T: Inspect the USB-C port on the device itself. The magnetic hologram should be perfectly seated over the port.
CRITICAL WARNING: If your package arrives without shrink wrap (if applicable), with a broken seal, or if the device looks physically scratched or glued, DO NOT USE IT. Contact Support immediately.
Box Contents
Ensure your package contains the following items. Note that a recovery seed card with pre-written words is a sign of a scam.
- The Trezor Device
- USB Cable (Micro-USB for Model One, USB-C for Model T)
- Lanyard
- Blank Recovery Seed Cards (usually two)
- Stickers and quick-start manual
03. The Bridge: Installing Trezor Suite
Your hardware wallet is a specialized computer that needs an interface to communicate with the blockchain. Trezor Suite is that interface. It is a desktop application that provides a visual dashboard for your portfolio while the heavy cryptographic lifting happens on the device.
Download Protocol
Phishing sites are common in the crypto industry. To ensure you are downloading the legitimate software, verify the URL in your browser bar carefully. It must read trezor.io.
We recommend downloading the desktop version rather than using the web version for enhanced security and privacy features (such as Tor connectivity).
Download Official Trezor Suite
Verification (GPG Signatures)
For advanced users running Linux or those who are privacy-conscious, Trezor provides GPG signatures for their binaries. Verifying this signature ensures that the file you downloaded was indeed created by SatoshiLabs and has not been altered by a hacker.
04. Firmware Initialization
When you first connect your Trezor, the screen should not display any icons or menus. It should simply show a prompt indicating it is ready to connect. If your new device arrives with a pre-loaded menu or asks for a PIN immediately, it is compromised.
The Installation Process
- Open Trezor Suite and plug in your device.
- The Suite will detect the device in "Bootloader Mode."
- Click the "Install Firmware" button. The software will download the latest signed firmware from Trezor's servers and push it to the device.
- Hash Check: The device verifies the digital signature of the firmware. If the signature is invalid (meaning the software is malicious), the Trezor will refuse to run it.
Once the firmware is successfully flashed, the device will reboot and welcome you.
05. Generating the Master Seed
This is the core of the setup process. You will be presented with two options:
- Recover Wallet: Used to restore funds from a lost or broken device.
- Create New Wallet: Used for setting up a new device.
Select Create New Wallet.
Understanding Entropy
Your Trezor uses a built-in Random Number Generator (RNG) combined with entropy from your computer to create a number so large and random that it is mathematically impossible to guess. This number is converted into human-readable words—your Recovery Seed.
SECURITY ALERT: Your Recovery Seed is the ONLY way to recover your funds if the device is lost, stolen, or broken. Trezor Support cannot help you if you lose this seed.
06. The Backup Protocol
Your device will now display a sequence of words (12 or 24, depending on the model and configuration). This is the BIP39 standard backup.
Step-by-Step Secure Backup
- Take the provided paper Recovery Seed cards.
- Write down Word #1 exactly as it appears on the Trezor screen.
- Confirm on the device to move to Word #2.
- Repeat until all words are written down.
- Verification: The device will ask you to re-confirm specific words to ensure you wrote them correctly.
Shamir Backup (Model T Only)
If you are using the Model T, you may opt for Shamir Backup (SLIP-39). This allows you to split your seed into multiple unique lists (shares). For example, you can create a "2 of 3" setup, where you need any 2 of the 3 lists to recover your money. This protects you against the physical loss of a single seed card.
For more on advanced recovery methods, consult the official documentation:
Learn About Wallet Backups
07. Device Lockdown: PIN and Passphrase
Setting the PIN
The PIN protects your device from unauthorized physical access. If your Trezor is stolen, the thief cannot use it without the PIN. The wait time between incorrect PIN attempts increases by a power of two each time. After 16 incorrect attempts, the device wipes itself clean.
The Passphrase (Advanced Security)
The Passphrase feature creates a "Hidden Wallet." It functions as a 25th word added to your seed phrase.
- Plausible Deniability: You can keep a small amount of crypto in your standard wallet (no passphrase). If forced under duress to unlock your device, you can show this dummy wallet.
- The Real Vault: Your main funds are stored in a wallet derived from your Seed + Your Secret Passphrase. Since the passphrase is never stored on the device, it cannot be extracted by physical hacking labs.
Note: If you forget your passphrase, the funds in that hidden wallet are lost forever. There is no "reset passphrase" option.
08. Transacting with Confidence
Now that your digital vault is constructed, it is time to fund it.
Receiving Assets
- In Trezor Suite, select the asset (e.g., Bitcoin) and click Receive.
- Click Show full address.
- The Human Verification Step: Look at the address displayed on your computer screen. Now, look at the address displayed on your physical Trezor device.
- Check every character. Malware on your computer could attempt to swap the clipboard address to a hacker's address. The Trezor screen is your source of truth.
- If they match, confirm on the device. Copy the address and use it to send funds from your exchange.
Curious about which assets you can store? Check the full compatibility list below:
Supported Coins & Tokens
Frequently Asked Questions
1. Can I recover my funds if my Trezor device is destroyed?
Yes. Your funds are not physically stored inside the plastic of the device; they exist on the blockchain. The Trezor stores your private keys. As long as you have your Recovery Seed (12-24 words), you can buy a new Trezor (or any other BIP39 compatible wallet like Ledger or Coldcard) and restore your entire balance.
2. What happens if Trezor the company goes out of business?
Your funds remain safe. Trezor uses open-source standards (BIP39, BIP44). This means you can take your recovery seed and input it into other compatible wallet software (like Electrum, Sparrow, or other hardware wallets) to access your funds. You are not dependent on the company's servers to move your money.
3. Should I store my Recovery Seed in a password manager?
Absolutely not. You should never type your recovery seed into any device connected to the internet, including into password managers or text files. If your computer is compromised, your seed will be stolen. Keep the seed strictly offline (on paper or engraved in steel).
4. Can I use Trezor with my iPhone?
Direct cable connection to iOS is currently restricted due to Apple's Lightning port limitations (though this is changing with USB-C iPhones). Currently, Trezor Suite Lite on iOS allows you to track your portfolio in "watch-only" mode by syncing your public key (xPub), but you cannot sign transactions. Android users can connect directly via USB.
5. Why does my address change every time I receive Bitcoin?
This is a privacy feature known as Hierarchical Deterministic (HD) architecture. While you can reuse an old address, it is best practice to use a fresh address for every transaction to prevent observers from clustering your history and determining your total balance. All generated addresses are permanently linked to your wallet.