Reads your accounts
It asks the hardware wallet for public addresses and balances — the information needed to show you what you hold. Reading is one-way: nothing sensitive leaves the device.
Desktop companion for hardware wallets
Your hardware wallet, made clear on desktop.
Ledger Live Desktop brings accounts, balances and transaction history into one quiet dashboard on your computer — while the private keys stay exactly where they belong: on the device, in your hand.
- Keys never leave the device
- Verify every transfer on screen
- One dashboard, many accounts
Overview
What the desktop app actually does
Three jobs, done quietly in the background. Everything else is detail.
Prepares transfers
Sending starts on your computer, then finishes on the device screen. That second screen is the whole point — it is the only display an attacker on your machine cannot rewrite.
Keeps things current
Firmware updates and app installs run from inside the app, over a cable, with the device in front of you and your recovery phrase confirmed to be safely on paper first.
Getting started
Four steps, in this order
Follow them slowly the first time. There is no prize for rushing setup.
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01
Download from the official website only
Open your browser, type the address yourself, and get the installer from the official page. Search results, adverts and forwarded links are the most common way people end up with the wrong installer.
Official Ledger Live page -
02
Install it and open it with no device attached
Let the app finish first. You should see an empty dashboard and an invitation to connect a wallet — never a request for words, numbers or a PIN typed into your keyboard.
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03
Connect the device and unlock it with your PIN
Use the cable that came in the box, plug it in directly, and enter your PIN on the device itself. The app should recognise the model and show its firmware version.
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04
Add accounts one at a time and label them
Give every account a name you will still understand in a year. Clean labels are the difference between a portfolio you trust and a list of addresses you squint at.
Portfolio tracking
A truthful picture of what you hold
Balances are read from the blockchain through the device's own addresses, so the dashboard shows what is genuinely in your accounts rather than what an exchange says you have.
- Per-account history — incoming and outgoing transfers, in order, with amounts and confirmation state.
- Verification first — check a receiving address on the device screen before you ever share it.
- Your labels, your view — rename, group and hide accounts without affecting the chain.
- Refreshed, not guessed — figures update when you open the app and sync, not from a stale cache.
Security practices
The short list that protects you
No app can save you from typing your recovery phrase into the wrong window. These habits can.
Keep doing
- Check the receiving address on the device display, character by character, before sending.
- Write your recovery phrase on paper, store it offline in more than one safe place.
- Update firmware and apps from inside the desktop app, over the supplied cable.
- Test with a small first transfer whenever you use a new address.
- Keep your PIN private and let the device lock itself when idle.
Never do
- Type your recovery phrase into any app, website, pop-up, email form or chat.
- Photograph the phrase, save it to cloud notes, or paste it into a password manager.
- Install the desktop app from an advert, a search suggestion or a shared file.
- Approve a transaction you have not read on the device screen itself.
- Trust an unsolicited "support" call, message or screen-share request — ever.
Privacy & responsibility
Own it, quietly
Privacy awareness
Public blockchains are permanent ledgers. Addresses can be linked, so assume anything you receive or send is visible forever. Sharing less — and reusing addresses less — is how you keep your financial life out of other people's spreadsheets.
Verification, not vibes
The device screen is the single source of truth. If what your computer shows and what the device shows disagree, stop, disconnect, and start again from a known-good machine.
Responsible ownership
Self-custody means no support line that can undo a mistake. Budget what you can afford to hold carefully, keep records for your own accounting, and remember that only you can recover a lost phrase.
FAQ
Straight answers
Does the desktop app ever see my recovery phrase?
No. A correctly used hardware wallet keeps the recovery phrase and private keys on the device, never exposed to the computer. If any window asks you to type those words, it is not part of a legitimate workflow — close it.
Why does my computer show a different address than the device?
That mismatch is exactly the attack the device screen exists to defeat. Abandon the transaction, disconnect the wallet, and check the machine for unwanted software before trying again.
Can I use the same wallet on two computers?
Yes — the accounts follow the device, not the computer. Install the app on the second machine, connect the same hardware wallet, and your accounts reappear. You never need to re-enter a recovery phrase to do this.
What if I lose the device?
A replacement device plus your written recovery phrase restores access to the same accounts. Lose both and the assets are unrecoverable — which is why the paper copy matters more than the hardware.
Is this page the official Ledger website?
No. This is an independent educational guide about using the desktop app. For installers, product details and support, always go to the official Ledger website directly.
Ledger Live Desktop: a practical introduction
Ledger Live Desktop is the companion application that connects a Ledger hardware wallet to a Mac or Windows computer. Instead of managing assets through a browser tab, you get a single desktop dashboard: accounts, balances, transaction history and firmware updates in one place.
The workflow is deliberately simple. Install the app from the official Ledger website, open it, connect the device with the supplied cable, then unlock it with your PIN. Portfolio data appears on screen, but the private keys stay on the device. Every outgoing transfer is confirmed on the wallet's own display, which is the step that protects you: what you see on the screen is what you sign.
Practically, a few habits are worth keeping. Verify the receiving address on the device before sending. Never type your 24-word recovery phrase into an app, a website or a chat message — no legitimate tool ever asks for it. Keep the phrase offline, review app permissions, and treat unfamiliar emails or "support" calls as attempts at fraud rather than help.
Used carefully, the desktop app turns a hardware wallet into a clear, calm record of what you own. Set accounts up one at a time, label them plainly, and check for updates monthly.
Educational content only — not financial, legal or tax advice. Cryptocurrency values can fall as well as rise, and self-custody carries irreversible risk.
Ready when you are
Download the app from the official source, then follow the four steps above at your own pace.