The all-in-one desktop and mobile application to secure, manage, buy, swap, and grow your crypto portfolio directly through your Ledger hardware wallet.
Ledger Live is much more than just a wallet interface; it is the comprehensive operating system for your decentralized finance journey. It serves as the secure bridge between the simplicity of a digital application and the **unassailable security of your Ledger hardware device**. By bringing together asset management, transaction execution, and portfolio growth tools under one roof, Ledger Live eliminates the need to jump between multiple complex interfaces, drastically simplifying the user experience while maintaining the highest standard of security. This integration is crucial for anyone serious about managing their crypto wealth responsibly.
For years, the crypto landscape was defined by fragmentation: managing assets on one platform, staking on another, and relying on third-party wallets for security. **Ledger Live revolutionizes this by centralizing control.** Whether you are checking your Bitcoin balance, staking Ethereum, or sending an NFT, the process is streamlined and always requires the physical confirmation on your Ledger device. This fundamental design choice ensures that your private keys—the actual proof of ownership—never leave the secure chip of your hardware wallet, making Ledger Live the gold standard for secure crypto management globally.
Your private keys remain offline and locked in the Secure Element chip. Ledger Live is merely the window to your assets.
Track the value of over 5,500 coins and tokens in real-time across multiple blockchains in one dashboard.
Directly buy, sell, swap, and stake your assets through integrated, verified partners, all secured by your device.
The fundamental difference between Ledger Live and traditional software wallets lies in **non-custodial control**. When you use Ledger Live, you are connecting a software interface to a hardware vault. The app does not hold your keys, nor does it have the ability to approve transactions unilaterally. Every single outgoing transaction—be it a transfer, a swap, or a smart contract interaction—is cryptographically signed by your Ledger device. This separation of concerns is the essence of true security: the app handles the information display and network broadcasting, while the hardware handles the critical signing operation. This makes Ledger Live immune to many common attack vectors that plague hot wallets, such as malware, phishing, and remote attacks on the operating system.
This architecture extends to the protection of your **24-word recovery phrase**. Ledger Live is meticulously designed never to ask you for your recovery phrase digitally. If an application or website asks you to type or enter your phrase, it is guaranteed to be a phishing attempt. The only time your phrase is relevant is during the initial backup or recovery onto a new Ledger device, which is performed offline and securely. Understanding this principle is the most important step in safeguarding your digital assets.
Ledger Live is constantly evolving beyond simple coin management to become a gateway to the broader Web3 ecosystem. The **Discover section** integrates decentralized applications (dApps) and services from verified, trustworthy partners. This allows users to engage in complex activities like staking, lending, and exploring NFT collections without leaving the secure Ledger environment. For instance, you can use integrated services to stake your crypto and earn passive rewards, or connect to platforms to view and manage your Ethereum-based NFTs, all with the protection of your hardware wallet.
The crucial benefit here is **"What You See Is What You Sign" (WYSIWYS)**. When interacting with a complex smart contract through a dApp, Ledger Live strives to parse the transaction data into human-readable format. This allows you to verify the exact nature and amount of the transaction on your device's screen before signing, providing an essential layer of anti-malware and anti-phishing protection that traditional browser extensions often lack. This commitment to transparency and security in complex Web3 interactions positions Ledger Live as the ideal tool for both beginners and advanced users exploring DeFi.
**Ledger Live is an interface**, not a wallet in the traditional sense. It's the secure application you use on your computer or phone to see your balances, initiate transactions, and manage your Ledger hardware wallet. The hardware wallet (like a Nano S or Nano X) is the **actual wallet** that securely stores your private keys offline. Ledger Live translates the on-chain data for you and prepares the transaction, but the critical signing operation must always be executed and verified on your physical Ledger device.
While you can download and open the Ledger Live application without a connected Ledger device, its core functionality—securing and managing assets—**requires a Ledger hardware wallet to be connected**. The application will function in a "view-only" mode, allowing you to track your portfolio if you have previously set up accounts. However, you cannot send funds, swap, or sign any transaction without physically connecting your Ledger device and verifying the action on its screen.
Ledger Live currently supports **over 5,500 coins and tokens**, including major currencies like Bitcoin (BTC), Ethereum (ETH), XRP, Cardano (ADA), Solana (SOL), and Polygon (MATIC). This extensive support covers a vast number of tokens built on supported blockchains (like ERC-20 tokens on Ethereum or BEP-20 tokens on Binance Smart Chain). The application is constantly updated to add support for new coins and growing blockchains, making it a highly versatile tool for diverse portfolios.
**Immediately stop the process and disconnect your device.** Ledger Live will **NEVER** ask you to digitally input your 24-word recovery phrase. This is the single most important security rule. If you encounter a popup, notification, or even an email asking for this phrase, it is a **phishing scam** designed to steal your funds. Your phrase should only be used to recover your assets onto a new Ledger device, a process that is done physically and securely on the device itself. Always confirm transactions *only* on the screen of your physical Ledger hardware.
Ledger Live is designed with privacy in mind. It connects to the blockchain network to read your balances and transaction history, which is public data anyway. However, Ledger Live is **not an account-based service**; it does not require you to create a centralized account or provide personal identifying information (KYC) to manage your existing crypto. While it may collect anonymized usage data to improve the application, it does not link your identity to your crypto transactions, maintaining a high degree of privacy compared to centralized exchanges.