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

Introduction

Trezor hardware wallets are designed to give you secure, offline control over your cryptocurrency private keys. This guide walks you through the recommended, secure steps to start your Trezor device, including safety checks, initializing a new device, restoring an existing wallet, and best practices for long-term custody.

Read this entire guide before starting. If you already have a recovery seed from another device, follow the "Restore" section below instead of creating a new seed.

What you'll need

• Your Trezor device (Trezor One or Trezor Model T).
• A personal computer or mobile device you trust and control.
• Access to the official Trezor website (trezor.io/start) to download the Trezor Suite or follow web-based setup steps.
• A pen and the included recovery seed card (paper) — do not use digital notes or photos.
• An optional safe or secure storage location for your written recovery sheet.

Unboxing and safety checks

1. Inspect the packaging. Look for tamper-evident seals and verify the holograms/packaging integrity. Genuine Trezor packaging is sealed; if you suspect tampering, do not use the device and contact official support.
2. Locate the device, USB cable, recovery seed card, and quick start materials inside the box.
3. Visit trezor.io/start on your computer and follow the guided link to download Trezor Suite or start the web setup. Only use the official domain.

Initialize your Trezor (set up as new)

Choose this flow if your device is brand new or you want to generate a fresh recovery seed.

1. Connect your Trezor to your computer using the supplied USB cable.
2. Open Trezor Suite or use the official web setup. The software will detect your device and guide you through the steps.
3. When prompted, confirm the device's boot screen matches the on-screen instruction. This verifies the device is communicating correctly.
4. Create a PIN on the device. Pick a PIN length supported by your model (typically 4–9 digits). Never use simple, guessable PINs (e.g., 1234).
5. The device will generate a recovery seed (typically 12 or 24 words depending on model and settings). Write the words down in the exact order on the provided recovery card. Verify each word when prompted by the device.
   Important: Never type or store the recovery seed digitally (photos, cloud storage, email). Physical, offline backup is mandatory for safety.
6. Finish the setup. Trezor Suite will verify the seed and allow you to create accounts (Bitcoin, Ethereum, etc.).

Restore an existing wallet

If you already have a recovery seed from another hardware wallet or a previous Trezor, choose the restore option.

1. Connect your Trezor and open Trezor Suite or the official setup page.
2. Select Restore wallet and choose the seed length (12, 18, 24, or the custom length supported by your backup).
3. Carefully enter your recovery words using the device's input method. Verify the device accepts the seed and restores accounts.
4. Set a new PIN when prompted. The restored device will derive the same set of accounts from the seed.

If you used a passphrase (BIP39 passphrase) with your original seed, you must provide the same passphrase during restore — otherwise you will access a different wallet.

Confirming your device and first accounts

1. After setup, open the Accounts tab in Trezor Suite.
2. Add accounts for the cryptocurrencies you want to manage (BTC, ETH, etc.).
3. For each account, Trezor Suite will request you to open the corresponding app on your device — follow the prompts.
4. Receive a small test amount first to confirm everything works before sending larger funds.

Security best practices

• Never share your recovery seed. Support staff or anyone else will never ask for it.
• Store backup copies (paper) in separate secure locations (for example, a safe). Consider steel backups for fire/water resistance if you hold large balances.
• Consider using a passphrase for additional plausible-deniability security — but understand it increases responsibility: lose the passphrase and funds are irretrievable.
• Keep device firmware up to date through Trezor Suite. Firmware updates include security fixes.
• Use strong, unique PINs and avoid reusing easily guessable numbers.

Troubleshooting

Device not recognized

1. Try a different USB cable and port. Avoid charge-only cables and USB hubs.
2. Restart your computer and the Trezor device.
3. Ensure Trezor Suite is up to date and that you've downloaded it from the official site.

Forgot PIN or device wiped

If you forget your PIN and the device is wiped, restore the seed on the device to regain access. If you lose the recovery seed, funds cannot be recovered.

Frequently asked questions

Quick reference table