Ledger.com/start: How to set up Ledger Wallet?

If you have recently purchased a Ledger wallet, such as Ledger Nano S Plus, Nano X, Stax, or Flex, the official setup page you must visit is ledger.com/start. This is not a product in itself; rather, it's a crucial step that will allow you to access the right app, downloads, and instructions for your device. Here's what the page contains and why it's valuable.

Ledger.com/start is the starting page for Ledger, which makes the Ledger brand of hardware wallets. The purpose of this start page is to verify the customer’s hardware wallet, enabling customers to download Ledger Live and set up the hardware wallet for the first time. There are many cases of people getting counterfeit hardware wallets and falling for phishing tactics designed to mimic the process of configuring the hardware wallet, so it is important to visit the official page directly and not go through social media or advertisements.

Fraud schemes that involve crypto hardware wallets are rampant, and many scams take place during the setup because newcomers are usually attached to instructions and follow them blindly during this stage. There have been numerous cases of fake URLs being used to trick users into entering the recovery phrase of their crypto wallet. The real ledger.com/start will never ask anybody to enter the recovery phrase, so if you see such a process being suggested for entering the recovery phrase, you should understand that such a page cannot be genuine.

Check your Ledger device

The initial page queries which model of Ledger you have, as different steps are needed for various models of Ledger.

Install Ledger Live

You will be required to install Ledger Live on either your PC or mobile device, which is the official application one would use for his or her Ledger device.

Ensure the device is authentic

Before one initiates the process, Ledger Live checks whether the device is real through its Secure Element chip so as to make sure that it has not been tampered with. This is an important process because it prevents a known scam where hardware wallets were delivered with a set recovery phrase that was printed inside the box.

Create a new wallet or restore an existing wallet

In case you have bought a brand new wallet, you will create a new recovery phrase on the wallet device. On the contrary, if you are restoring a previous wallet, you will input your own existing 24-word recovery phrase on Ledger device.

Create a PIN

By selecting a PIN code to input into the device, you will ensure that no one who might have physical access to your gadget will be able to break into it.

Write your recovery phrase down

When prompted, the device will show you 24 words sequentially; make sure to write them all down in your recovery sheet received with the package. This phrase serves as the only backup option for your wallet because anyone who possesses it will be able to access your funds. If you lose this phrase, then no backup means you have lost access to your wallet. It should never be printed, saved digitally or photographed.

Verify the phrase

The device will require you to some of the words again in order to avoid any misspelling.

Add accounts to your Ledger Live

After the device setup is complete, you will return to your Ledger Live so you can add accounts for all coins and tokens you intend to keep.

We think it is important to clarify what this page is not here to do. It is not a wallet; it will not keep any crypto, and it won’t require any form of registration or login as you might be used to, thus there is no username and password associated with your funds either. This page is more like an instruction page on how to install legitimate software in a proper way.

Recognizing a Fake Setup Page

It is essential to remember these warning signs when encountering phishing attempts: 

• Needing your recovery phrase through a website, chat message, or an email is a scam; the legitimate request will only take place through an interface. 

• A sense of urgency or the threat of having your account suspended is often used by scammers; there is no such thing as having your Ledger account suspended. 

• Search ads or sponsored links purporting to be Ledger’s setup page may be fake; it is better to type in the URL directly than to click on the ad. 

• Receiving unsolicited messages claiming to provide you with instructions on setting up your device goes against the actual way to operate the Ledger device.