Trezor.io/Start - Secure Your Crypto Wallet Setup

Before you even plug in your device, a crucial security check must be performed. Your Trezor arrives in a box designed to show evidence of tampering. Your first mission is to play detective and inspect the packaging carefully.

Check the Holographic Seal

Every Trezor device (like the Model T or Model One) is sealed with a tamper-evident hologram. This seal covers the USB port on the device itself. It should be intact, shiny, and difficult to remove without leaving obvious signs of damage. If the seal is broken, peeled, missing, or looks altered in any way, STOP IMMEDIATELY. Do not use the device. Contact Trezor Support for a replacement. A compromised seal could mean someone has tampered with the device's hardware or firmware before it reached you.

What's in the Box?

Inside, you should find:

• Your Trezor hardware wallet.
• A USB cable (Type-C for Model T, Micro-USB for Model One).
• Getting started instructions.
• Recovery seed cards (usually two or three). These are special, heavy-duty paper cards for writing down your backup phrase.
• Some fun Trezor stickers.

Familiarize yourself with these components. The recovery seed cards are especially important, and we will cover them in great detail shortly. The integrity of these physical items is the first layer of your new secure crypto wallet setup.

With your device verified, it's time to bring it to life. It is critically important that you only use the official Trezor website for this process. Scammers create fake websites that look identical to trick users into revealing their sensitive information.

Navigate to the Official Start Page

Open your web browser and manually type in the address: https://trezor.io/start. Do not use a search engine link, as these can sometimes be malicious ads. This page will guide you to download Trezor Suite, the official application for managing your device.

Install or Update Firmware

Once you've launched Trezor Suite, connect your Trezor to your computer using the provided USB cable. The application will automatically detect your device. Most new Trezors ship without firmware installed as a security measure. This ensures that you are installing the latest, most secure, and official firmware directly from the source.

• Follow the on-screen prompts in Trezor Suite to install the firmware.
• Your Trezor device will display a fingerprint (a unique code) on its screen. You must verify that this code matches the one shown in the Trezor Suite application on your computer.
• This verification step confirms that the firmware is authentic and signed by SatoshiLabs (the creators of Trezor). If they don't match, disconnect your device and contact support.

Once the firmware is installed, your device will restart, and you'll be ready to create your new wallet.

You are now at the most critical phase of your secure crypto wallet setup. The recovery seed (also known as a seed phrase or mnemonic phrase) is a list of 12 or 24 words that represents the master key to all your cryptocurrency accounts. If your Trezor is lost, stolen, or damaged, this seed is the ONLY way to recover your funds.

Generating and Backing Up Your Seed

Trezor Suite will prompt you to create a new wallet. Your Trezor device will then generate your unique recovery seed offline. These words will be displayed one by one on your Trezor's screen.

Best Practices for Your Recovery Seed:

• WRITE IT DOWN: Use the provided recovery seed cards and a permanent pen. Write each word clearly and number it correctly. Double-check the spelling of every word.
• NEVER DIGITAL: Do not, under any circumstances, store these words digitally. This means no photos, no text files, no password managers, no cloud storage, no emails. Any digital copy is a target for hackers.
• WORK IN PRIVATE: Ensure no one is watching you. There should be no cameras (including webcams or phones) in the room that could see the words.
• VERIFY YOUR BACKUP: Trezor Suite will force you to verify some of the words from your backup to ensure you have written them down correctly. Do not skip this.

Think of these words as being more valuable than the device itself. Someone with your recovery seed can access your crypto without needing your Trezor or your PIN. Guard it with your life.

After securing your master backup, the next step is to set up a PIN code. The PIN protects your device from unauthorized physical access. If someone steals your Trezor, they won't be able to access your funds without the PIN.

How Trezor's PIN System Works

For enhanced security, the PIN entry system is clever. The Trezor device displays a 3x3 grid with scrambled numbers. Your computer screen shows a blank grid. You click on the blank grid on your computer, corresponding to the position of the numbers shown on your Trezor screen. This prevents keyloggers on your computer from capturing your PIN.

Tips for a Strong PIN:

• Use 6-9 digits. The longer, the better.
• Avoid simple patterns like "1234" or your date of birth.
• The device will wipe itself after too many incorrect PIN attempts, foiling brute-force attacks.

Name Your Device

Trezor Suite will ask you to give your device a name. This is for personalization and helps you distinguish between multiple Trezor devices if you own more than one. You can name it anything you like. This name will appear on the device's screen when you plug it in.

For those seeking the highest level of security, Trezor offers a feature called "Passphrase". This is an optional, advanced feature that acts as a 25th word for your recovery seed. When enabled, every time you connect your Trezor, you'll be asked for this passphrase in addition to your PIN.

How Does a Passphrase Work?

A passphrase can be any word, phrase, or string of characters. It is combined with your 12/24-word recovery seed to create a completely new, unique wallet. This means:

• You can have infinite hidden wallets, each tied to a different passphrase.
• Your primary wallet (linked to just the 12/24 words) can be used as a "decoy" with a small amount of crypto.
• If someone finds your recovery seed, they still cannot access your hidden wallets without the passphrase.

WARNING: You MUST remember your passphrase perfectly. There is NO recovery for a forgotten passphrase. If you forget it, the crypto in that hidden wallet is lost forever. It is not stored anywhere. We recommend starting without a passphrase until you are fully comfortable with how your Trezor works.