Trezor Bridge — The Secure Gateway to Your Hardware Wallet®

A clear, concise guide to what Trezor Bridge does, why it matters, and how to use it safely.

Overview

Trezor Bridge is a lightweight, trusted connector that allows desktop browsers and apps to communicate securely with your Trezor hardware wallet. It acts as a local intermediary — not a cloud service — enabling secure signing, transaction creation, and device management without exposing private keys. Trezor Bridge is essential for modern browsers that do not allow direct USB access from web pages.

Why Trezor Bridge Matters

Hardware wallets are the strongest tool most users have to protect cryptocurrency private keys. Trezor Bridge preserves that advantage by providing:

Core Features

Device Discovery

Trezor Bridge watches for connected Trezor devices via USB and offers a secure handshake between the browser and device. This avoids manual configuration steps for users and reduces setup friction.

Encrypted Transport

All communications are encrypted end-to-end between your computer and the hardware wallet. Bridge ensures commands and signatures are passed safely and confirms user intent at the device itself.

Compatibility & Updates

Trezor Bridge is maintained by SatoshiLabs and receives updates for new browser requirements, operating systems, and device firmware compatibility. Users should install updates promptly to benefit from security improvements.

Minimal Footprint

Designed to be small and unobtrusive — it runs locally, consumes few resources, and leaves no sensitive data on the host machine.

How to Install & Use

Installation

Download the official Bridge installer from the Trezor website, run the package, and follow simple on-screen instructions. After installation, your browser will detect the device when you connect the Trezor.

Using Safely

Troubleshooting & Best Practices

If your device isn't recognized: restart the Bridge service, try a different USB cable or port, reinstall Bridge, or reboot your computer. Check that the device screen shows the expected confirmation prompts; if unsure, disconnect and reconnect after verifying official guidance.

Best practices include keeping a secure backup of your recovery seed, using a dedicated machine for high-value operations when possible, and avoiding installing unofficial software that could attempt to impersonate Bridge.

Conclusion

Trezor Bridge is the secure, user-friendly connection layer that enables modern web wallets and desktop apps to use the strong security guarantees of Trezor hardware wallets. By keeping traffic local and ensuring that actions must be confirmed on the device itself, Bridge helps maintain the critical boundary between your private keys and the internet.