Independent documentation · Not affiliated with Ledger SAS
Install the Ledger Wallet desktop app on Windows or macOS
A vendor-independent walkthrough of downloading, verifying, installing and running the Ledger Wallet application — the desktop software previously called Ledger Live — plus the security habits that keep your recovery phrase out of the wrong hands.
Start here
What Ledger Wallet is, and what the desktop application does
Three short answers before the technical detail begins. This is documentation, not investment advice, and nothing here asks you to connect a wallet, enter recovery words or move funds.
The application
A local companion application
Ledger Wallet is the desktop and mobile application that works alongside a Ledger hardware wallet. It displays balances, prepares transactions and asks the hardware device to approve them. Ledger's own documentation describes it as a local application that keeps your data on your own computer or phone; the desktop app does not use an email-and-password account.
The naming
Ledger Wallet was called Ledger Live
The product spent years under the name Ledger Live before being renamed Ledger Wallet. Ledger's support documentation records the change rolling through the desktop and mobile apps by 3 November 2025. Older tutorials, screenshots and search results still use the old name, and both refer to the same application.
Hardware and software
The app is not your keys
Private keys stay inside the hardware device. The desktop application can display, prepare and broadcast, but it cannot spend without a physical confirmation on the device's own screen. That separation is the point of a hardware wallet — and it is also why reinstalling or removing the software never deletes assets from a blockchain.
At a glance
Documented platform facts
Summarised from the developer's official support documentation and reviewed for this page on 30 September 2026. Requirements change between releases, so confirm the current values in the official documentation before you install.
- Current application name
- Ledger Wallet (formerly Ledger Live)
- Windows minimum
- Windows 10 (64-bit) or later, x64
- macOS minimum
- macOS 12.0 Monterey or later
- Desktop account required
- None — data stays on your device
Choose your path
Guides in this publication
Every guide is written for a non-specialist reader and checked against current official documentation before publication.
Platform guide
Windows installation
Fourteen steps from the compatibility check to first launch, including what to do when Windows shows a SmartScreen or publisher warning.
Platform guide
macOS installation
Intel and Apple Silicon, DMG installation, Gatekeeper prompts and connecting hardware over USB.
Reference
System requirements
What the official documentation states today for Windows and macOS — and the figures it does not publish, which we refuse to invent.
Getting started
First launch and setup
Connecting compatible hardware, device recognition, installing blockchain apps on the device and adding accounts.
Protection
Security basics
Phishing patterns, fake support desks, recovery-phrase theft and the social-engineering tricks aimed at wallet owners.
Verification
Recognising fake downloads
Domain, publisher and checksum checks, plus a neutral look at third-party software download platforms.
Support
Troubleshooting library
Twenty-five problem panels covering Windows and macOS, each with a likely cause, safe checks and a possible fix.
Maintenance
Updates and reinstallation
Keeping the application current through its own update mechanism, and why update links in email should be ignored.
Maintenance
Uninstalling safely
Removing the application on Windows or macOS, clearing leftover data, and why that never touches blockchain assets.
Safety first
Two rules that prevent most losses
Cryptocurrency software is a favourite target for impersonation, because a single mistake is usually irreversible.
A Secret Recovery Phrase, private key, recovery word list or device PIN never needs to be typed into a website, an installer, a pop-up, a support chat or a form. No genuine support process requires it, and no legitimate update asks for it. If anyone requests it, you are the target of an attack — stop the conversation.
Download only from the developer's own website, typed by hand rather than clicked from an advertisement. Compare the checksum of the file you downloaded with the published signature page before running it, and keep Microsoft Defender, SmartScreen, Gatekeeper and your antivirus enabled throughout.
Both rules are expanded in the security guide and the download verification walkthrough.
Quick start
The five-minute version
If you only read one section of this site, read this one. It is the short form of everything that follows.
Confirm the current name of the application
Search results and tutorials written before late 2025 say Ledger Live. The software now ships as Ledger Wallet. Knowing both names prevents confusion — and prevents you from installing an old or repackaged copy that a third party has uploaded under the legacy name.
Check your operating system against the documented minimum
Windows 10 (64-bit) or later on x64 hardware, or macOS 12.0 Monterey or later. Virtual machines, ARM64 Windows and Surface Pro devices are not supported for the desktop application.
Download from the developer's own website only
Type the address yourself. Never install a build offered by an advertisement, a video description, a social-media reply or an unsolicited message, even when the page looks identical to the real thing.
Verify the file before you run it
Compute a SHA-512 checksum of the downloaded file and compare it with the value published on the developer's signature page. If it differs, do not install — delete the file and start again from the official source.
Install, launch, and connect hardware over USB
Keep every security feature enabled, including Windows SmartScreen and macOS Gatekeeper. Connect the device directly to a port on the computer, unlock it with its PIN, and approve each operation on the device screen.
Update through the application itself
Use the in-app update mechanism or a fresh download from the official source. Ignore update links that arrive by email, message or advertisement, however urgent they claim to be.
Before you install: a five-point check
Editorial policy
How this publication works
Independence is only useful if it is explained. Here is exactly what this site does and does not do.
What you will find
Documentation, checks and context
- Step-by-step installation instructions for Windows and macOS, written in plain language.
- Verification workflows that let you confirm a file is the one the developer published.
- Security guidance focused on impersonation, phishing and recovery-phrase theft.
- Troubleshooting panels that keep your security software switched on.
- Clear sourcing: platform figures are attributed to the developer's own documentation.
What this site is not
Not a vendor, not a support desk, not a broker
- Not the official website of Ledger SAS, and not affiliated with or endorsed by it.
- Not a download mirror: we host no installers and offer no download buttons.
- Not a support service: we cannot access, unlock, restore or recover any wallet.
- Not a financial service: nothing here is investment advice or a promise of returns.
- Not a data collector: no account, no analytics, no trading of personal information.
Questions
Answers to the questions readers ask most
The FAQ collects twenty-three questions on naming, compatibility, installation, security and maintenance.
Is Ledger Wallet the same as Ledger Live?
Yes. Ledger Wallet is the current name of the application that was previously called Ledger Live.
Which versions of Windows and macOS work?
Windows 10 (64-bit) or later, and macOS 12.0 Monterey or later, according to the developer's current documentation.
How do I recognise a fake download page?
Check the domain, the publisher information and the file checksum before you run anything.
Read more about our editorial standards and sourcing, or contact the desk with a correction.