Trezor Bridge: Secure Connection for Your Hardware Wallet — Presentation

Trezor Bridge: Secure Connection for Your Hardware Wallet

Presentation format • clean colours • slide-style HTML

Overview

Trezor Bridge is the lightweight, secure helper application that enables your web browser and the Trezor hardware wallet to communicate. It acts as an encrypted bridge between local USB devices and the Trezor web apps — making device discovery, firmware interaction, and signing operations safe and convenient.

Why Trezor Bridge matters

Modern browsers intentionally limit direct access to USB/serial devices for security reasons. Trezor Bridge fills this gap while preserving strong security boundaries: it isolates device communication to your machine (not the cloud), minimizes attack surface, and ensures a consistent user experience across operating systems.

Key benefits

  • Secure, local-only communication between browser and device.
  • Automatic device detection and reliable connectivity.
  • Cross-platform support: Windows, macOS, Linux.
  • Signed and delivered updates to maintain compatibility and safety.

Installation & first-run

Installing Trezor Bridge is straightforward. Download the official installer from Trezor's site, run the package, and allow the small native helper to start on launch. On first use, your browser will request permission to access the device — accept that prompt only when you're certain the site is legitimate.

Quick tip

Always download installers from the official Trezor domain and verify checksums when available.

Troubleshooting common issues

1. Browser doesn't detect device

Make sure Bridge is running (check your system tray or menu bar). Restart the browser and reconnect the Trezor. If you use multiple browsers, confirm the one you're using supports the Bridge protocol.

2. Permission prompts not appearing

Disable browser extensions that can interfere (ad blockers, privacy guards). Try an incognito window or temporarily allow the site to access local devices from the browser's settings.

3. Bridge refuses to update

Occasionally OS-level permissions block automatic updates. Re-run the installer manually from the official site or check firewall/antivirus settings that may quarantine the updater.

Advanced: gather logs

When contacting support, provide a short description and attach Bridge logs. Logs help developers reproduce connectivity issues without exposing your private keys. 

# Example: where Bridge logs might be stored
Windows: %APPDATA%\Trezor\bridge\logs
macOS: ~/Library/Logs/Trezor/bridge
Linux: ~/.config/Trezor/bridge/logs