Trezor Bridge — the secure, minimal, and private bridge for your Hardware Wallet®
Trezor Bridge serves as a careful intermediary between the apps you trust (web wallets, desktop managers) and your hardware device. It is intentionally small, auditable, and focused on moving encrypted messages — not on storing secrets. The content below explains what Bridge does, why it matters, and how to install and troubleshoot it with a fresh visual style and mirrored presentation motifs.
Minimal footprint
Bridge keeps functionality limited to secure transport and authentication handshakes. That tight scope reduces the attack surface and makes auditing feasible.
Cross-platform
Available for major desktop operating systems. Works with Chrome, Firefox, Edge and modern browsers through a secure local connection.
Private-by-default
The service runs locally on your machine. No keys, no telemetry, no cloud storage — only the browser and device speak through the local gateway.
Open & auditable
Because the codebase is open, independent security researchers can inspect and validate the behavior of the bridge and its communication patterns.
1
Download
Get the latest Bridge from the official Trezor site or GitHub releases. Verify checksums where available and confirm the signature to ensure authenticity.
2
Install & Allow
Run the installer for your platform. When the browser requests access to the device through Bridge, accept the prompt only for the site you trust.
3
Use with your wallet
Open your favorite wallet or the official Trezor Suite. Bridge will route the browser's requests to the device and return signed responses back to the web app.
Deep dive — how Bridge protects you
At its core, Bridge functions like a local proxy: the browser sends serialized requests to the local Bridge process, which then relays those messages to the hardware device using a native transport layer. Nothing about that pattern requires persistent secrets to leave your machine. The device retains private keys and never exposes them directly to the host. Bridge's role is to pass instructions and retrieve cryptographic responses that are safe to transport.
Bridge intentionally avoids bundling functionality that could double as a wallet. It does not perform key derivation, seed management, or transaction construction — those are handled by higher-level wallet software which constructs the requests and checks the responses. This separation of concerns helps you reason about trust: you only need to trust your device and the wallet app, while Bridge is the small conduit that connects them.
One security advantage of this design is auditability. A compact, well-scoped bridge implementation is easier for independent auditors to review than a monolithic, feature-rich daemon. When critical components are small, formal verification or manual code review becomes more tractable. If you care about minimizing risk, favor a setup where the long-term private keys are never exposed outside the hardware device and the bridge remains an easily reviewed transport layer.
Network & privacy considerations
Because Bridge listens only on localhost, remote attackers cannot reach it directly without already having access to your machine. That said, always consider the security of the host: if an attacker can run code on your system, they might be able to instruct Bridge (through the browser) to sign unwanted operations. Keep your operating system and software up to date, and avoid running untrusted web apps that request device access.
Open-source verification
Bridge's code being public allows you (or an auditor you trust) to inspect release artifacts and compare them with installed binaries. Many advanced users verify signed release bundles before running installers; this is a good habit when dealing with any sensitive infrastructure component.
Compatibility & alternatives
Modern hardware wallet ecosystems often provide several transport options: native desktop apps, browser-based connectors, or custom USB drivers. Bridge is a pragmatic compromise that offers browser convenience while remaining local and auditable. If you prefer, many devices also work with official desktop suites which can replace Bridge entirely for local management tasks.