Overview — manage crypto with confidence 🚀
Ledger Live Desktop is a purpose-built desktop platform that combines enterprise-grade security with approachable workflows for individuals and teams. Designed to integrate seamlessly with hardware security keys and secure elements, Ledger Live provides a single pane of glass to view portfolio performance, send and receive cryptocurrencies, stake assets to earn yield, and interact safely with decentralized finance (DeFi) applications. Whether you are an investor safeguarding long-term holdings or a finance professional managing treasury operations, Ledger Live Desktop gives you the control and visibility required to operate securely in the modern digital-asset landscape.
Core features & highlights ✨
- Hardware-backed transaction signing — private keys never touch the internet.
- Unified portfolio dashboard — real-time balances, performance charts, and historic analytics.
- Multi-currency support — manage Bitcoin, Ethereum, tokens, NFTs, and emerging chains.
- Integrated staking & rewards — delegate or stake directly from the desktop app.
- Secure app catalog — vetted integrations with DeFi apps & dApps via safe connectors.
- Enterprise controls & audit logs — role-based workflows and exportable transaction histories.
Desktop applications offer a stable, controllable environment for custody and active management. Ledger Live leverages this stability and combines it with hardware device attestation so users can verify the integrity of signing operations before approving transactions. This reduces attack surface and centralizes key security primitives in a verifiable way.
Security-first design — built for professionals 🧭
Security is not an afterthought. Ledger Live Desktop was designed around the principle that custody must be transparent, verifiable, and user-owned. The app requires physical confirmation from the associated hardware device for every sensitive action, displays fingerprints and transaction details clearly, and supports advanced options like passphrases and multi-signature workflows. For organizations, integration options enable deployment with governance controls, hardware security modules (HSMs), and audit-ready reporting.
How it works — simple flows, auditable steps 🔍
Users install Ledger Live Desktop on a trusted machine and pair it with their Ledger hardware device. The app fetches account data from block explorers via curated endpoints, while every critical operation — sending funds, signing messages, approving smart-contract interactions — requires on-device confirmation. This separation of duties ensures that even if the desktop environment is compromised, private keys remain safe within the hardware device.
Best practices for power users & teams ✅
For those managing significant value or multiple client accounts, adopt multi-signature schemes, keep dedicated machines for signing activity, rotate recovery strategy periodically, and enforce role-based access for operations. Ledger Live Desktop supports exporting transaction logs and integrating with accounting tools to maintain compliance and transparency.