‍Introduction

The Radix Desktop Wallet for macOS, Windows, and Linux provides a convenient way to hold and transact any token issued on the Radix Public Network – including its native XRD token. Many users also prefer the additional security provided by a hardware wallet.

For these users, the Radix Desktop Wallet can connect to a Ledger Nano S or X hardware wallet and create a special hardware wallet account within the Radix Desktop Wallet app. This account is protected by the Ledger Nano – even if the Desktop Wallet or the PC it is running on is untrusted or compromised in some way. For this account, all transactions must be approved and signed on the Ledger device while connected to the computer running the Desktop Wallet.

This page will help you get your Ledger Nano S or X connected to your Radix Desktop Wallet to send and receive tokens using the Ledger device-linked hardware wallet address. If you encounter any difficulties with these instructions, please visit the Radix Discord server and the #support channel there where the Radix team or community members can help out. Radix team members or moderators will only ever communicate with you in public channels. If you receive a private message, it is likely a scammer. Be vigilant.

Before you Begin

Make sure that you have done the following setup steps first with your Ledger device:

Install and setup the Ledger Live desktop app.
Initialize your Ledger Nano device and create your PIN
Important: Use Ledger Live to check and, if needed, update to the latest version of Ledger Live and then update to the latest Ledger firmware

Now install the Radix Desktop Wallet, which you will use with your Ledger device to perform transactions. You will find MacOS, Windows, and Linux downloads on our wallet download page along with a link to our Getting Started Guide on the Radix Knowledgebase.

Install the Radix Desktop Wallet and complete the setup process to create an account. You may choose not to use this account, but you must create one first before connecting your Ledger device in the instructions below.

Note: The seed phrase used to create this first account has no connection to the Ledger Nano. If you don’t intend to use this software account, the seed phrase is not important. You may connect your Ledger Nano to any Radix Desktop Wallet install and you will always have access to the same Ledger-linked account, with the same Radix address.

Install the Radix app on the Ledger Nano Device

Before connecting the Ledger Nano to the Radix Desktop Wallet, you need to install a small Radix app on the Ledger device itself using Ledger Live. In its initial release, the Radix app can only be installed using Ledger Live’s “developer mode”. Start by enabling this mode:

Launch the Ledger Live app and click the settings icon in the upper right corner.
Click the “Experimental features” tab.
Ensure that “Developer mode” is turned on.

Now you can install the Radix app on your Ledger device:

Click Manager in the Ledger Live menu (the wrench icon in the left-side menu).
Connect your Ledger Nano and unlock it with your PIN.
Your Ledger device may request permission for the manager to run. Click both buttons on the Allow Ledger Manager screen on your device to proceed.
In the Ledger Live manager, find the Radix (XRD) app in the App catalog and click Install.
Installation will now proceed. You can track progress in Ledger Live and on the device screen.
When complete, you will see Installed in Ledger Live.

On your Ledger device, you should now be able to browse through your installed apps and find the Radix app. You can launch it by clicking both buttons on the device.

Connect the Ledger Nano to the Radix Desktop Wallet

First, connect your Ledger Nano S or X device to your PC, unlock it with your PIN, and open the Radix app on the device (if you haven’t already done so). For this "developer mode" release, your Ledger device may show "Pending Ledger review". Just click the buttons to proceed.

Launch the Radix Desktop Wallet, enter your password, and click the account name in the upper left to open the account selection pane.

Click + Add Hardware Account.

If your Ledger device is connected, the Desktop Wallet will automatically begin the process of adding the hardware account connected to your ledger device.

Your device will now ask you to confirm (“derive”) the address being created. Scroll through the address and Approve on the device. The Hardware Account account will now be added to the list of accounts you can choose in the Desktop Wallet.

Click the Hardware Account and click back to activate it for use.

The account is now selected and you can use all of the features of the Desktop Wallet with this account. You can freely remove this account (using the trash can icon) and re-add it; the same hardware-linked account will always be added. In this way you may also switch between multiple Ledger devices by removing and re-adding the hardware account from the device you wish to use.

Note: Currently the Radix Desktop Wallet is only capable of adding one hardware account from a Ledger device. A later version may add the capability of adding multiple hardware accounts from a single Ledger device.

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View Your Hardware Wallet Account Balances

Click Balances to see a listing of all tokens held by your hardware wallet account. At the top is your balance of XRD tokens - the native token of Radix used to pay transaction fees and stake. Below are listed other tokens created by users of the network that may be held in the account.

Receive Tokens at your Hardware Wallet Account

To receive tokens, you only need to provide the Radix account address to the sender for them to use. This address is shown in abbreviated form below Hardware Account in the navigation bar. To copy the address, start by selecting the Hardware Account to activate it, and then click the copy icon at the end of the address. You must have the Hardware Account selected and active to do this.

You are asked to confirm the address on the Ledger device to ensure that it is correct. The full address is shown in the Radix Desktop Wallet, and the Ledger device will let you scroll through the address and confirm it to ensure it matches what you see on screen.

It is very important that you verify this match before providing the address to others to send you tokens.

Send Tokens from your Hardware Wallet Account

To send tokens, click Send Tokens in the Radix Desktop Wallet app.

On this page, fill in the Radix account that you want to send tokens to, the amount and type of token you want to send, and optionally you may fill in a message to be included with the send transaction. When you are satisfied, click Send.

You will now be asked to confirm the details of the send transaction. Enter the PIN you created for the Desktop Wallet (note: this is NOT your Ledger hardware wallet PIN) and click Confirm.

You will now be asked to review the send transaction on your Ledger device. You will be shown the address of the recipient, the type of token being sent, and the full amount to send. Once you Approve these transaction contents, you will then be shown the associated fee in XRD and be asked to Sign TX. Please make sure you verify transaction details before providing this final signature.

The transaction will now be submitted to the Radix network by the Desktop Wallet and very shortly you should see it confirmed on the History page.

Get Support

If you encounter any difficulties with these instructions, the best place to go is the Radix Discord server and the support channel there where Radix or community members can help out.

You can also connect on the Radix Telegram Channel, or on Twitter.

Using Ledger Nano S or X with the Radix Desktop Wallet