Trezor Bridge — Connect your Trezor hardware to desktop & web apps
Trezor Bridge is a small, secure communication layer that runs locally on your machine and enables web apps and native applications to talk to your Trezor hardware device. It provides a robust relay between the browser and device, handles USB/transport specifics, and ensures that signing operations always require physical confirmation on the hardware.
Why Bridge? Modern browsers limit direct USB access for security reasons. Trezor Bridge bridges (pun intended) this gap by providing a trusted, small-footprint service that your browser can communicate with safely.
No keys leave your device. Bridge only handles communication transport — cryptographic keys and signing continue to happen inside the Trezor device itself.
Secure transport
Bridge isolates USB communication in a local background process. The browser talks to Bridge over a local-only channel; Bridge talks to the Trezor device over the USB/transport layer.
Minimal attack surface
Designed to be small and auditable. Bridge avoids storing sensitive data; it acts as a pass-through ensuring the hardware performs the actual signing after explicit user approval.
Automatic updates & checksums
Official installers include cryptographic checksums and release signatures. The Bridge updater notifies users of new releases while preserving manual verification options for power users.
Cross-platform
Installers and packages for Windows (MSI), macOS (PKG / DMG), and major Linux distributions (deb/rpm/AppImage) are provided. Lightweight system requirements make Bridge suitable for older machines as well.
Developer-friendly
Bridge exposes a documented API for applications and web pages to detect, enumerate, and communicate with Trezor devices. Developer docs include examples, protocol references and local testing tips.
Privacy-first
Bridge does not collect telemetry by default. Network access is limited to release-check endpoints when you opt in — all core operations occur locally on your machine.
How Trezor Bridge works — technical overview
At a high level, Trezor Bridge runs as a local background process or service on your computer and listens on a local-only endpoint. When you open a web app or native application that supports Trezor, that app connects to the local Bridge instance to request device enumeration, read device information, or send a transaction for signing. Bridge then communicates with the Trezor device via USB, serial, or the supported transport and returns the device responses to the calling application.
Importantly, Bridge is only a transport — it never has access to your private keys, seed phrase, or any sensitive secret material. All cryptographic operations, including private key signing, happen inside the Trezor hardware. Before a signature is released, the device displays transaction details and requires the user’s physical confirmation (button press or touch), which prevents remote or background processes from approving transactions without explicit user intent.
Installation & safe practices
Installing Bridge is straightforward: download the official installer for your OS from the official site, verify the cryptographic checksum or digital signature (recommended for high-security setups), and follow the platform installer prompts. On Windows, Bridge typically installs as a system service and registers a local-only endpoint. On macOS and Linux, Bridge runs as a small daemon or a user-level background process.
Best practices: Always download Bridge from the official Trezor website or the verified GitHub releases page. Verify checksums with a trusted tool. Keep firmware and Bridge updated, but only apply updates after you validate release notes and signatures if you practice high security. Avoid installing third-party packages claiming to be 'modified' Bridge binaries.
Security design choices
Bridge intentionally minimizes its feature set to reduce attack surface. It runs locally, binds to localhost-only addresses, and uses strict origin checks so that only trusted calling webpages or apps can establish a session. Bridge also supports fine-grained permissioning in some integrations: the first time a browser app requests access it must explicitly ask the user, and the request is logged locally for transparency.
For privacy-minded users, Bridge can be used in combination with self-hosted services and local nodes — everything can be configured to avoid third-party relays. Advanced users can inspect Bridge logs, build the project from source, or run Bridge in a development configuration to audit behavior.
Download & install
Choose your platform and follow the installation guide. If you're using a corporate machine, you may need admin rights to install system services. Click your OS below for the recommended package and verification steps.
Verify your download: After downloading, compare the SHA256 checksum shown on the official release page with the checksum computed locally. Optionally verify the release signature using the project's signing key for cryptographic assurance.
Troubleshooting common issues
Common problems include driver conflicts on Windows, permission issues on Linux (udev rules), and macOS Gatekeeper warnings. If Bridge cannot find your device, first ensure your Trezor is unlocked and connected with an official cable. Check that the device is powered and that firmware is up-to-date. Restarting the Bridge service and the browser often resolves transient issues.
If a browser extension or app warns about unsupported transport, ensure Bridge is running and that the browser is allowed to connect to localhost. For advanced debugging, view Bridge logs (path varies by OS) and consult the documented messages. If you suspect corruption or malicious modification of your Bridge binary, uninstall, redownload from the official source, verify checksums, and reinstall.
Still stuck? Our support portal includes step-by-step guides, video walkthroughs, and a searchable knowledgebase. For critical problems, provide logs and description of the steps you took — never share your recovery seed or private keys with support staff.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need Bridge to use my Trezor?
For many web-based integrations and the official Suite, Bridge is required on desktop to provide a secure communication channel between your browser and the device. Mobile apps often use direct Bluetooth or USB-C transports and may not require Bridge.
Does Bridge have access to my seed phrase or keys?
No. Bridge only relays messages between host applications and the device. All sensitive operations and key material remain on the Trezor hardware which requires physical confirmation for signing.
Is Bridge open-source?
Yes — the source code is published and can be audited. Building Bridge from source is an option for users who want maximum assurance.
How often should I update Bridge?
Keep Bridge updated to receive security fixes and compatibility improvements. You can opt for automatic checks or manually verify and install releases according to your security preferences.