Trezor Bridge®

Secure Your Crypto Device — Encrypted Gateway & Local Communication

What Is Trezor Bridge?

Trezor Bridge® is a lightweight background service developed by SatoshiLabs. It acts as the **secure communication layer** between your Trezor hardware wallet and compatible software interfaces—like Trezor Suite or web wallets such as MetaMask or MyEtherWallet. :contentReference[oaicite:0]{index=0}

Because modern browsers restrict direct USB access for security, Trezor Bridge runs locally on your computer and handles the translation between browser‑based requests and USB commands your device understands. This ensures safe, encrypted communication without exposing private keys. :contentReference[oaicite:1]{index=1}

Why You Need It

Without Bridge, many browser‑based operations involving Trezor would fail or be blocked. Here are the key reasons it’s essential:

How Trezor Bridge Works: Under the Hood

To understand why Bridge is trusted, here's a high‑level view of its workflow:

  1. You install Bridge from the official source (e.g. via Trezor.io/Start) or through Trezor Suite. :contentReference[oaicite:7]{index=7}
  2. Bridge runs as a system service (background process) on your machine. :contentReference[oaicite:8]{index=8}
  3. When you plug in your Trezor device via USB, Bridge detects it. Your browser or app sends a request to the local Bridge service. :contentReference[oaicite:9]{index=9}
  4. Bridge translates that request into USB‑friendly commands, sends them to the hardware wallet, then returns the responses back to the browser or app. :contentReference[oaicite:10]{index=10}
  5. For every sensitive operation (e.g. transaction signing, firmware install) the Trezor device shows prompts and waits for your confirmation on its screen. This ensures you authorize every critical action. :contentReference[oaicite:11]{index=11}

Installing & Using Trezor Bridge

Follow these steps to safely install and use Bridge on your system:

⚠️ Make sure you download Bridge only from the official Trezor website to avoid fake or compromised versions. Always check that the installer is digitally signed if possible. :contentReference[oaicite:17]{index=17}

Security & Privacy Considerations

Trezor Bridge is designed with strong safeguards. Here are critical security and privacy points to keep in mind:

Troubleshooting Common Issues

Even with a robust setup, sometimes things go wrong. Here are frequent problems and how to solve them:

When Bridge Isn’t Needed

In certain cases, you may not need to install Bridge: