Step 1: Downloading & Installing The Ledger Live Desktop App
To begin the set up of your Ledger Nano S Plus, head to the Ledger Website and download the latest version of the app for your operating system. The ledger live app is currently supported on on the following operating systems:
Windows
Mac OS
Linux
Once you’ve downloaded the software package, open it and follow the installation prompts. After successful installation, the app should open automatically.
Step 2: Setting Up Your Ledger Nano S Plus
Before you start the process, make sure you have your S Plus, your recovery sheet, the cable supplied cable and a pen ready. You’ll also want to allocate at least 30 minutes to complete this process comfortably.
With the desktop app open, navigate to the bottom left menu option that says “My Ledger”. After clicking, you will be prompted to connect your Ledger Nano S Plus to the computer using the supplied cable.
Because your device is brand new, you’ll see a message that reads “ Your Ledger is not set up
Set it up to start using it. We will guide you through the setup process.
Set up my Ledger Nano S Plus →”
Click “Set up my Ledger Nano S Plus” and select “Ledger Nano S Plus” as the device you want to set up.
After selecting Ledger Nano S Plus as your device, you then asked whether you want to set your wallet up as a new device or set it up using one of the provided recovery methods. Select, “Setup A New Nano S Plus”.
After selecting your set up option, you’ll be prompted through the basics of how using a Ledger Crypto Wallet Works. Simultaneously, your device will also provide you with additional prompts that will inform you on how to navigate through the options on your device and how to select the option you want.
In short, the two buttons on the side of the wallet will allow you to navigate either left, right, up & down depending on the menu you are browsing and a double press of both buttons will confirm your selection.
Using the right button on the device, navigate to the last option which should read “Set Up as New Device” and double click.
Step 3: Setting Up Your Pin on Your Ledger Nano S Plus
From here, your device will prompt you to set a unique 4 to 8 digit pin that you’ll need to use each time you access the device. Make sure your pin is something you won’t forget easily as it will be required to each time you need to access your Ledger Nano S Plus. Once you’ve selected your pin, you’ll be prompted to confirm your pin to ensure both entries match.
Caution: If your pin is incorrectly entered into your Ledger Nano S Plus more than 3 times, the device will reset to factory settings and the only way to recover your assets will be via your recovery phrase which we’ll cover in the next step.
Step 4: Activating Your Recovery Phrase
After you’ve confirmed your pin, a few prompts regarding your recovery phrase will appear on the screen on your device. These prompts are to ensure that you understand you are solely responsible for keeping your recovery phrase in a secure location and that should you lose it, you will be unable to recover your funds.
Once you’ve read through the prompts, grab your supplied recovery sheet and double press to begin the recovery phrase process. Once the process begins, the first word of your recovery phrase will appear on the screen of your Ledger Nano S Plus in a white bar on a black screen. Above the word, it will say “Write word #1”.
Whatever the first word is on the screen, write it in spot Number 1 on your recovery sheet. Once you’ve written the word in it’s corresponding place, click the right button to reveal the second word and repeat the process until you’ve written down all 24 words in the order they appear on the device.
This part usually takes the longest so if you need to pause the video now to write your recovery phrase, do so and we’ll get straight back to it!
Side Note: Although the recovery phrase will only ever be shown once on your device, you do not have a time limit when it comes to writing them down. You can flick back and forth between the words as much as you like to ensure you have them written down correctly before moving on.
For me personally, I like to flick through each recovery word once as I write them down and then double check them in descending order using the left button and then triple check them once more using the right button.
Once you’ve written each word down, navigate to the last prompt on the screen and double click to confirm. The device will then prompt you to re-enter your recovery phrase in the correct order to confirm that you have written it correctly.
This time the prompt with say “Confirm word #1” and give you 3 to 4 words to scroll through. Once you scroll to the word you have listed as word #1, double click to make the selection.
If the word you selected is correct, the prompt will ask you to confirm the word in the same fashion. If the word you selected is incorrect, the device will show an error and you will need to reselect the correct word.
This process will be repeated for all 24 words until you have successfully confirmed each one in the correct order. Upon entering the last word successfully, you’ll be given a few last prompts regarding the safe keeping of your recovery phrase. Once you’ve read through them all, double click to confirm the setup and your wallet will show “processing 0%” on the screen.
After processing is complete your Ledger Nano S Plus is now set up and ready to use!
Step 6: How To Rename Your Ledger Nano S Plus
Back on the desktop app, you’ll be given a short quiz to test your knowledge after the set up is complete and the app will go to the normal interface. From here, navigate to the bottom left menu option labelled “My Ledger”.
Instead of being prompted to set your device up, you’ll now be asked to unlock your device using your pin. Enter the pin you previously set and the Ledger Live App will verify the authenticity of your device and display your wallet stats including the default name given you your device. After setup my device was named “Nano S+ EBD6” and yours will follow a similar format.
To change the name of your Ledger Nano S Plus, click the small pencil next to the default name and a side panel will appear with a prompt labelled “Choose a name”.
Enter the preferred name for your Ledger Nano S Plus and click “Continue”.
You’ll then be prompted to confirm the name change on your device. To approve the name change, scroll to the approve prompt on your device screen and click both buttons simultaneously and the name change should now reflect in the ledger live app.
Step 7: How To Update The Firmware & Your Ledger Nano S Plus
Now you’ve renamed your device, you’ll want to ensure that it’s running the latest firmware before installing any crypto apps. Because Ledger updates their firmware frequently, it’s likely that the Ledger Nano S Plus you have today was created at the time of a previous firmware update, which ultimately means you’ll need to update it by default.
To update your Ledger Nano S Plus firmware, navigate to the “My Ledger” tab again and unlock your device with your pin.
If there is a software update available for your device, you’ll see a prompt to update it at the very top of the page. If the prompt is there, click “Update Firmware” then click “Install Update” and the Ledger Live app will start preparing your device for the update.
Once the device is ready for the firmware update, you’ll be asked to confirm the installation of the update directly on your device. Press both buttons on your device once to approve the firmware update installation and the update will begin.
After the installation has finished, you’ll then need to unlock your device once more with your pin to finalise the update.
Step 8: How To Install Apps on Your Ledger Nano S Plus
Now your Ledger Nano S Plus is named correctly and running on the latest firmware, the last thing to do is to prepare your wallet for the digital assets you plan on holding.
It is important to note that Ledger devices do have limited storage meaning your wallet won’t be able to hold an infinite number of different coins, but usually this sort of digital wallet is used for holding a select few of valuable assets for the long term and you should be able to holdl at least 10 to 20 apps comfortably.
If you’re unsure of which crypto assets you want store in your wallet, you can find a list of Ledger Nano S Plus supported coins on the Ledger website.
To install an app on your Ledger Nano S Plus, head to the “My Ledger” tab again and ensure your device is unlocked. Below your ledger stats, you’ll see a list of coins. Bitcoin is usually the first asset in the list. If the app for the asset you want is not immediately available from the list, use the search function to find the app you wish to install.
Once you’ve found the app you want to install, click “Install” on the right and double tab both buttons on your Ledger Nano S Plus to open and install the app.
Once your app is installed, you’ll then have the option to add an account for that currency in your wallet. Just like bank accounts, crypto accounts allow you to allocate funds into different accounts for different things if you wish.
To create an account for the installed asset, click “add account” and follow the setup prompts. You’ll also be given the option to name your account during the synchronisation process, so make sure you name it something meaning full to you
When it comes to choosing an address type for certain cryptocurrencies, keep in mind that some have different formatting options for transactions. For example, the Bitcoin Network has Native Segwit, Segwit and Legacy formats. These formats are progressive of how Bitcoin has developed since its inception.
When it comes to making accounts inside the Bitcoin apps, Ledger has set Native Segwit to the default account type as it’s the latest transaction format running on the Bitcoin blockchain making transactions more efficient and cost effective.
In short, this option is perfect for new users like yourself and the other formats should be left for more seasoned Bitcoiners with older wallets. For other cryptocurrencies that also have various address formats, make sure you do your research first before creating and sending funds to that particular wallet address.
Step 9: How to Buy Crypto Assets
After installing your apps and creating your accounts, you’re now ready to dive into making your first crypto purchase. As mentioned earlier, now that your Ledger Nano S Plus is fully setup, you can now sync your accounts from your desktop app to your mobile to make viewing and purchasing crypto assets easier.
To learn how to sync your Ledger Live desktop app onto your mobile device click watch this video here:
Otherwise, if you’re happy just keeping all your crypto on desktop view for now, Come join me for the next step on how to create a Coinbase account.
See you there and thanks for swinging by!