Ledger Nano X explainedHow does the Ledger Nano X work?

The Ledger Nano X is a hardware wallet made by the French company Ledger. A hardware wallet is a small device that keeps your private keys offline. Even if your computer gets infected with malware, attackers cannot reach them, because the keys never leave the device. In this article we show you how to set up the Nano X, how to pair it with your phone over Bluetooth (Android and iPhone) and how to send and receive crypto.

The Nano X is the successor to the well-known Nano S Plus. The main differences: Bluetooth (Nano X only), room for about 100 apps on both, a built-in battery on the Nano X, a mobile app over Bluetooth and USB on the Nano X versus USB-C only on the Nano S Plus, and a price of around €80 for the Nano S Plus against around €150 for the Nano X (2026).

The Bluetooth function makes the Nano X attractive if you want to manage your crypto on the go from a smartphone. For use at home, the cheaper Nano S Plus is often enough.

Setting it up for the first time takes about 15 minutes. What you need: the device, the USB-C cable that comes with it, paper and a pen.

1. Switch the device on by holding down the side button until the Ledger logo appears.
2. Choose "Set up as new device" using the two buttons.
3. Set a PIN of 4 to 8 digits. Remember it, because three wrong attempts wipe the device (and that is good news, because without your seed phrase your money is then safe).
4. Write down your 24-word seed phrase on paper. The device shows each word one by one. Check them by entering them again.
5. Confirm the settings and open the Ledger Live app on your computer or phone.

Bluetooth works on iOS and Android. It is safe: every sensitive operation happens on the device itself, not on your phone. Bluetooth is only used for encrypted communication.

1. Download the Ledger Live app from the App Store or Google Play.
2. Turn on Bluetooth on the Ledger via Settings → Bluetooth.
3. Open Ledger Live on your phone and choose "Pair a device" → "Nano X".
4. Confirm the pairing both on your phone and on the Ledger itself using the two buttons.
5. Install the coin apps you use (Bitcoin, Ethereum, Solana, and so on). Every coin has its own app on the Ledger.

Receiving bitcoin

1. Open the Bitcoin app on your Ledger through Ledger Live.
2. Click "Receive" and choose the Bitcoin account.
3. Verify the receiving address on the Ledger screen, not just on your phone. Malicious software can swap addresses on your screen, but the Ledger always shows the real address.
4. Pass the address on to the sender or show the QR code.

Sending bitcoin

1. In Ledger Live, click "Send" and choose the Bitcoin account.
2. Enter the receiving address and the amount. Ledger Live shows the estimated transaction fee.
3. Check every detail on the Ledger screen before you confirm. The signature happens on the device itself, so without physical confirmation nothing happens.

For other coins (ETH, SOL, ADA and so on) it works in exactly the same way, only the coin app is different.