Trezor Bridge — Connecting Your Hardware Wallet Securely

Introduction

Trezor Bridge is (or historically has been) the lightweight background service that enabled secure communication between a Trezor hardware wallet and desktop browsers or apps. It acted as a trusted gateway — translating USB/HID traffic into a local HTTP interface — so web apps (like Trezor Suite) could interact with the device without exposing raw device channels to the browser.

Why Bridge exists

Modern browsers limit direct hardware access for security reasons. Trezor Bridge was designed to safely mediate between the user’s browser and the hardware wallet, ensuring user confirmations, firmware checks, and encrypted transport remained intact while offering a seamless UX for common tasks: setup, transaction signing and firmware updates.

Core responsibilities

Enable secure communication between web apps and the Trezor device.
Provide an authenticated local endpoint for the Trezor Suite or third‑party integrations.
Ensure compatibility across Windows, macOS and Linux installations when WebUSB was not available.

Security model

The Bridge operates as a local-only service. Critical protections include explicit user confirmations on the hardware device for key operations, cryptographic signing on the device, and firmware verification. The trust boundary remains the hardware wallet itself — Bridge merely relays messages while the device enforces transaction safety.

Best practices for users

Download Bridge only from official sources or use the Trezor Suite desktop app to avoid standalone installations where possible.
Keep device firmware and client software up to date; always verify release notes before upgrading.
If a standalone Bridge is no longer necessary, follow official guidance to uninstall it and move to the integrated solution offered by Trezor Suite.

Best practices for integrators

Prefer WebUSB or the official Trezor Suite SDK where possible to minimize dependency on local services.
Respect user consent flows: never attempt background transactions or unattended signing.
Use the official libraries and reference implementations (maintained on the Trezor GitHub organization) to reduce security risks.

Lifecycle note

Trezor’s ecosystem has evolved: WebUSB support in modern devices and the growth of Trezor Suite means the standalone Bridge has been deprecated in favor of integrated solutions. Users should check the official migration guidance and uninstall legacy Bridge installations when instructed to avoid conflicts with newer tools.

Troubleshooting quick tips

If your browser can’t see the device, try the Trezor Suite desktop app first — it bundles the required communication layers.
On systems with an older Bridge installed, follow OS-specific uninstall steps to remove the package before installing the Suite.
Consult the official support pages and changelogs for known issues and fixes.

Resources & official links

Trezor Suite (official) Get started with Trezor Trezor Support Deprecation & removal of standalone Bridge Download & verify Trezor Suite Firmware changelog Bootloader changelog trezord-go (GitHub) trezor-firmware (GitHub) Trezor Community Forum