Trezor Bridge: Secure Connection for Your Hardware Wallet

Overview

What is Trezor Bridge?

Trezor Bridge is (or historically has been) a small background service/daemon that enables secure communication between a Trezor hardware wallet and desktop browsers or native apps. It acts as an intermediary, handling USB or network-level messaging so that web-based wallet interfaces and the official Trezor Suite can exchange commands with the device without exposing sensitive data to the browser.

Why it existed

Historically, Trezor Bridge solved compatibility issues across browsers and operating systems, especially when direct USB access from web apps was limited or inconsistent. It made it straightforward for users to connect their hardware device to Trezor Suite or supported web wallets using a stable local connection.

Technical details

How it works (high level)

The bridge runs as a local background process that listens on a local port. When a user opens the Trezor web app or Trezor Suite, the front end establishes a local connection to the bridge; the bridge then forwards the requests to the hardware wallet over USB. This isolates low-level USB handling from the browser environment.

Compatibility & components

Trezor historically maintained repositories and installers for multiple OSes (Windows, macOS, Linux). Developers could also inspect the bridge’s communication daemon (e.g., trezord/trezord-go) in official repositories to understand the protocol and integration points.

Security and best practices

Security model

The bridge itself does not hold private keys — the device keeps secrets on secure hardware. The bridge merely transports messages. Still, users should only download installers from official sources and verify signatures where provided, because a compromised bridge binary could expose traffic.

Best practices

• Always download Trezor software (Suite/Bridge) from the official site or verified repositories.
• Prefer using the latest Trezor Suite when possible, since standalone bridge installs have been deprecated in favor of integrated solutions.
• Keep your OS and browser up to date; remove legacy bridge binaries if instructed by official guidance.
• Verify installer checksums or signatures when offered, and report suspicious emails or pages to official channels.

Migration & current recommendations

Move to Trezor Suite

Trezor has advised users to move to Trezor Suite (desktop/web app) and follow official migration steps. Standalone bridge packages have been deprecated and users are encouraged to uninstall legacy bridge software if prompted by official guidance.

Troubleshooting highlights

If a device does not connect, first check whether a legacy bridge is running; uninstalling and installing the latest Trezor Suite or the current recommended bridge package usually resolves compatibility problems.