Continuing from our Choosing a crypto wallet page, this page will provide guide for setting up your crypto wallet using the wallets we listed, along with a video demo. You’ll notice setting up a software/hot wallet is far less cumbersome, but remember that you are giving up some security for that convenience.
Setting up Trust Wallet
- Head over to Trust Wallet’s website and download the mobile app or browser extension (select the correct browser you are adding the extension to if using computer).
- Open the application or extension, and tap/click on Create a new wallet
- If you already have a wallet from a different app that you didn’t like or just wanted to start using Trust Wallet instead, this is the page where you would select Import or recover wallet instead of creating a new wallet, and then type in your 12 or 24 word Secret Phrase, which imports your assets into Trust Wallet. Your secret phrase does not change in this process, and there are no fees to do this.
- Set a password and re-enter it.
- Decide whether or not to share data.
- Click Open Wallet.
- You should now be in the wallet’s main page. There should be a link in yellow at the top of the screen to back up your secret phrase, but if not click on Settings, then View Secret Phrase. You will have to type in the password you created in Step 3. Make sure to back up your secret phrase by writing it down! We would recommend NOT screenshotting this or saving it in a password keeper on your phone. Do NOT share this with anyone.
- Once you click to view your secret 12 words, the next screen will ask you to put them in order. The order of the words is important as just knowing the 12 words is not enough. They need to be in the exact order they’re given to you.
- You’re done! Your wallet is ready to receive and send crypto.
Video demo:
Coinbase Wallet
- Go to Coinbase Wallet on your device.
- Select Download, and select whether or not it is mobile or a browser extension for Chrome or Brave browsers.
- If on a computer, click to Add the extension to your browser.
- Open the extension, which pops up a little window.
- Select create new wallet
- Back up your recovery phrase by clicking on the eye to reveal your 12 words. Write these down, and check the box in order to continue.
- The order these are displayed is important, and you need to write them down in the same order.
- Click on the 1st and last words from your recovery phrase that you wrote down.
- Create your wallet’s password, and re-enter. Agree to terms and click submit.
- Your wallet is now set up and you are able to start funding your wallet!
Video demo:
Exodus Wallet
- Head to Exodus’ website and select Download from either desktop or mobile phone. Exodus has 3 options: a desktop application, mobile app, or browser extension (only available on Chrome and Brace browsers).
- if using desktop, a menu expands when you click Download Exodus for you to select your computer’s operating system
- if using your mobile phone, the download link will redirect you to the Apple or Google app stores
- If using the simple browser extension, click Install for Chrome and Brave
- All options will bring you to a Create Wallet page. Click create wallet if you are starting from new.
- Create a password, click Next and re-enter your password, and finally Continue to your new wallet!
- From here, you can click Receive and start funding your wallet.
- Don’t forget to backup your Secret Recover Phrase! This will allow you to import your crypto into a different wallet if you ever want to. It is important to note that the order of these words is very important, so don’t just write them randomly.
- Click on the 4 tiles in the bottom right
- Click on Security
- Check the box to understand the risks
- Enter your newly created password
- and finally click on the box to reveal your 12 words. Again, best practice is to not keep this stored anywhere digitally, but written somewhere offline.
Video demo:
MetaMask
- Go to MetaMask’s website and download the browser extension or mobile app.
- (Desktop/extension) Once you click add extension, the page to Create a new wallet should auto load. If it doesn’t, click into your browser’s extensions and click on the MetaMask icon.
- Select Create a new wallet and decide whether or not to share information with MetaMask.
- Create and re-enter your new password, and select Create a new wallet.
- In the Secure your wallet page, click on Secure my wallet. Then click on Reveal Secret Recovery Phrase and keep these 12 words in safe place, preferably offline written down.
- It is important to note that the order of these words is very important, so don’t just write them randomly.
- Type in the 3rd, 4th, and 8th words in the list you just wrote down and click Confirm.
- Your wallet should be created. Click Got it! After the next menu or two, you will now be in your wallet ready to be funded and used!
Video demo:
Edge Wallet
- Go to Edge Wallet’s website for a direct link to the Apple or Google app stores and download the mobile app.
- Click Get Started and choose a username.
- Enter and re-enter password.
- Set your pin and select the 4 account confirmation circles.
- Click View account information to confirm your username, password, and pin. These can all be changed in settings later.
- Decide whether or not to enable notifications.
- Choose which cryptos you want to add to your wallet. You can always add more later.
- Your wallet is now set up!
- Unlike all of the other wallets here, there is no 12 word secret recovery phrase. Edge does things more traditionally, and they ask that you set up 2 factor authentication (2fa) and 2 security questions to recover your wallet.
- This can be done by clicking the 3 lines menu option at the top right, then settings.
- This menu includes options to change password, PIN, set up 2fa, and password recovery which is 2 security questions.
Video demo:
Phantom Wallet
- Go to Phantom’s website and download your browser extension or mobile app.
- After you add the extension or download the app on your phone, open the extension/app.
- Create a new wallet
- Create your password, and re-enter it. Continue.
- Save your Secret Recovery Phrase. Hover over the blurred out 12 words to reveal them and keep them somewhere safe. Check the box and click Continue.
- It is important to note that the order of these words is very important, so don’t just write them randomly.
- If you are using the extension, click on the Phantom extension icon to open your wallet, and you are ready to start funding and using your wallet!
Video demo:
Ledger (Hardware wallet)
After you have purchased and received your Ledger Nano X or S, the first step is turning on your device and walking through the set up before moving to Ledger Live on mobile or desktop/laptop:
*of note, once your Ledger is synced with the Ledger Live app, you will be able to view your account balances on the application without your Ledger device. However, just because you can view the balances, doesn’t mean you can send your crypto. You will still need your physical Ledger hardware to confirm transactions, such as sending or trading assets.
Starting from your hardware device:
- Make sure your device is charged, then turn on by pressing the buttons.
- The left and right buttons on the Nano are how to navigate left and right, and clicking them at the same time are how you select an option.
- If you click them both and hold for a couple seconds, it brings you straight to settings.
- Proceed through the menu options until you get to Set up as a new device, and double click the buttons to select.
- This is where you will select your pin, either 4 or 8 digits. This pin gives someone access to your Ledger and thus your funds, so we’d suggest 8 digits.
- Write down your recover (seed) phrase, and avoid putting it in photos app, password apps, or anything digital. The device will then guide you through each word, and Ledger provides a card in the box for you to write them down.
- The order of these words is very important, so don’t just write them down in random order.
- Press the right button to cycle through all of the words, then double click at the end to “Confirm your Recovery phrase.”
- Finally, using your written down words, your Nano will ask you to cycle through the words and confirm which word goes with which number. It gives you 4 options for each word–cycle through until you get the word that fits, then click both buttons to move to the next word. Remember, the order of the words is important!
- Once complete, your Ledger will confirm Your Recovery Phrase is set and to keep it in a safe place.
- You will need to cycle through a few menus, and then click both buttons to continue before telling you your device is ready.
- Time to download Ledger Live and add the crypto accounts you will need, such as Bitcoin, Ethereum, Dogecoin, etc using the steps below:
Using Ledger Live on iOS or Android mobile application (Nano X only):
If you already set up your hardware using the above steps, it is time to connect your wallet to your Ledge Live application:
- Download the Ledger Live application on your phone.
- Open the Ledger Live app on your phone to get started, and have your hardware device charged and ready nearby.
- Click on Access your wallet (select Set up your Ledger if you have not yet set up your hardware and received your recovery phrase using the above steps), and click Connect your Ledger.
- If you are near your already set up desktop app, you can click Sync with Ledger Live desktop and follow the 3 easy steps on your phone application to scan a QR code.
- Tap “Let’s pair my Nano.” At this point your Nano X needs to be turned on and unlocked with your pin so your phone app can connect to your Nano.
- On your phone app, click on “Pair with bluetooth” and click Allow on your device.
- Your app should quickly find your Nano, and you can tap on the found device in your app.
- A pop up for a Bluetooth Pairing Request will show on your phone and Ledger at the same time. Confirm that the codes that pop up on them match, and tap Pair on your phone, and quickly click both buttons at the same time on your Nano device to also confirm.
- Your phone app will go through a Device Authentication Check to make sure your Nano is authentic. On your Nano device, you need to again click the buttons to “Allow a secure connection with Ledger.”
- If all goes well, your phone should say Pairing Successful, allowing you to continue.
- If you get a popup asking to sign up for Ledger Recover, just hit the back button to get back to your home screen. Now it is time to add accounts for each of the blockchains you intend to use, whether it is Bitcoin, Ethereum, Solana, Avalanche, Dogecoin. Each blockchain needs its own account.
- To add an account, simply click add account, choose the With your Ledger option, and search for your desired crypto asset. This will begin a download onto your Ledger so that your device can send and receive that specific crypto.
- Your device is now set up!
Using Ledger Live via a desktop application (Nano X, S, or S Plus):
- Download and open the Ledger Live application on your Windows or Mac OS computer.
- Click Get Started, agree to the terms and services, and Enter Ledger app.
- Select your device model.
- Click on Connect your Nano (select Set up your device if you have not yet set up your hardware and received your recovery phrase using the above steps), and then click Connect your Ledger.
- Your desktop app will go through a Genuine Check to make sure your Nano is authentic. If it comes back as not authentic, there may be someone tampering with it and you should not proceed with that device.
- Connect your Nano via the included USB cable, and enter your pin to unlock your device.
- Once connected, tap both Nano buttons to “Allow Ledger Manager on your device.” After a few seconds, you will get an “All Good!” message, allowing you to continue to Ledger Live.
- First step is to make sure your Ledger’s software is up to date. Go to the My Ledger section along the left side and if there is a firmware update, it will tell you at the top of the app and you’ll click Update firmware. You will have to click the right button on your device a few times to get until you get to Perform Update, then click both buttons at the same time to confirm.
- Now it is time to add accounts for each of the blockchains you intend to use, whether it is Bitcoin, Ethereum, Solana, Avalanche, Dogecoin. Each blockchain needs its own account.
- To add an account, click on the Accounts section in the application on the left side.
- Click on the + Add account button, which brings up a dropdown menu which turns into a search bar when clicked.
- Click on your desired asset and hit continue.
- Unlock your Nano device if it isn’t already, and click the buttons to confirm adding the account to your device.
- The install will take a few seconds and redo this process for each blockchain you want.
Paper wallet for Bitcoin
- Head to bitaddress.org, which is an open source Bitcoin wallet generator.
- Move your mouse around the screen until the % counter reaches 100%.
- This will automatically produce two QR codes, one that says SHARE (which is your public key that doesn’t matter if someone sees, and is used to send/receive funds to your wallet) and one that says SECRET (which is your private key that you don’t want to give out to anyone, this is used to access your funds).
- Print this page for safekeeping, do not screenshot.
- Send your Bitcoin to the public address that was generated and your Bitcoin is now offline! You can always check on your balance by going to blockchain.info or blockexplorer.com and entering your public Bitcoin address.
Video demo:
