A focused guide & presentation explaining what Trezor Bridge is, how it works, and modern recommendations for connecting your Trezor hardware wallet to desktop browsers and apps.
Trezor Bridge is a small local communication agent (a background service/daemon) that was historically used to securely relay messages between a Trezor hardware device and host software — typically a web browser or desktop application. It acts as a local transport layer that mediates USB communication securely without exposing private keys.
Bridge was designed to standardize the connection between browsers (which cannot directly communicate with arbitrary USB devices in older browser APIs) and Trezor devices while keeping all signing operations isolated on the hardware device itself.
The software runs locally on the user’s computer and opens a local endpoint (on `localhost`) that trusted apps can use to send commands to the Trezor. Those commands are transported to the physical device, which displays and verifies each action on its secure screen.
The core security principle is that private keys never leave the Trezor device. Bridge only forwards requests and responses; it cannot sign transactions itself. Users are always expected to confirm critical operations on-device (PIN / passphrase / confirm transaction).
Historically, users downloaded a small installer for Windows, macOS, or Linux from the official Trezor distribution and installed Bridge as a background helper. More recently, many functions have been merged into the official Trezor Suite desktop app to simplify connectivity.
Trezor’s ecosystem has evolved — the company now encourages the use of the official Trezor Suite (desktop/web) as the primary supported experience, and the standalone Bridge component has been deprecated in favor of integrated solutions. If you have a legacy standalone Bridge installed, follow official guidance to update or remove it as needed.
Using the officially maintained desktop application or up-to-date bridge implementations reduces the chance of compatibility issues and improves security and usability as browser and OS APIs change over time.
Integrations should use the official transport libraries or the recommended APIs; avoid building workarounds that require users to install untrusted helpers. Keep communication channels local, authenticated, and limited in scope.
Official repositories and docs contain implementation details, release notes, and migration guidance for replacing legacy Bridge installations with current tooling.
Trezor Bridge historically provided a secure, local way to connect Trezor devices to hosts. As the ecosystem has matured, Trezor Suite and updated bridge implementations are the recommended path. Always use official downloads, verify integrity, and confirm operations on the physical device.