Ledger Sync Synchronize Your Crypto Accounts: Effortless, Private, and Secure

At Ledger,  we will never compromise on security or privacy, they remain two of our fundamental pillars. 

Since creating the Ledger Live companion app, we have continued to work on improving the user experience of Ledger Live, without compromising on secure self-custody or privacy. This means that there are a few user experiences in the app that we’ve needed to catch up on, including creating a seamless experience across your Ledger on Desktop and Mobile. 

This is why we are thrilled to introduce today Ledger Sync, a new feature that allows for secure, effortless, and private management of crypto across your Ledger wallets. Before Ledger Sync, when you modified, added, or deleted an account, you had to do it on every platform. Worse, if you were setting up a new computer, you had to manually add all your accounts. Ledger now supports over 5,500 coins and tokens, meaning a cumbersome experience during a time when we expect things fast and easy. .

Ledger could have taken the Web2 route by creating an account with an email and password and storing your account list in a database.

But at Ledger, we fundamentally believe that no one should have access or ownership over your data but you.

Leveraging the Ledger Key Ring Protocol, we use your Ledger device as the key to synchronize your accounts across all platforms—without requiring you to create an account with an email and password. 

You just need your Ledger device—no password needed. It’s secure, private, and easy to use: with Ledger Sync, you’re in control of your data.

Ledger Key Ring Protocol

We developed the Ledger Key Ring Protocol (KRP) to solve the challenge of secure data sharing in decentralized environments with end-to-end encryption.

With Ledger KRP, you have full control over your encryption keys. Thanks to its hierarchical deterministic structure for managing secrets and handling encryption, you can share private information over public channels with peace of mind.  

But what does this mean and how does it work?

Essentially, you can create an infinite number of encryption keys with your secret recovery phrase. Each key is completely independent, giving you an easy way to manage your encryption keys. For example, if you have multiple Ledger wallets with the same secret recovery phrase, you can use any of these devices to enable Ledger Sync. As long as you have your secret recovery phrase —which should be a lifetime— you will have access to your encrypted data.

A little reminder about your secret recovery phrase: never share it with anyone, don’t take a picture of it, and regularly check its integrity and validity. If you want an extra piece of mind, subscribe to Ledger Recover, and you will be guaranteed to restore your wallet access with ID Verification.

If you want to know more about the technical details of Ledger KRP,  find all the details in our White Paper.

Let’s get back to Ledger Sync! We integrated Ledger KRP into Ledger Live to create a simple, private, and secure synchronization solution for your list of accounts. Gradually, we will enable you to sync more elements than just your accounts and continue our mission to make self-custody easier to use without compromising on either security or privacy.

How do I enable Ledger Sync?

You will be prompted in Ledger Live to sync your accounts. If not, you can find the Ledger Sync entry under General in Settings.

Simply connect your Ledger device, and it will automatically install the new Ledger Sync App on your Ledger. Learn more from our Help Center on How to Set Up Ledger Sync. 

Once this setup is complete, your list of accounts will be synchronized across all Ledger Live apps with Ledger Sync turned on. This means that if you add or remove an account, it will be updated everywhere. If you change the name, it will be updated everywhere as well. Also, if you have a new phone or computer, you can quickly restore the list of all your accounts by just connecting your Ledger.

You can easily remove devices under Ledger Sync under General > Settings > Ledger Sync and Manage, and at any time, you can delete all active synchronization with Delete Sync. Deleting all active synchronizations will, of course, not delete your accounts on the blockchain or impact your coins and tokens. You will simply lose the convenience of having your list of accounts always available and up to date.

QR code scanning for even faster setup

To make the user experience even easier, wWe developed a two-way end-to-end encrypted method to share your encryption key between a Ledger Live Mobile App and another Ledger Live Mobile App or Ledger Live Desktop App. This will enable Ledger Nano S Plus users to easily and automatically sync their Ledger Live Desktop App with their Ledger Live Mobile App.

As more Ledger users upgrade to Ledger Stax and Ledger Flex, we want to make that transition as smooth and easy as possible, without compromising on security or privacy.

This function will also allow users to share their account list without needing their Ledger device by simply scanning another Ledger Live App with Ledger Sync enabled.

It is very simple to use: under Settings > General > Ledger Sync, you have a Synchronize option. You can display a QR code on your Ledger Live Desktop App and scan it with your Ledger Live Mobile App. This establishes a secure end-to-end encrypted channel to share the authentication between the two apps, and all your accounts will be synchronized between them. It works both ways, whether you enable Ledger Sync first on your Mobile or Desktop, and regardless of where your list of accounts is stored.

You are not the product

Very often in Web2, you have access to free experiences because companies monetize and sell your data. With Ledger KRP and Ledger Sync, this is impossible, as you are in full control of your encryption keys, and no one at Ledger or any other company can access your data.

We hope you will enjoy Ledger Sync, and stay tuned for more news regarding the new experiences we are building!