Setup a Ledger Wallet

Ledger is one of the most widely used hardware wallets, and Sparrow has native support for it. Once set up, Sparrow can fully replace Ledger Live for day-to-day use — generating receive addresses, building transactions, and checking your balance — while your private keys stay on the device.

Prerequisites

  • A Ledger device (Nano S, Nano S Plus, or Nano X)
  • Ledger Live installed — needed once to install the Bitcoin app and provide USB drivers Sparrow relies on
  • Sparrow Wallet installed (Download)

Step 1: Install the Bitcoin App on Your Ledger

  1. Open Ledger Live and connect your device.

  2. Go to My Ledger (or Manager on older versions) and search for “Bitcoin.”

  3. Click Install and approve the confirmation prompt on the device itself.

Step 2: Connect Your Ledger to Sparrow

  1. Unlock your Ledger with your PIN, then open the Bitcoin app on the device — you should see “Bitcoin ready” on its screen.

  2. In Sparrow, go to File → New Wallet, name it, and under Keystore choose Connected Hardware Wallet.

  3. Click Scan. Sparrow will detect the device and let you Import Keystore.

  4. Choose Native Segwit (P2WPKH) as the script type — unless you’re recreating an existing wallet that was originally set up with a different type, in which case match that instead.

  5. Click Apply, then Save.

If Sparrow shows “No hardware wallets found” during the scan, it almost always means the Bitcoin app isn’t open on the device yet — being connected and unlocked isn’t enough, the Bitcoin app specifically needs to be active on screen.

Step 3: Receive Funds

Go to the Receive tab for a fresh address generated from your Ledger’s public key. Verify it matches what’s shown on the Ledger’s own screen before sharing it for any significant amount.

Step 4: Send and Sign a Transaction

  1. Go to Send, fill in the destination and amount, then click Create Transaction.

  2. Make sure your Ledger is connected, unlocked, and has the Bitcoin app open when Sparrow prompts you to sign.

  3. Review the address and amount on the Ledger’s own screen before approving with the device buttons — this protects you even if the computer running Sparrow is compromised.

  4. Once approved on the device, Sparrow broadcasts the transaction.

Troubleshooting

“No hardware wallets found” during scan
Open the Bitcoin app on the Ledger itself — an unlocked device sitting on its home screen is not enough, Sparrow needs the Bitcoin app specifically active.
Sparrow doesn’t detect the Ledger at all
Make sure Ledger Live isn’t running in the background — it can hold an exclusive USB connection to the device and block Sparrow from seeing it.
Empty balance after import
Double-check the script type matches how this wallet was originally created — funds sent to a Native Segwit address won’t appear if you imported with Legacy or Nested Segwit selected, or vice versa.
Windows driver issues
Reinstalling Ledger Live typically resolves USB driver problems, even if you don’t otherwise use the Ledger Live app day-to-day.