What is Trezor Bridge? (Quick summary)
Trezor Bridge was a small background service created to let your Trezor hardware wallet speak to web apps and Trezor Suite securely. Instead of older browser plugins that injected device access into browsers, Bridge ran on your machine and handled USB/HID communication so the UI could stay browser-friendly while keeping low-level device access isolated.
Why a background bridge?
Browsers continually tighten their permitted access to hardware devices for security reasons. A tiny local daemon (Bridge) offered a predictable, sandboxed transport layer so web apps and the desktop app could exchange protobuf messages with the device without exposing the wallet directly to the browser’s plugins system.
Important changes: deprecation & what it means
In recent years the Trezor team shifted architecture to unify communication inside the Trezor Suite and other officially supported transports. As part of that shift, the standalone Trezor Bridge was deprecated — meaning users are recommended to transition to the newer workflows (for example, using Trezor Suite or updated transports) to ensure compatibility with future releases.
Actionable takeaway
If you still run a standalone Bridge installation, plan to uninstall it and use Trezor Suite or the officially recommended method for your platform — this prevents future conflicts and keeps your connection path supported.
How Bridge worked (technical sketch)
The Bridge process opened a local HTTP/websocket endpoint that client software could reach. When your wallet app needed to talk to the device, it created a session and passed protobuf messages through the Bridge, which translated them to USB HID operations to the Trezor unit. Project repositories (like trezord-go) contain the implementation details and release notes for curious developers.
Installing and upgrading: best practices
Prefer the official Trezor Suite desktop app for most users: it bundles necessary transports and keeps everything up to date with the Suite releases. If you have to use a standalone Bridge (legacy reasons), keep the binary current, verify signatures from the official source, and follow OS-specific uninstall/install steps provided by Trezor.
Practical install checklist
- Download only from the official Trezor domain or GitHub repo listed above.
- Verify signatures or checksums where provided by the project.
- Uninstall old Bridge installs before installing the new recommended flow to avoid conflicts.
- Keep your device firmware and Suite app up to date for compatibility.
Troubleshooting connectivity problems
If Trezor Suite doesn't detect your device, try these steps in order: check the USB cable and port, reboot your machine, ensure the Suite app and firmware are updated, and uninstall any deprecated standalone Bridge installations that might interfere. The Trezor support center has step-by-step guides for macOS, Windows, and Linux.
Common causes of failure
- Outdated firmware on older Model One devices that used legacy HID transport.
- Conflicting background processes (old Bridge versions, unrelated USB utilities).
- Incorrect OS permissions or missing drivers on Windows.
Security considerations
A local bridge design isolates USB interactions from web content. That said, security depends on installing official software, keeping it updated, and verifying sources. Don’t download Bridge or client utilities from unknown third-party sites — rely on the official Trezor domain or the recognized GitHub repositories listed above.
Developer note
Developers building integrations should use the documented transports and repositories (e.g., trezord-go) and follow the project's security guidelines for session handling and message validation.
Migrating away from Bridge (if applicable)
Migration depends on your platform and the tools you use. The official guidance recommends uninstalling the standalone Bridge when instructed and moving to the Trezor Suite or the replacement transport supported by your environment. Follow the step-by-step deprecation guide in the official Trezor docs to avoid data loss or connectivity issues.
Step-by-step migration (brief)
- Back up your recovery seed (follow the secure, offline method).
- Make sure your device firmware is current (check the firmware changelog for release notes).
- Uninstall the standalone Bridge using the provided OS-specific instructions.
- Install Trezor Suite or the recommended transport and verify the device appears.
When to contact support
If you've followed the guides, updated firmware, and the device still doesn’t appear, reach out to the official Trezor support channels. They’ll guide you through logs, system checks, and (only when necessary) more detailed diagnostics.
Conclusion
Trezor Bridge served a helpful purpose: secure, local communication between hardware wallets and client apps. As architectures evolve, official guidance now steers users toward Trezor Suite and updated transports. The core lessons remain: install only official software, keep firmware and apps current, and follow the supplier's deprecation/migration guides to stay secure and compatible.
# show processes matching trezord
ps aux | grep -i trezord
# view suite logs (example path)
journalctl -u trezor-suite.service --since "1 hour ago"