🕊️ How to use Ledger with Sparrow Wallet
If you're serious about the self-custody of Bitcoin, you have a hardware wallet.
And if you have a hardware wallet you probably have a Ledger - the most popular hardware wallet in the world.
Ledger Live (Ledger's companion software) is easy to use and beginner-friendly
Ledger Live can, however, be limiting for more advanced users.
While you can coin control using Ledger Live, there are alternative wallet interfaces that are cleaner to work with
Watch this if you want to understand why coin control is so important
My favorite wallet interface for maximizing control of my Bitcoin is Sparrow Wallet
Most people are aware of Sparrow Wallet because it is the go-to wallet for interacting with the COLDCARD hardware wallet
But Sparrow Wallet is compatible with Ledger, too!
Getting Started
You need to update your devices and software before linking your Ledger with Sparrow wallet.
Download the latest version of Sparrow Wallet here
Download the latest version of Ledger Live here
Once you have the latest software, you'll want to upgrade your Ledger to the latest firmware.
If you don't see the notification, you can upgrade your firmware by following one of these tutorials:
If you're not up to date, your Sparrow wallet might give you a weird error when you try connecting your Ledger.
![[Connect Ledger to Sparrow.png]]
Connecting your Ledger to Sparrow Wallet
Now that everything is up to date, you can navigate to Settings in Sparrow Wallet.
Click on Connected Hardware Wallet
You'll end up on a screen that looks like this, and once you press scan, you should see your Ledger.
Once you click import keystore, your ledger will be available in Sparrow Wallet!
Next, you'll be asked if you want to enter a password to protect your Sparrow Wallet (Note: this won't affect your Ledger seed phrase)
I prefer not to use a password, but you can if you want to (if you do, make sure to back it up in 1Password or Apple Keychain)
What does it all mean?
You'll notice once you've loaded your wallet that the same balances and transactions show up in both Sparrow and Ledger Live (regardless of which app you use to send and receive Bitcoin)
This is because the wallet associated with the private key generated by your Ledger has been loaded into both applications.
It's like having two remotes for the same TV.
No matter which one you use, you're still watching the same channel—your Bitcoin account remains the same across both interfaces.
So why did we switch?
It's because Sparrow Wallet gives us better access to our Bitcoin—it's like having a remote with ten buttons instead of only two.
The most important features are the addresses tab and the UTXOs tab:
With these two tabs, you can easily consolidate and manage your UTXOs
UTXO Consolidation Guide
And with the send and receive tabs, you can move around your Bitcoin the same way you would from Ledger Live.
If you're a power user, you can even connect your full node for complete privacy and control over your Bitcoin (something that is impossible to do with Ledger Live)
DM me on Twitter or join the Discord [it's brand new and full of geniuses] if you have any questions
See you guys next week ✌️