Factory resetting a Ledger is a one-way operation. Once you confirm it, every account on the device is wiped. The process itself is straightforward — but the step that most people skip is the one that matters most, and it happens before you touch any settings.
Verify your recovery phrase before you do anything else
Your 24-word recovery phrase is the only route back in after a factory reset. If the phrase is wrong, incomplete, or unavailable when you need it, the reset will leave you with a wiped device and no way to restore your accounts. Ledger Live has a built-in check — Settings > My Ledger > Recovery phrase check — that validates your phrase against the device without wiping anything. It confirms that the words you have match what the device would generate, and it’s the only way to be certain before proceeding. Use it. If you find problems at this stage — missing words, words you’re unsure about, a damaged card — the options for incomplete or uncertain phrases are explained here and are worth working through before you reset.
How to factory reset a Ledger Nano S
On the Nano S, navigate to Settings > Security > Reset device using the two buttons to scroll and the combination press to select. The device asks you to confirm by entering your current PIN. After confirmation, all account data is wiped and the device returns to factory state, showing the welcome screen. The alternative route — entering an incorrect PIN three times — also triggers an automatic reset without requiring navigation through the settings menu.
How to factory reset a Ledger Nano X
The process on the Nano X follows the same path: Settings > Security > Reset device, then PIN confirmation to proceed. One additional consideration specific to the Nano X: it has Bluetooth capability. Before resetting a device for security reasons — for example, if you’re concerned about unauthorized access — check the paired devices list and remove any you don’t recognize. A reset doesn’t retroactively protect against Bluetooth access that already occurred, but it’s good practice before handing a device on or starting fresh.
Restoring your wallet after the reset
On the welcome screen that appears after the reset, select ‘Restore from recovery phrase’. When prompted for phrase length, choose 24 words. Enter each word in the original order — word 1 through word 24 exactly as you recorded them during initial setup. The device uses the scroll and button combination to accept each entry, checking each word against the BIP39 word list as you go. After the final word is entered, the device verifies the checksum: a mathematical property of valid BIP39 phrases that confirms the sequence is correct. If the phrase is valid, all private keys are regenerated and your wallet is fully restored.
Open Ledger Live after restoration and re-add your accounts. Your balances and transaction history load from the blockchain — nothing was stored locally that the reset could have removed.
If the phrase is rejected during entry
A rejected phrase during entry has a small number of likely causes. One or more words may be spelled incorrectly — the device checks each entry against the BIP39 word list and won’t accept words outside it, which helps catch typos but also rejects words you might have written down with errors. The words may be in the wrong order. Or the phrase may have an error you weren’t aware of, such as a word that was transcribed incorrectly at setup. Don’t respond to a rejected phrase by guessing substitutions. Stop, note exactly where the issue occurred, and treat it as a partial phrase recovery problem rather than a device problem. Guessing on the device doesn’t help and makes the situation harder to assess systematically.
Restoring with a BIP39 passphrase
If your wallet used a BIP39 passphrase — the optional 25th word that creates a hidden wallet — restore the base 24 words first. The device opens the base wallet without the passphrase attached. Then navigate to Settings > Security > Add passphrase to attach it: this generates the hidden wallet layer and makes those accounts visible. You need both the 24 words and the correct passphrase to reach the hidden wallet. Entering the 24 words alone opens only the base wallet. If you’ve forgotten the passphrase, read the passphrase recovery guide before proceeding — there are approaches worth trying before assuming permanent loss.
After restoration: two things worth doing immediately
Update firmware if Ledger Live prompts you — through the official app only, not through links in emails or messages. And if your seed phrase is still stored on paper, use the restoration as a prompt to address that. Paper fades, gets damaged, and doesn’t survive the conditions that metal does. The options for more resilient seed phrase storage are covered here.
When the phrase doesn’t work and you’re stuck
If you can’t complete the restoration because the phrase is rejected, incomplete, or you’re not confident it’s correct, stop and get a professional assessment rather than continuing to try variations on the device. Crypto Recovers offers a free assessment with no commitment required: describe the situation, what you have, and what you’ve tried, and we give you an honest answer about what’s technically possible before any work begins.
