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Hardware wallets are one of the most secure ways to manage your account. While a hardware wallet is not required to use NEAR Business, it is highly recommended for your most critical operational roles, such as Finance and Governance.
Learn more about keeping your treasury safe with a Ledger device in the Ledger security blog post.

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Setting Up Ledger with NEAR

  1. Download and install Ledger Live.
  2. Connect your Ledger via USB or Bluetooth.
  3. Open the Ledger Live application and ensure your device firmware is up to date.
  4. In Ledger Live, install the NEAR app from the App Catalog.
  5. Open the NEAR app on your Ledger device. The screen should display Application is ready.
NEAR app installed in Ledger Live

NEAR app (v2.4.3) installed in Ledger Live

Your Ledger is now set up, so you can use it when joining or creating a treasury.

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1. Sign In to NEAR Business

Open NEAR Business and click Login.
  1. Select the Ledger option.
  2. Choose a USB or Bluetooth connection, depending on your device.
  3. When your device prompts you to confirm the connection, approve it on the device.

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2. Select a Derivation Path

At this point, you will be prompted to select a Derivation Path, which determines which private key the Ledger uses when signing transactions through NEAR Business. Derivation path selection
If you are unsure which option to select, choose the first one (Account 1).
Approve the selection on your Ledger device before proceeding to the next step.

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3. Select an Account

Now that you have selected which private key to use, manually enter the account ID you want to use to log in: Account ID selection You can either use the implicit account derived directly from the selected derivation path or enter another account ID.
If you are unsure which account ID to use, choose the implicit account.
After confirming, you will see one of the following outcomes:
  1. Logged in successfully—the account exists and matches the selected Ledger private key.
  2. Create account option—the account does not exist yet, so you can create it immediately.
  3. Error message—the account exists, but it is linked to a different Ledger private key.
To avoid key mismatch errors, use the same derivation path that was originally used with that account ID.
AdvancedIn NEAR, you can add your Ledger public key to an existing account. However, you will need to use an external tool, such as the NEAR CLI.

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4. You’re In

You are now signed in to NEAR Business using your Ledger hardware wallet. You do not need funds in the account yet—treasury creation and proposal interactions are sponsored. You can now use NEAR Business as usual, with the added security that every action requires physical confirmation on your Ledger device. You can now create a new treasury or ask your team to add you as a member to an existing one.