Lost Access to Ledger Live

[Crypto Bull]

Ever since I updated to Windows 11 on my desktop, I have been unable to connect to Ledger Live using my Ledger Nano S.

Any idea what could be wrong? This is extremely frustrating. This problem has persisted, even after several Windows 11 updates. I was hoping that one of these updates would resolve the issue.

- I've tried using another USB cable, but it does nothing.

- I disabled my antivirus (Windows Defender), but that has no effect.

- I only have one USB port on my desktop tower, so I can't try another one.

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[OmegaStarScream]

This looks like something Ledger needs to fix and not Microsoft so I don't think Windows updates would do anything. And apparently, you're not the only one facing this issue either[¹]. I'm guessing you already tried to update your device to the latest firmware?

[1] https://www.reddit.com/r/ledgerwallet/comments/qea2qn/ledger_live_issues_w_windows_11_update/?utm_medium=android_app&utm_source=share

[Crypto Bull]

This looks like something Ledger needs to fix and not Microsoft so I don't think Windows updates would do anything. And apparently, you're not the only one facing this issue either[¹]. I'm guessing you already tried to update your device to the latest firmware?

[1] https://www.reddit.com/r/ledgerwallet/comments/qea2qn/ledger_live_issues_w_windows_11_update/?utm_medium=android_app&utm_source=share

I have version 1.6.1. on my Ledger.

How do I update the firmware, if I can't connect to Ledger Live?

There is a message at on the top of my Ledger Live screen that says "Update to Ledger Live version 2.38.2 is available".
On the right of that, it says "Download update".
A few weeks ago, I clicked on this (without connecting Ledger Nano S, obviously), and it just kept going in circles, and never updated. It was useless.

[nc50lc]

-snip-
There is a message at on the top of my Ledger Live screen that says "Update to Ledger Live version 2.38.2 is available".
On the right of that, it says "Download update".
A few weeks ago, I clicked on this (without connecting Ledger Nano S, obviously), and it just kept going in circles, and never updated. It was useless.

If the in-app updater doesn't work, download the latest version of Ledger Live from their website instead, the install it over the old version.
Link: https://www.ledger.com/ledger-live

If updating Ledger Live doesn't work, then you'll have to update the firmware by other means.

[Pmalek]

How do I update the firmware, if I can't connect to Ledger Live?

You don't, it has to be connected with Ledger Live.

There is a message at on the top of my Ledger Live screen that says "Update to Ledger Live version 2.38.2 is available".
On the right of that, it says "Download update".
A few weeks ago, I clicked on this (without connecting Ledger Nano S, obviously), and it just kept going in circles, and never updated. It was useless.

You couldn't have done that a few weeks ago with the 2.38.2 version of Ledger Live because that piece of software was released 9 days ago. It was surely an older version of Ledger Live. I would suggest you let it do its thing and if nothing changes after a few hours, download the newest version the way nc50lc suggested. I do remember some issues in the past where because of server overloads it took hours to update LL. It happened to me once.
The problem seems like a compatibility issue between Ledger Live and Windows 11. I assume you had Windows 10 before and it worked fine, right?
Do you have any other computer with Windows 10 installed where you could download LL and do the firmware upgrade there? That still wouldn't allow you to use your hardware wallet on your Windows 11 machine later on, but the connectivity issues will probably be fixed sooner or later. Contact the support and explain that you have an issue connecting your Nano S with LL on Windows 11, maybe they can assist. It looks like they have a chat feature on their site now. You can access it from here.   

[o_e_l_e_o]

Install the latest version of Ledger Live from the website as explained above.
Make sure all your USB and external device drivers are up to date.
Try running Ledger Live in compatibility mode (I assume this is still a thing on Windows?)

If all that fails, you can install a third party wallet such as Electrum and connect to your Ledger device that way, but you won't be able to install/uninstall different coins. If you need to do that and you can't get Windows 11 to work, then you could use another device with Windows 10 on it or you could set up a new partition on your Windows 11 machine and dual boot to Linux.

[dkbit98]

Ever since I updated to Windows 11 on my desktop, I have been unable to connect to Ledger Live using my Ledger Nano S.

I would never install that on my computer and combination of both products is probably worst thing you can do for your privacy.
Recently there have been more people complaining on issues with their devices so it might be some bigger issue not only related with you.

Any idea what could be wrong? This is extremely frustrating. This problem has persisted, even after several Windows 11 updates. I was hoping that one of these updates would resolve the issue.

You really need to post more information about your device, what exact model of ledger you have, nono S or nono X?
Don't expect that updating wiNd0ws is ever going to solve any issues you have.
Best thing you could do is contact ledger support or write them better explained post on their reddit page.

How do I update the firmware, if I can't connect to Ledger Live?

You can't update firmware with ledger live installed on your desktop (it can't be mobile device).
If it's not working with bloody win11, I would use some Linux OS live disc/usb (maybe debian or linux mint), than install ledger live there, connect device and update firmware.
Linux app for Linux is AppImage so it can work on most linux operating systems.

[Crypto Bull]

Thanks for all the info, guys. Here's what I've done so far:

(1) I clicked on "Download update" on the blue banner on the top right of the Ledger Live portfolio page. The progress numbers started quickly rising, until it said "100% complete". However, on the top left of the banner, it said "Downloading update", with a loading loop next to it. This is obviously contradictory, so I allowed it to continue "downloading", but nothing happened. After nearly 2 hours, It looked exactly the same as when it started "downloading".

(2) So, I tried connecting my Ledger Nano S, anyway, but wasn't able to, just as before.

(3) I then decided to restart my computer and opened Ledger Live again. I figured this would reset any changes or updates made, but, to my dismay, the blue banner at the top of the page now read "Update to Ledger Live version 2.38.2 is available". On the top right of the banner it read "Download update".
Great. So, I wasted 2 hours of my time and, despite claiming "100% complete, it actually didn't update shit.

(4) I ignored this, and tried to connect my Ledger Nano S again, but again, couldn't do it.

This is incredibly annoying, and it's one of the reasons why I've always been hesitant to invest a large chunk of my money in crypto. It's one thing to accept volatility risk, and the risk that an asset could go to zero, but it's quite another when you also have to sustain the ancillary risks associated with actually storing and accessing you funds. This shouldn't be an issue at all.

You really need to post more information about your device, what exact model of ledger you have, nono S or nono X?
Don't expect that updating wiNd0ws is ever going to solve any issues you have.

I am using a Ledger Nano S, as I stated in my OP. The firmware version is currently 1.6.1.
I am doing everything on my desktop computer.

-snip-
There is a message at on the top of my Ledger Live screen that says "Update to Ledger Live version 2.38.2 is available".
On the right of that, it says "Download update".
A few weeks ago, I clicked on this (without connecting Ledger Nano S, obviously), and it just kept going in circles, and never updated. It was useless.

If the in-app updater doesn't work, download the latest version of Ledger Live from their website instead, the install it over the old version.
Link: https://www.ledger.com/ledger-live

If updating Ledger Live doesn't work, then you'll have to update the firmware by other means.

Install the latest version of Ledger Live from the website as explained above.
Make sure all your USB and external device drivers are up to date.
Try running Ledger Live in compatibility mode (I assume this is still a thing on Windows?)

Is there a risk that I can really mess things up irrevocably, or make matters much more complicated for myself, by reinstalling Ledger Live from their website?
I'm not very tech savvy, so I don't want to make my life more difficult than it already is.

[dkbit98]

...

You do know that you could simply visit ledger website and download ledger live app and install it manually?
No need to wait for hours for some magic to happen inside ledger live.
You could also uninstall old app version first if you want to start fresh.

PS
Please don't make bunch of consecutive post, they will all be deleted and merged by moderators.
Write everything you want including replies in one single post.

[nc50lc]

-snip-

Is there a risk that I can really mess things up irrevocably, or make matters much more complicated for myself, by reinstalling Ledger Live from their website?
I'm not very tech savvy, so I don't want to make my life more difficult than it already is.

Nothing if it concerns only Ledger Live.
It's just an interface that your Ledger Nano use to watch the funds, the keys are safely stored in your Hardware wallet.

Just make sure that you wont expose your "Recovery Phrase" anywhere,
because some fake versions of Ledger Live ask the user to enter it in case you've downloaded a fake.

[o_e_l_e_o]

Is there a risk that I can really mess things up irrevocably, or make matters much more complicated for myself, by reinstalling Ledger Live from their website?

Provided you have your seed phrase backed up accurately and any additional passphrase you may or may not be using backed up accurately, (and if you've bought a bunch of random shitcoins, you can remember all the ones you've bought), then nothing you do to your Ledger Live or your Ledger hardware wallet matters. Both your computer and your hardware wallet could be damaged beyond repair, and you will always be able to regain access to your coins using your seed phrase. Just keep this safe and secure and never enter it in to any website or any piece of software ever, regardless of how safe/legit/official you think that website/software is.

[Crypto Bull]

Nothing if it concerns only Ledger Live.
It's just an interface that your Ledger Nano use to watch the funds, the keys are safely stored in your Hardware wallet.

Just make sure that you wont expose your "Recovery Phrase" anywhere,
because some fake versions of Ledger Live ask the user to enter it in case you've downloaded a fake.

Provided you have your seed phrase backed up accurately and any additional passphrase you may or may not be using backed up accurately, (and if you've bought a bunch of random shitcoins, you can remember all the ones you've bought), then nothing you do to your Ledger Live or your Ledger hardware wallet matters. Both your computer and your hardware wallet could be damaged beyond repair, and you will always be able to regain access to your coins using your seed phrase. Just keep this safe and secure and never enter it in to any website or any piece of software ever, regardless of how safe/legit/official you think that website/software is.

Thank you, guys. I actually downloaded the newest version of Ledger Live from their website, and everything went smoothly, to my surprise. I was able to finally access my crypto funds, which had been orphaned for months.

[Pmalek]

Great! Your Ledger Live software is now up-to-date.
But you are still using an outdated firmware version for your Nano S. Not much has changed in terms of bug and vulnerability fixes, but if you want to check out what is new in versions 2.0.0 and 2.1.0, you can do that here. Eventually, if you miss too many upgrades, it becomes a hassle to do it. You won't be allowed to install the most recent version because you have to gradually build up to it.   

You should know that firmware version 2.1.0 reduces you internal memory by a few KBs due to added support for Taproot. I don't remember if 2.0.0 does it as well.