Using a Hardware Wallet with Electrum (Linux)

[Husna QA]

In this thread, I’d like to share a quick tutorial on how to use a hardware wallet with Electrum on Linux.

Setup Used

Hardware wallet: Trezor Model T
OS: Linux Ubuntu 18.04
Wallet software: Electrum


1. Download Trezor udev Rules

To make Trezor work properly on Linux, you need to install the udev rules.
You can find the official Trezor udev rules here:
https://github.com/trezor/trezor-common/blob/master/udev/51-trezor.rules

For other hardware wallets, please refer the official documentation for its udev rules.
https://github.com/spesmilo/electrum/tree/master/contrib/udev#udev-rules

Save the Raw file, then store it in any folder you like.
In this example, I saved it to: Home/Trezor




2. Add udev Rules to the System
Open the Linux Terminal, then go to the folder where the file is saved: cd Trezor

Next, run the command as described in the udev rules documentation to copy the file into /etc/udev/rules.d:

Code:

sudo mv 51-trezor.rules /etc/udev/rules.d

When prompted, enter your Linux password.

Note: If your Trezor was already connected, unplug it first, then plug it back in.


3. Install Electrum on Linux

For Electrum, in this example I’m using the AppImage from this link:
https://download.electrum.org/4.1.5/electrum-4.1.5-x86_64.AppImage

You can download other versions from Electrum’s official website here:
https://download.electrum.org/

How to verify the authenticity of Electrum:
[GUIDE] How to Safely Download and Verify Electrum [Guide] - DireWolfM14.


Just run the AppImage as usual.

AppImages can be downloaded and run without installation or the need for root rights.

If everything is set up correctly, Electrum should detect the Trezor automatically.


Here’s the result:



Note:
For users who install Electrum from Python sources, you need to install the required dependencies and Python libraries that match the hardware wallet you’re using before configuring the udev rules. Please refer to the following link for the guide: https://electrum.readthedocs.io/en/latest/hardware-linux.html


Hope this helps.


Reference:

- https://github.com/trezor/trezor-common/blob/master/udev/51-trezor.rules
- https://github.com/spesmilo/electrum/tree/master/contrib/udev#udev-rules
- https://electrum.readthedocs.io/en/latest/hardware-linux.html
- Hardware Wallet - Husna QA

[nc50lc]

Just run the AppImage as usual.
If everything is set up correctly, Electrum should detect the Trezor automatically.

It's better if you can expand this step for the newbie crowd.

Consider newbie users who haven't been able to setup a Trezor wallet with Electrum that somehow found this thread instead of their official documentation.
With how it's explained, they'll expect that it'll automatically create the wallet for them.

Or at least link to various HW's official documentation containing the necessary tutorials,
With it, this thread will also be a good catalogue on where to find the correct tutorials to connect supported hardware wallets to Electrum.

[Husna QA]

Just run the AppImage as usual.
If everything is set up correctly, Electrum should detect the Trezor automatically.

It's better if you can expand this step for the newbie crowd.

Consider newbie users who haven't been able to setup a Trezor wallet with Electrum that somehow found this thread instead of their official documentation.
With how it's explained, they'll expect that it'll automatically create the wallet for them.

Thank you for the suggestion.

From the operating systems I’ve tried, hardware wallets can connect to Electrum much more easily on macOS and Windows. On Linux, however, some initial setup is required (installing udev rules) before the wallet can be connected to Electrum.

So, as stated in the thread title, this topic specifically focuses on how to connect a hardware wallet to Electrum on Linux for that reason.

I don’t go into detail about how to install Electrum itself. Besides making the topic too broad, it would also require a separate explanation on how to verify Electrum’s application signature. This thread is intended for Linux users who already understand the standard way of installing applications (Electrum, etc.) on their OS, but run into issues when trying to use a hardware wallet with Electrum. So, I only added the necessary updates, as reflected in the OP that was just edited.

Or at least link to various HW's official documentation containing the necessary tutorials,
With it, this thread will also be a good catalogue on where to find the correct tutorials to connect supported hardware wallets to Electrum.

In the OP (even before it was edited), I’ve included official links from Trezor as well as from Electrum for all supported hardware wallets.

-snip-
https://github.com/trezor/trezor-common/blob/master/udev/51-trezor.rules
-snip-
https://github.com/spesmilo/electrum/tree/master/contrib/udev#udev-rules

I’ve added the link again in the references section.
And for users who install Electrum from Python sources, I’ve also included this link: https://electrum.readthedocs.io/en/latest/hardware-linux.html, which provides guidance on installing the required dependencies and Python libraries before configuring the udev rules.


As for Trezor, I haven’t found much official documentation that specifically discusses this topic. If you or others happen to find relevant links, feel free to share it here to help provide additional references for users who may not be aware of them yet.

One brief explanation I found is in the udev rule description (the link is already included in the OP). So, what I practiced above is based on the guidance provided in that udev rule description.

Code:

# Trezor: The Original Hardware Wallet
# https://trezor.io/
#
# Put this file into /etc/udev/rules.d
#
# If you are creating a distribution package,
# put this into /usr/lib/udev/rules.d or /lib/udev/rules.d
# depending on your distribution

# Trezor
SUBSYSTEM=="usb", ATTR{idVendor}=="534c", ATTR{idProduct}=="0001", MODE="0660", GROUP="plugdev", TAG+="uaccess", TAG+="udev-acl", SYMLINK+="trezor%n"
KERNEL=="hidraw*", ATTRS{idVendor}=="534c", ATTRS{idProduct}=="0001", MODE="0660", GROUP="plugdev", TAG+="uaccess", TAG+="udev-acl"

# Trezor v2
SUBSYSTEM=="usb", ATTR{idVendor}=="1209", ATTR{idProduct}=="53c0", MODE="0660", GROUP="plugdev", TAG+="uaccess", TAG+="udev-acl", SYMLINK+="trezor%n"
SUBSYSTEM=="usb", ATTR{idVendor}=="1209", ATTR{idProduct}=="53c1", MODE="0660", GROUP="plugdev", TAG+="uaccess", TAG+="udev-acl", SYMLINK+="trezor%n"
KERNEL=="hidraw*", ATTRS{idVendor}=="1209", ATTRS{idProduct}=="53c1", MODE="0660", GROUP="plugdev", TAG+="uaccess", TAG+="udev-acl"

There used to be a link at https://wiki.trezor.io/Udev_rules, but it now automatically redirects to https://trezor.io/guides/trezor-suite/os-requirements-for-trezor, where users are directed to use Trezor Suite.