🧠 Quick Answer
No — you generally cannot use a Ledger seed phrase directly to restore your wallet in Cake Wallet, Feather Wallet, or Sparrow Wallet.
That’s because Ledger uses **device-specific derivation paths, seed extensions, and app isolation**. While the 24-word phrase looks like a BIP39 seed, restoring it elsewhere will not give you access to the same wallet unless the software supports:
- 🔐 BIP39 mnemonic + correct derivation path
- 💳 Ledger-specific key handling
- 📜 Correct coin type and subaddresses
🧾 Understanding Ledger’s Seed Phrase
When you set up a Ledger device, it gives you a **24-word BIP39 seed phrase**.
However:
- 🧱 The private keys are not derived on your computer
- 🧠 All key operations happen inside the Ledger device
- 🚫 The device uses non-standard derivation paths for some coins (like Monero)
This means your Ledger seed does not behave like a typical software wallet seed — it’s not portable in the way many people assume.
💬 What Happens If You Try to Use the Ledger Seed in Other Wallets?
| Wallet | Coin | Can you restore from Ledger seed? |
|---|---|---|
| 🔒 Cake Wallet | Monero | ❌ No — Cake Wallet expects a Monero 25-word mnemonic, not a BIP39 seed |
| 🕊️ Feather Wallet | Monero | ❌ No — same as Cake; only Monero-specific 25-word mnemonics supported |
| 🪶 Sparrow Wallet | Bitcoin | ⚠️ Technically yes — if you know the Ledger derivation path, but not recommended |
✅ Recommended: Use Cake, Feather, or Sparrow with your Ledger device via USB, rather than trying to restore the seed manually.
🔄 Coin-by-Coin Details
📀 Monero
- Ledger’s Monero app uses a custom derivation system
- You cannot import the Ledger seed into Cake or Feather and get your Monero funds
- Use Cake Wallet Desktop with Ledger connected directly instead
✅ Related post: Access Ledger Nano Wallets Using Cake Wallet on Tails OS
₿ Bitcoin
- Ledger follows BIP39 + BIP44/BIP84 derivation paths
- In Sparrow Wallet, you can recover a Ledger seed with the correct
m/84'/0'/0'path - ⚠️ You must manually re-enter all XPUBs and verify output descriptors — not beginner-friendly
✅ Recommended: Use Sparrow with Ledger via USB for safety
🛑 Why Restoring the Ledger Seed Is Dangerous
Attempting to restore a Ledger seed into a hot wallet breaks the entire security model:
- ❌ You expose your private keys to the OS and memory
- ❌ You lose the protection of Ledger’s secure element
- ❌ You may derive the wrong keys and think you’ve lost funds
Even though it may “technically” work for Bitcoin in some wallets, it’s never recommended unless you’re recovering from an actual loss and know what you’re doing.
🔐 How to Safely Use Ledger with Cake, Feather, or Sparrow
- 🖥️ Use the hardware wallet integration instead of entering the seed
- 🔌 Connect Ledger over USB
- 📲 Open the correct app (Monero, Bitcoin, etc.) on the Ledger device
- 🔗 Let the wallet software (Cake, Feather, Sparrow) communicate with it securely
This preserves the device’s hardware isolation and ensures compatibility with correct derivation paths.
🔗 Related Citizen Erased Posts
- 💰 Install Cake Wallet on Tails OS
- 🧅 Access Ledger Wallets via Cake Wallet
- 🔐 Upgrade Tails OS With Persistence
🧠 Final Thoughts
The 24-word seed you get from Ledger is not a portable universal key — it’s designed for use only with hardware wallet integrations. If you’re using Monero or Bitcoin on Ledger, you should stick with Cake Wallet (Monero), Feather Wallet (Monero), or Sparrow Wallet (Bitcoin) via hardware connection — not by typing your seed phrase into those apps.
🛡️ Keep your seed phrase airgapped. If you ever enter it into a hot wallet, treat the funds as compromised and move them to a new device.
