Once teams understand multisig wallets, the next question usually follows immediately.
Can you use multisig wallets with hardware wallets, and should you?
The short answer is yes, and for any serious treasury or DAO, the combination of multisig and hardware wallets is considered the baseline for good security. Multisig protects against single person control. Hardware wallets protect against key theft. Together, they address the two biggest causes of crypto losses.
To understand why this matters, it helps to look at what each one actually does.
What a Hardware Wallet Adds to Multisig
A hardware wallet is designed to keep private keys offline. The key never leaves the device. Transactions are signed inside the hardware wallet and only the signed transaction is sent to the computer or browser.
This matters because most real-world wallet compromises do not happen through smart contract exploits. They happen because private keys are exposed through malware, phishing, or compromised devices.
When a multisig signer uses a hardware wallet, even if their laptop is infected, the attacker cannot extract the private key. At worst, they can attempt to trick the signer into approving a bad transaction.
That is a very different and much harder attack.
How Multisig and Hardware Wallets Work Together
In a multisig setup, each signer controls one private key. That key can live in a software wallet, a hardware wallet, or another secure signing environment.
When hardware wallets are used, each signer connects their device when they need to approve a transaction. The multisig wallet creates a transaction proposal. Each signer reviews it on their own hardware wallet screen and approves it if it is correct.
Once the required number of approvals is collected, the multisig wallet executes the transaction on chain.
From the blockchain’s point of view, nothing changes. The difference is entirely in how safely each signer manages their key.
Common Hardware Wallets Used With Multisig
On Ethereum and EVM-compatible chains, multisig wallets built with Safe integrate cleanly with major hardware wallets.
The most commonly used devices are Ledger and Trezor.
These devices are widely supported, well understood by auditors, and familiar to experienced signers. That familiarity matters, especially when onboarding non-technical board members or advisors.
Why Software Wallets Alone Are Not Enough
Some teams use multisig but allow signers to keep their keys in browser wallets or hot wallets. This improves governance but leaves a large attack surface.
If two signers in a 2-of-3 multisig both store their keys in browser wallets on compromised machines, multisig provides little protection. The attacker does not need to break the multisig contract. They just need to compromise enough signers.
Hardware wallets dramatically reduce this risk by isolating keys from general-purpose devices.
What Signers Actually See When Approving Transactions
A common concern is whether hardware wallets make multisig harder to use. In practice, they add a small amount of friction, but that friction is intentional.
When approving a transaction, the hardware wallet displays the destination address and amount. The signer must physically confirm the transaction on the device.
This step forces signers to slow down and review what they are approving. In multisig setups, this human review is just as important as cryptographic security.
Operational Best Practices
Professional teams follow a few simple rules when combining multisig and hardware wallets.
Each signer uses their own hardware wallet. No one controls multiple signer keys. Devices are stored securely and separately. Backup recovery phrases are protected and never shared digitally. Signers are trained to verify transaction details on the device screen, not just in the browser.
Multisig works best when signers are independent in both authority and infrastructure.
Where Things Still Go Wrong
Even with hardware wallets, multisig can fail if people cut corners. Using the same computer to manage multiple keys, approving transactions without review, or sharing signing responsibilities undermines the model.
Multisig with hardware wallets is not automatic safety. It is a system that assumes responsible behavior.
The Bottom Line
Multisig wallets and hardware wallets are designed to work together.
Multisig protects against single-person control and internal abuse. Hardware wallets protect against private key theft and malware. Together, they form the foundation of how DAOs, foundations, and crypto treasuries secure large amounts of capital.
For small personal wallets, this may be overkill. For anything involving shared funds or long-term value, multisig without hardware wallets is incomplete.
In practice, serious crypto custody starts when both are used together.