How to send crypto from a wallet
- Author
- CRYPTO PORT Editorial
- Published
- Updated
- Reading time
- 6 min
In short
Sending runs in a fixed order: match the network, paste and verify the receiving address, check the amount and fee, then read the details before signing. Once confirmed on chain, a transfer cannot be undone — which is exactly why you send a small test amount to any new destination first.
Key points
- Confirm sender and recipient are on the same network before anything else
- After pasting an address, check the middle of it as well as the start and end
- You cannot send without holding the chain's fee currency separately
- Send a small test to any new destination before the real amount
Definition
Signing a transaction with the keys your wallet controls, so crypto moves to a receiving address you specify.
Check two things before you even open the send screen. First, which network the recipient expects — if you are sending to an exchange, confirm the chains it accepts for deposits. Second, whether you hold the currency that pays fees on that chain. Having plenty of the token you want to send is not enough; without fee currency the transaction cannot be submitted.
Then the address. Never type it by hand; copy and paste, then compare what you pasted against the original. Many people check only the first and last four characters, which is not enough. Look-alike addresses matching at both ends are deliberately seeded into transaction histories, and malware exists that rewrites clipboard contents. Check some of the middle too, or use a QR code where possible. 'How to verify a receiving address' covers this properly.
Entering an amount brings up a fee estimate. Trying to send the entire balance often fails because nothing is left to pay the fee. Most apps have a max-amount function that subtracts the fee for you. For how to think about fees, see 'How to check a gas estimate'; amounts vary with conditions, so no figures are given here.
Last comes signing, and this is not merely a confirm button. A signature is permission to write that content to the chain, and once given there is generally no way to take it back. Check four things on screen — destination, amount, which token, which network — with the care of reading them aloud. Transactions initiated from a dApp may also be asking for an approval rather than a transfer; 'How to review a transaction before signing' explains the difference.
After submission the transaction goes to the network and stays pending until it confirms. How long that takes depends on the chain and on congestion. If it has not appeared for a while, do not simply send again — that is how people pay twice. Open the transaction ID in an explorer and you can see whether it is still pending or already confirmed.
Watch out for
- · A confirmed transfer cannot be reversed; a wrong destination only returns if that person chooses to send it back
- · Sending over a network the recipient does not support can leave the funds unrecoverable
- · Any offer to 'send funds and get double back' is a scam — once sent, it is gone
Frequently asked questions
I sent it but it has not arrived.
Open the transaction ID in a block explorer first and see whether it is pending or confirmed. If it has confirmed but the recipient does not show it, the usual reasons are an exchange's own crediting delay or a required number of confirmations. Do not repeat the transfer while you wait.