How to set up Phantom wallet for Solana

What you need before paying on Solana

• Phantom installed — extension on desktop or the official mobile app.
• A wallet with a recovery phrase — you control the keys; Phantom is just the interface.
• Mainnet selected — real SOL lives on Mainnet Beta. Devnet SOL is free test money with no value.
• A small SOL balance — enough for the payment plus a tiny network fee (usually under 0.00001 SOL per transfer).

Check any address before you send with our wallet balance checker once you copy your public key from Phantom.

Install Phantom (desktop)

1. Go to the official site — phantom.app. Avoid search-result ads or unofficial download pages.
2. Install the browser extension for Chrome, Brave, Firefox, or Edge. Pin it in your toolbar so you can open it quickly.
3. Create a new wallet or import an existing 12-word recovery phrase. If you create new, Phantom shows the phrase once — write it on paper and store it offline.
4. Set a password for the extension. This unlocks Phantom on your device; it is separate from the recovery phrase that restores your wallet anywhere.
5. Copy your public address from Phantom (click the address to copy). That base58 string is safe to share — it is how people send SOL to you.

Install Phantom (mobile)

1. Download from the App Store or Google Play — publisher should be Phantom Technologies, Inc. Match the name and icon to phantom.app.
2. Create or import the same way as desktop. You can sync by importing the same recovery phrase on both devices.
3. Use the in-app browser when a website's desktop connect flow does not work in mobile Safari or Chrome — open the site from Phantom's Browser tab.

Many Solana sites also support Solana Pay QR so you can pay from the Phantom app without browser connect. See our Solana Pay guide.

Switch to mainnet

Phantom defaults to mainnet for most new installs, but always confirm before sending real money:

1. Open Phantom settings (gear icon).
2. Find Developer Settings or the network selector.
3. Select Mainnet Beta — not Devnet or Testnet.

Devnet is useful for developers testing contracts; it is the wrong network if you expect a site like Garden Dice to detect a real SOL payment.

Get your first SOL on mainnet

Phantom needs SOL before you can send micropayments or pay network fees. Common paths:

• Buy inside Phantom — Phantom partners with on-ramp providers in supported regions (card or bank, KYC may apply).
• Receive from an exchange — buy SOL on a centralized exchange, withdraw to your Phantom address on Solana mainnet (not another chain).
• Receive from a friend — they paste your Phantom address into Send; you verify with our transaction lookup tool.

For a first on-chain test, 0.01 SOL is plenty — enough for dozens of 0.001 SOL micropayments plus fees. Never send more than you are comfortable experimenting with.

Secure your wallet

• Recovery phrase = full access. Anyone with the 12 words owns your SOL. Never type it into a website, chat, or email.
• Phantom will never ask for your seed phrase in a popup or support ticket. Treat unsolicited requests as scams.
• Verify URLs before connecting — typosquat domains mimic real dApps.
• Start with tiny sends when trying a new site. Garden Dice rolls from 0.001 SOL.
• Bookmark trusted sites like solana.garden instead of clicking random social links.

Next steps — connect and pay

Once Phantom is installed, on mainnet, and funded, follow this path:

1. Connect to a Solana website — approve the connect popup so the site can request signatures.
2. Send SOL with Phantom — practice a manual transfer and verify it on Solscan.
3. Try Garden Dice — free demo roll, then pay 0.001 SOL for a provably fair on-chain roll.

Troubleshooting

• Wrong network — switch to Mainnet Beta; devnet balances do not pay mainnet sites.
• Insufficient SOL — leave room for fees; lower the send amount slightly.
• Extension not detected — refresh the page, allow popups, disable competing wallet extensions temporarily.
• Mobile connect fails — open the site in Phantom's in-app browser or use Solana Pay QR.
• Paid but site did not update — wait a few seconds, tap detect-and-roll, or see verify payment guide.

Further reading

• How to play Solana dice
• Connect Phantom to a Solana website
• Send SOL with Phantom
• Solana Pay QR — pay without browser connect
• Verify a Solana payment on mainnet
• Check your SOL balance
• Phantom Learn — official wallet docs