How to set up Solflare wallet for Solana

What you need before paying on Solana

• Solflare installed — extension on desktop or the official mobile app.
• A wallet with a recovery phrase — you control the keys; Solflare 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 Solflare.

Install Solflare (desktop)

1. Go to the official site — solflare.com. 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 recovery phrase. If you create new, Solflare shows the phrase once — write it on paper and store it offline.
4. Set a password for the extension. This unlocks Solflare on your device; it is separate from the recovery phrase that restores your wallet anywhere.
5. Copy your public address from Solflare (tap or click the address to copy). That base58 string is safe to share — it is how people send SOL to you.

Install Solflare (mobile)

1. Download from the App Store or Google Play — publisher should be Solflare. Match the name and icon to solflare.com.
2. Create or import the same way as desktop. You can sync by importing the same recovery phrase on both devices.
3. Use Solana Pay QR when a site's desktop connect flow does not work in mobile Safari or Chrome — scan the QR from the Solflare app.

Garden Dice and many Solana sites support Solana Pay QR so you can pay from the Solflare app without browser connect. See our Solana Pay guide.

Switch to mainnet

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

1. Open Solflare settings (gear icon).
2. Find the network or cluster 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. See also our Solflare mainnet switch guide for full troubleshooting steps.

Get your first SOL on mainnet

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

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

See our how to get SOL in Solflare guide for buy, exchange, and receive walkthroughs. 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 your seed words owns your SOL. Never type them into a website, chat, or email.
• Solflare 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 Solflare is installed, on mainnet, and funded:

1. Connect to a Solana website — approve the connect popup so the site can request signatures.
2. Play Solana games with Solflare — free demo roll, then connect on desktop or scan Solana Pay QR on mobile.
3. Try Garden Dice — free demo roll, then pay 0.001 SOL for a provably fair on-chain roll.

Troubleshooting

• Wrong network — confirm Mainnet Beta; devnet balances do not pay mainnet sites.
• Insufficient SOL — leave room for fees; see insufficient SOL guide.
• Extension not detected — refresh the page, allow popups, disable competing wallet extensions temporarily.
• Mobile connect fails — use Solana Pay QR from the pay panel instead of browser connect.
• QR or detection issues — see Solana Pay troubleshooting.
• Paid but site did not update — wait a few seconds, tap detect-and-roll, or see verify payment guide.

Further reading

• Connect Solflare to a Solana website
• Send SOL with Solflare
• Play Solana games with Solflare
• Set up Phantom wallet (alternative wallet)
• How to play Solana dice
• Solana Pay QR — pay without browser connect
• Verify a Solana payment on mainnet
• Check your SOL balance
• Solflare docs — official wallet help