How to use the Pontem wallet? (Aptos/Move guide)

Setting Up the Pontem Wallet

1. Visit the official Pontem website and download the browser extension for Chrome, Firefox, or Edge.

2. Click “Add to Chrome” and confirm the installation prompt.
3. Once installed, click the Pontem icon in your browser toolbar to launch the setup flow.
4. Choose “Create a new wallet” and securely save your 12-word recovery phrase—never share it or store it digitally.
5. Enter and confirm a strong password to encrypt your local wallet data.
6. After confirmation, your Aptos-compatible wallet is initialized with a default account.

Connecting to Aptos dApps

1. Navigate to an Aptos-based decentralized application such as Topaz, Hippo, or Liquidswap.

2. Look for a “Connect Wallet” button, typically located in the top-right corner of the interface.
3. Select “Pontem Wallet” from the available options.
4. A popup will appear requesting permission to access your public address—click “Connect”.
5. The dApp now displays your Pontem wallet address and allows interaction with Move smart contracts.

Managing Assets and Tokens

1. Open the Pontem extension and click the “Assets” tab to view your Aptos coin (APT) and any registered tokens.

2. To add a custom token, click “+ Add Token”, then input the contract address, name, symbol, and decimals manually.
3. Tap on any token to see its balance, recent transfers, and associated transaction history.
4. Use the “Send” button to initiate transfers—enter recipient address, amount, and gas fee parameters.
5. Confirm the transaction using your wallet password; the signature is processed locally before broadcasting to the Aptos network.

Interacting with Move Smart Contracts

1. Access the “Developer” or “Contract” tab inside Pontem to view raw Move module information.

2. Paste a valid Move module address into the “Inspect Contract” field to retrieve function signatures and struct definitions.
3. Select a function that accepts public arguments and populate each field with correct types—e.g., u64, vector, or signer.
4. Click “Simulate” to preview gas cost and potential state changes before final submission.
5. After simulation, click “Execute” and authorize the transaction with your password—the Move bytecode runs natively on Aptos’ execution layer.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Can I import an existing Aptos wallet seed phrase into Pontem?A: Yes. During setup, choose “Import wallet” instead of “Create new wallet”, then enter your 12-word BIP-39 phrase used by Martian or Petra wallets.

Q: Does Pontem support hardware wallet integration?A: Not currently. Pontem operates as a software wallet only and does not interface with Ledger or Trezor devices.

Q: Why does my token balance show zero even after receiving funds?A: The token may not be auto-detected. Manually add it using its canonical contract address from the Aptos Explorer or official project documentation.

Q: Is it safe to use Pontem on mobile browsers?A: Pontem is designed exclusively for desktop browsers. Mobile usage via Chrome for Android or Safari is unsupported and may expose private keys to insecure contexts.