How to stake Solana on Phantom wallet? (Staking Tutorial)

Setting Up Phantom Wallet for Solana

1. Visit the official Phantom website and download the browser extension for Chrome, Firefox, or Brave.

2. Install the extension and click “Get Started” to create a new wallet or import an existing one using your 12-word seed phrase.

3. Confirm your wallet name and password, then securely store your recovery phrase offline—never share it with anyone.

4. Once initialized, switch the network to Solana by clicking the network dropdown in the top-left corner and selecting “Solana Mainnet.”

5. Fund your wallet with SOL tokens by copying your wallet address and receiving SOL from an exchange or another wallet.

Accessing the Staking Interface

1. Open Phantom and ensure you’re connected to Solana Mainnet.

2. Click the “Stake” tab located in the left-hand navigation panel—this opens the staking dashboard.

3. Phantom displays a list of available validators ranked by uptime, commission rate, and APY estimates.

4. Use the built-in filters to sort by lowest commission, highest uptime, or most recent epoch performance.

5. Click on a validator to view detailed metrics including historical rewards, slashing history, and node location.

Initiating a Stake Transaction

1. Select your preferred validator and click “Stake” next to its name.

2. Enter the amount of SOL you wish to delegate—ensure you retain at least 0.000001 SOL for rent exemption and future transactions.

3. Review the validator’s current commission percentage and estimated annual yield before confirming.

4. Click “Continue” to generate the transaction, then approve it using your wallet password.

5. Wait for confirmation on-chain—this usually takes less than 30 seconds, and your stake appears under “My Stakes” immediately after.

Managing Active Stakes

1. Navigate back to the “Stake” tab to view all active delegations, including delegated amount, validator name, and current epoch status.

2. Click the three-dot menu next to any stake to “Withdraw,” “Re-stake,” or “Deactivate.”

3. Deactivation initiates a 2-epoch cooldown period before funds become withdrawable—no rewards accrue during this window.

4. To reassign your stake, deactivate first, wait for cooldown completion, then select a new validator and stake again.

5. Rewards are automatically compounded if you choose “Re-stake”; otherwise, they appear as pending SOL in your balance after each epoch.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Can I stake SOL directly from a hardware wallet via Phantom?Phantom does not currently support hardware wallet integration for staking operations—only software wallets managed natively within the extension can initiate delegation.

Q: What happens if my chosen validator goes offline or gets slashed?If a validator experiences downtime beyond acceptable thresholds, your rewards decrease proportionally—but your principal SOL remains fully intact and accessible.

Q: Is there a minimum amount required to begin staking SOL?There is no protocol-enforced minimum, but practical constraints apply: you must keep at least 0.000001 SOL in your wallet to maintain account rent exemption and cover transaction fees.

Q: Why do APY estimates fluctuate between validators?APY varies due to differences in commission rates, validator uptime consistency, network inflation distribution, and the total stake weight assigned to each node—these factors are recalculated every epoch.