How to create a Solana wallet, and which kind to pick

To create a Solana wallet, install a wallet app such as Phantom or Solflare from its official site, choose to create a new wallet, and write down the recovery phrase it shows you. Your address is under Receive, and it is the only part you ever share.

Updated 28 October 2026 · 7 min read

The short answer

A Solana wallet is a key pair. The private part signs for you and stays secret. The public part is your address, which you give people so they can pay you. Every wallet app makes the pair for you, in nearly the same steps:

Get the app from its official site, not a search ad or a link in a message.
Choose to create a new wallet.
Write down the recovery phrase on paper and keep it offline.
Set a password or turn on Face ID, so the app locks on your device.
Open Receive to see your address.

The real choice is not which button to press. It is how your wallet gets backed up, because that decides what happens when you lose a phone.

Four kinds of wallet

Kind	Backed up by	Good for	Watch out for
Recovery phrase wallet	12 words you write down	Most people	Anyone with the words owns the wallet
Google or Apple sign-in	Your account, plus a PIN in Phantom	Getting started fast	One wallet per account in Phantom
Hardware wallet	A device such as a Ledger and its own phrase	Savings	Costs money, slower to use
Command line keypair	A file on your computer	Developers	The file is not encrypted

A recovery phrase wallet

This is the classic kind and the one most guides mean. The app makes a recovery phrase, a list of words that can rebuild every account in the wallet on any device.

In Phantom, get the app from phantom.com/download. On the extension, click Create a New Wallet, then Create a Recovery Phrase Wallet. On the phone app, tap More Options, then Create Recovery Phrase. Phantom makes a 12-word phrase. The extension then asks for a password of at least eight characters with a capital letter, a number and a special character. That password only unlocks Phantom in that browser; the phrase is still the real backup.

In Solflare, go to solflare.com (Solflare warns that fake copies of its site exist), click Access Wallet, then I Need A New Wallet. Write down the phrase, click I Saved My Recovery Phrase, then type the words back in to prove you have them. A passcode is optional after that.

Three rules hold for any phrase wallet:

Paper, not a screenshot. Phantom says to write it down and store it offline. If you download Solflare’s text file, encrypt it straight away.
Nobody needs it but you. Phantom’s own help says its support will never ask for your phrase or private key. Anyone who asks is trying to steal from you.
It cannot be changed. Phantom says a phrase is fixed when the wallet is made. If you think it has leaked, you make a new wallet and move everything over.

For what the words unlock compared with a private key, see seed phrase vs private key.

Phantom also lets you skip the words. On the phone, tap Continue with Apple or Continue with Google. On the extension, click Create a New Wallet, then Continue with Email, then pick Google or Apple.

The trade offs, from Phantom’s help page:

You can have one active wallet per Google or Apple account, though that wallet can hold several accounts.
You may set a four-digit PIN. You need it with your Google or Apple login to restore the wallet on a new device.
After seven wrong PIN tries, the encrypted backup on that device is deleted. You can then recover only if you are still signed in on another device or have exported your recovery phrase.
You cannot later link Google or Apple to an existing wallet, or change which account the wallet is tied to.

It is quick and hard to lose. It also ties your money to an email login, so protect that login like a bank account.

A hardware wallet

A hardware wallet keeps the keys on a small device. Ledger says the keys stay offline on a secure chip and that each transaction is shown on the device’s screen before you approve it.

You can use it from Ledger’s own app or from Phantom and Solflare. Get each one only from its official page, never from an ad, a search result you have not checked, or a link someone sends you:

Ledger’s app is now called Ledger Wallet (formerly Ledger Live). Download it from Ledger’s Ledger Wallet page, which is where ledger.com/ledger-live sends you.
Phantom comes from phantom.com/download. Its steps are in Phantom’s Ledger guide.
Solflare has its steps in Solflare’s Ledger guide.

In the Phantom extension, plug in and unlock the Ledger, click Create a New Wallet, then Connect Hardware Wallet, and open the Solana app on the device when asked. Phantom’s help adds a few things to check first: update the firmware and the Solana app, close Ledger Live, and use a USB cable that carries data. In Solflare, plug in the Ledger, open the Solana app, and choose Continue with Ledger on Solflare’s site.

Be careful with blind signing. Phantom and Solflare both say some Solana transactions need blind signing turned on in the Ledger’s Solana app. Blind signing means approving a transaction you cannot read in full on the device. Ledger warns that you might grant a smart contract unlimited permission to move your assets, or send funds to the wrong place. So:

Turn it on only when a transaction you started needs it.
Phantom says to approve only transactions you recognize and trust, and to check the details in Phantom and on the Ledger before confirming.
Solflare says to turn blind signing off again after use.

The device has its own recovery phrase. Never type it into Phantom, a website or any app.

A keypair from the command line

Developers can make a wallet with the Solana command line tools. Install them from the Anza install page, then run:

solana-keygen new --outfile ~/my-solana-wallet/my-keypair.json
solana-keygen pubkey ~/my-solana-wallet/my-keypair.json

The first line makes the keypair, the second prints its address. The Anza docs are blunt about it: a file system wallet is the least secure way to hold SOL, the file is not encrypted, and holding large amounts in one is not recommended. Use it for testing and scripts, not savings.

How to get your Solana wallet address

In Phantom on the phone, open Deposit on the Home tab, choose Receive Crypto, pick Solana, then copy the address or show its QR code. In the extension, click Receive on the Home tab, find Solana and click copy. Other wallets put it under Receive too.

A few things worth knowing:

The address is public. Phantom calls it a public identifier you can share to receive crypto. It is safe to give out, but anyone who has it can see your balance and history. See is Solana traceable.
Each account has its own address. If your wallet holds several accounts, pick the right one before you copy.
Check the first and last few characters after you paste. Copy errors and clipboard malware both happen.
The same words can show a different address in another app. That is a derivation path difference, not lost money. See Solana derivation paths.

Which one to pick

Just starting, small amounts: a recovery phrase wallet in Phantom or Solflare. Write the words on paper.
You know you will lose paper: the Google or Apple sign-in in Phantom, with a strong login and the PIN written down somewhere safe.
Money you would hate to lose: a hardware wallet, used through Phantom, Solflare or Ledger’s app, each from its official page.
Building or testing: the command line, with small amounts only.

To compare the apps, see the best Solana wallets in 2026.

If you need many wallets

Raven is a Solana wallet manager for people who run many wallets. Its keys are made in your browser and locked with your password before anything is saved, and its server keeps only that locked copy. One vault holds up to 1,000 wallets in folders you name, and your 12 words bring every wallet back. You can also bring wallets from Phantom with a seed phrase or a private key. Raven is invite only for now: join the waitlist, and read more on the about page.

Questions

Does it cost anything to create a Solana wallet?

None of the steps above asks you to pay. You need a little SOL later to pay network fees when you send. See Solana fees explained.

Can I have more than one Solana wallet?

Yes. Phantom lets one wallet hold several accounts, each with its own address, and a command line keypair is just another file. See manage many Solana wallets in one place.

What if I lose my recovery phrase?

If the app still opens, make a new wallet, write its words down this time, and move everything into it. If you lose both the device and the phrase, Phantom says it cannot help you get the wallet back.

Is my wallet address the same as my private key?

No. The address is public and safe to share so people can pay you. The private key and recovery phrase are secret and give full control of the wallet.

Sources

Raven makes keys in your browser and keeps any number of Solana wallets in one place.

Join the waitlist