This article walks you through native Solana (SOL) staking in Phantom—a secure, non-custodial way to earn rewards by delegating your SOL directly to a validator.
Native staking means you stake SOL directly to a validator. This uses Solana’s built-in delegation system. This approach is non-custodial, doesn’t involve any smart contracts, and your SOL is not converted into another token—unlike liquid staking, where you receive a liquid staking token (LST) in return.
Staking this way helps secure the network and earns you rewards while keeping your tokens in your Phantom wallet.
How to stake SOL
You can stake SOL directly through the Phantom app using native staking. This method supports only SOL—other tokens on the Solana network or from other chains are not supported. If you’re interested in staking other assets, consider third-party DeFi apps.
To get started:
- Open Phantom and click your SOL balance.
- Click the Start earning SOL button.
- Select Native Staking (you can learn more about liquid staking via the link in the interface).
- Choose a validator to delegate to. Not sure which to pick? See Which validator should I stake with?
- Enter the amount of SOL you want to stake and click Stake.
It may take a few seconds for your staking account to appear. Once it's available, click Your Stake to view its status.
How to add SOL to your stake
Once a staking account is created, you cannot add more SOL to the same stake account. Instead, you have two options: create a new stake with the same validator or unstake the current amount and stake again with a higher amount.
Create a new stake with the same validator
Create a new stake account with the same validator by going to Your Stake, then selecting the plus button in the top right-hand corner.
Unstake and restake
Unstake your current position and stake again with a higher amount.
How to unstake SOL
You can unstake your SOL at any time—there’s no fixed lock-up period, but there is a short delay due to the Solana network’s epoch-based system.
Your tokens will not be locked for any specific period of time. You can choose to unstake them whenever you want.
To unstake:
- Click on your SOL balance in Phantom.
- Scroll to and click the Your Stake section.
- Choose the validator or stake account you want to unstake from.
- Click the Unstake button (bottom-right corner, purple).
Your staking account will begin to deactivate. Once done, you will need to manually withdraw the funds back to your wallet.
What "Activating" and "Deactivating" mean
Solana uses epochs (time periods lasting ~2–3 days) to manage staking operations. Your SOL stake:
- Activates at the start of the next epoch after staking.
- Deactivates at the start of the next epoch after unstaking.
Until then, your stake may show as “Activating” or “Deactivating.” You can track the current epoch progress at solanabeach.io or explorer.solana.com.
Troubleshooting tips
- Make sure you have enough SOL for network fees. Keeping ~0.05 SOL is usually sufficient for several transactions.
- If your stake isn’t appearing immediately, give it a moment—it may take a short time to display.