Understanding how Phantom organizes your crypto helps you manage it effectively. Here's how wallets, accounts, and addresses work together.
Key terms
| Term | What it is | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Wallet | Created from a recovery phrase or email login. Contains one or more accounts. | A physical wallet |
| Account | A set of addresses across all supported chains. Holds your tokens and NFTs. | A card inside that wallet |
| Address | A unique identifier on a specific chain. Used to send and receive funds. | The account number on that card |
Wallets
A wallet is the top-level container for your crypto. You create a wallet using:
- Recovery phrase: A 12-word phrase you store securely offline.
- Google or Apple: Sign in with your email and set a 4-digit PIN.
Each wallet has a Phantom profile tied to your username (@handle). If a wallet is compromised, all accounts inside it are at risk.
Accounts
Every wallet starts with one account, but you can create more. Use different accounts for different purposes—long-term holdings, daily activity, NFTs, or airdrops.
Phantom is a multi-chain wallet, so each account includes addresses on all supported chains (Solana, Ethereum, Base, Polygon, Bitcoin, Sui, Monad, HyperEVM). You don't need to create separate accounts for each chain.
You can personalize accounts with custom names and emoji or NFT avatars.
Special account types
- Cash account: A self-custodial wallet on Solana tied to your Phantom username. It always holds CASH, a USD-pegged stablecoin, and powers Phantom Cash features. See Get started with Phantom Cash.
- Trading account: An account created automatically when you connect a recovery-phrase wallet to Phantom Terminal (trade.phantom.com). It enables faster trading by allowing transactions without manual approval for each one. See Trade tokens and perps in Phantom Terminal.
Addresses
Each account has a unique address on every supported chain. Share your address to receive funds on that chain. Different chains have different address formats:
Solana addresses look different from Ethereum addresses.
EVM chains (Ethereum, Base, Polygon, Monad, HyperEVM) share the same address format, but the chain still matters—ETH on Ethereum isn't the same as ETH on Base.
Importing wallets
You can import wallets from other apps like Solflare, MetaMask, or Base Wallet using your recovery phrase. You can also import individual accounts using a private key.
See Restore your Phantom wallet for instructions.