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Sent Crypto to the Wrong Network? What You Can Recover

Updated 2026-10-30

Short answer: stop and don't send anything else. If the address belongs to you (your own wallet), the coins are usually still yours: you just need to look on the other network. If it belongs to an exchange, contact its support with the transaction ID; many can recover deposits, sometimes for a fee, but they don't have to. If it went to a contract or a stranger, it's usually gone.

First: find the transaction

Copy the transaction ID (also called the hash) from the wallet or exchange you sent from. Open it on the network's explorer and note: the network, the token, the amount, and the address it went to. Everything below starts from those facts.

Case 1: your own wallet, wrong network

Example: you sent USDC on Base to your MetaMask address, but you were looking at Ethereum.

On Ethereum-style networks (Ethereum, Base, Arbitrum, Optimism, Polygon, BNB Chain, Avalanche, Flare and others) the same address exists on every one of them, and your seed phrase controls it on all of them.

  • Switch your wallet to the network you actually sent on. The funds are there.
  • You'll need a little of that network's own coin to pay the fee to move them.
  • Our Portfolio shows what one address holds across all these networks at once.

Case 2: an exchange, wrong network or missing memo

Example: you withdrew to your exchange deposit address on a network the exchange doesn't support, or sent XRP without the destination tag.

  • Contact the exchange's support through its official website or app, with the transaction ID, network, token and amount.
  • Many exchanges recover such deposits, sometimes for a fee and after a wait. Some can't, for some networks and tokens.
  • Missing memo or tag: usually recoverable with the transaction ID, because the exchange can see the deposit arrived.

Never deal with "recovery experts" who contact you, or who you find in comments or search ads. Real recovery only comes from the exchange itself.

Case 3: the wrong token at an exchange

Example: sending wrapped FLR (WFLR) to an exchange that only credits native FLR. The deposit arrives on the right network, but the exchange's system doesn't credit that token. Treat it like Case 2: support may be able to return it.

Case 4: a contract or a stranger's address

If the address is a token contract or another program, there's usually no one who can send it back. If it's a stranger's wallet, only they can return it. Some people do return funds sent by mistake when asked politely through a public channel, but there's no way to force it.

Avoid it next time

  • Send a small test first, and wait for it to arrive.
  • Match the network on both sides: what the exchange's deposit page says must be what you withdraw on.
  • Always include the memo or tag when the exchange gives you one.
  • Check the destination before you send. Our Send tool checks for contracts, exchange-deposit addresses and look-alikes, and our address checker works for any chain.

Do this

  1. Stop sending. Find the transaction ID and look it up on the explorer.
  2. Your own wallet? Switch networks and look again.
  3. An exchange? Contact its official support with the transaction details.
  4. Ignore anyone who offers to recover it for you.