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Okay, first off, grab a pen and paper right now. Yeah, like actual paper. Why? Because when you hit that recovery phrase step, you'll need to jot down 24 words super securely. I usually do this on a scrap of paper I then hide in a drawer or snap a pic and lock it in an encrypted note app. Trust me, typing it into your phone first is a rookie mistake-hackers love that.
What's next? Head to the official Eternl site at eternl.io. Don't Google it or click shady links. Phishing sites look identical and steal your seed. Sound familiar? Happened to a buddy once.
So you're on eternl.io/app/mainnet/welcome or whatever the landing page says. Look for the big Add to Chrome button. It's a Chrome extension, works best there. Click it, confirm in the Chrome store popup, and boom-Eternl icon pops up in your toolbar.
Click the icon. Empty wallet screen stares back. Kinda exciting, right?
Screen shows your 24 words. Write 'em down in order. No photos yet. Click okay, then it makes you re type every single one to verify. Tedious? Yeah. But that's why it's secure. In my experience, messing this up loses wallets forever.
Done? Your wallet's live. Shows balance (probably zero), receive address, QR code. Copy that address-it's your Cardano entry point for ADA deposits.
Cardano uses this mnemonic standard. It's hierarchical-means one seed makes multiple accounts. Pretty much unlimited sub wallets from the same phrase. Game changer for separating staking from trading.
Okay, wallet empty? No fun. Head to an exchange like Binance or Coinbase, buy ADA. Withdraw to your Eternl receive address. Start small, like 10 ADA, to test.
Fees? Cardano's dirt cheap-usually under 0.2 ADA per tx. Wait 5-10 mins, refresh Eternl. Boom, balance updates. Why does this matter? Confirms everything's wired right before big deposits.
Pro tip: Always double check the first 5 and last 5 chars of the address. Typos cost fortunes.
Here's where Eternl shines. One seed, but add accounts for separation. Like, Account 0 for staking, Account 1 for dApps.
Go to your wallet settings (gear icon), hit Account List. Click add account. Pick how many-say 3. Each gets its own address, balance. Switch between 'em easy.
I usually set up 2-4 right away. Takes 30 seconds. In my experience, this stops me from mixing funds like a noob.
Receiving's dead simple. Hit Receive tab, copy address or QR. Share it safely.
Sending? Select account, hit Send. Paste destination address. Amount-like 5 ADA. Add native tokens if needed (select from dropdown). Next shows preview: fees around 0.17 ADA, change address.
Enter spending password, sign. Done in seconds. But watch: Cardano UTXOs mean small dust stays behind. That's normal.
| Common Send Issues | Quick Fix |
|---|---|
| Insufficient funds | Consolidate UTXOs first-send all to self. |
| No collateral for dApps | Set 5+ ADA collateral in settings. |
| Tx fails | Check network congestion, try custom API. |
Send to another account in same wallet? Magic button picks address auto. No copy paste errors.
Cardano staking's fire-4-5% APY, no lockup. In Eternl, go to Delegate tab. Pick pool by ROA (return on ADA), fees (usually 2-5%), size. I aim for 340-350% lifetime ROA, under 1% fees.
Rewards? Epochs every 5 days. Auto claim or manual. Unstake anytime-funds free next epoch. I've staked 100+ ADA here for months, smooth rewards.
Multiple accounts? Delegate each separately. Diversify pools to minimize risks.
Eternl's a beast for dApps like Minswap, SundaeSwap. Toggle dApp connector on for your account (gear > enable).
Issue? "No wallet found." Fix: Refresh dApp, ensure connector active, set collateral (5 ADA min in one UTXO).
Single address mode? Toggle in settings. Keeps change on same address-trackers show full balance. Great for testing.
dApps need collateral for failed txs. Settings > Collateral > Enable, set 5-10 ADA. Eternl auto creates if missing. Why bother? Swaps, loans work flaw. Without? Stuck at "approve" forever.
Got a Ledger or Keystone? Pair it. Add Wallet > Hardware. Pick device, scan QR codes back/forth. Boom, hardware secured account.
Trezor Model T works too. Multiple accounts per hardware seed. I pair for cold storage-sign txs offline.
Potential glitch: Other tabs using hardware? Close 'em. Firmware up to date? Check.
Gear icon's gold. Here's what I always fiddle:
Single address? Toggle. Send all? Button clears account fully. Privacy boost.
One weird one: Custom submit API. If mainnet lags, swap to faster endpoint. Google "Cardano APIs" for lists.
Honestly, 90% hacks are user error. Never share seed. Password unique. Extension only from official site.
Backup: Test restore on new browser. Enter seed, same wallet appears. Phew.
Phishing? Official dApps only. Check URLs. I screenshot seed once encrypted, delete originals.
Multiple wallets? Group 'em-folders like "Hot," "Cold," "Test."
Eternl integrates swaps. Receive tab or DEX section. Pick ADA to token, slippage 0.5-1%. Fees minimal, ~0.3% pool fee + tx.
Pro move: Check liquidity first. Low? Slippage kills ya.
Wallet won't load? Clear cache, restart Chrome.
Tx stuck? Check explorer like Cardanoscan. Rare, but network hiccups happen.
Restore fail? Exact word order, no typos. Shelley era wallets are 24 words.
In my experience, 80% issues = no collateral or wrong network. Eternl defaults mainnet-switch to testnet for practice (bottom right).
Vote in governance? Voting tab. Delegate votes easy.
Export account pubkey for watch only.
NFTs? Receive shows 'em. Send like tokens.
Why multiple under one seed? Privacy-different discovery paths. Each account isolated UTXOs.
That's the core. Play around with 5-10 ADA. Questions? Experiment safe. You've got this-Eternl's intuitive once rolling.
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