© 2026 Della Group. All Rights Reserved.
Okay, picture this: I'm scrolling Twitter late at night, see some hyped up NFT drop. Click around, approve a few things without thinking. Next morning? My wallet's lighter by like 2 ETH. Not drained completely, but enough to freak me out. Thing is, I had approved "infinite" access to some random contract months ago from a farm I forgot about. Bad actor sniffed it out and drained what they could. Sound familiar? That's why you gotta revoke MetaMask approvals now, before it's your turn.
In my experience, most people don't even know these approvals stick around forever unless you kill 'em. It's like handing your house keys to a stranger and never asking for them back. Why does this matter? One exploit, and poof-your USDC, ETH, whatever's exposed is gone. Gas fees to fix it? Tiny, like 0.001 ETH on Ethereum when it's not crazy busy. Worth it? Hell yes.
So let's fix this. I'll walk you through it casual like, step by step. No fluff. Just what works.
Basically, when a dApp asks to "approve" spending your tokens, you're signing a permission slip. That contract can now pull X amount-or infinite-of your tokens anytime. Even after you close the tab. Disconnecting your wallet? Useless. It just hides your address; the approval lives on chain forever.
I usually check mine monthly. Caught a sketchy one from an old airdrop hunt last week. Saved maybe 500 bucks. Honest truth: 90% of approvals you forget about are useless now. Revoke 'em all except legit ones like Uniswap.
Infinite approvals? Never do that again. Set limits, like exactly what you need for the trade. MetaMask now lets you cap it-say, 1 ETH max for a swap. But old ones? Gotta revoke manually.
This is my go to. Super easy, no third party needed. But heads up-you can't do it in the browser extension or mobile app. Gotta use the web portfolio.
Pro tip: Sort by newest first if you just hit a dodgy site. And do this on every chain you're on-Ethereum, Base, Arbitrum. Takes 5 minutes per wallet.
Issue I hit once? Network mismatch. Wallet on Polygon, but caps showed Ethereum. Solution: Switch networks in MetaMask first, then refresh portfolio. Fixed.
MetaMask Portfolio good for basics. But revoke.cash? Handles 100+ networks, shows value at risk in USD. I use it for Solana too, even though this guide's MetaMask focused.
What's next? Fire it up.
Fees? Negligible-0.0005 ETH ish on L2s. Filters are gold: Hide low value stuff under $10. In my experience, it catches ghosts from dead projects you farmed two years ago.
One glitch: If site's lagging, tx might fail with "nonce too low." Just reset account in MetaMask settings (doesn't lose funds). Retry.
Not feeling third party sites? Block explorers like Etherscan got you. Ethereum mainnet king, but Polygonscan, BscScan same deal.
Here's the flow:
Current allowance shows what's left-say you approved 1000 USDT, 950 spent, 50 remains. Revoke zeros it. Ethereum only for this tool, but explorers everywhere work similar.
Why I like it? Free, no connect needed to view. But slower load if tons of approvals. I had 47 once-froze Chrome. Solution: Filter by high value tokens first.
| Method | Best For | Networks | Gas Per Revoke | Connect Required? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MetaMask Portfolio | Quick daily checks | ETH, Polygon, BNB | ~0.001 ETH | Yes |
| Revoke.cash | Multi chain, value sorting | 100+ | ~0.0005 ETH/L2 | Optional |
| Etherscan | Deep dives, NFTs | ETH main | ~0.002 ETH | For revoke |
Pick based on your setup. I rotate 'em.
Look, everyone's messed up approvals. Here's the hits.
First: Thinking "Disconnect" saves you. Nope. Kills live session only. Revoke the approval or you're exposed.
Second: Unlimited approvals during hype. That "Approve Max" button? Trap. Next time, edit to exact amount-like 0.5 ETH for a swap. MetaMask Spending Cap makes it easy now.
Third: Forgetting farms/mints. Old liquidity pools linger. Monthly audit fixes it.
And bridged tokens? Wrapped ETH confuses people. Revoke both native and wrapped if unused.
Trouble? Tx stuck? Clear MetaMask cache: Settings → Advanced → Reset Account. No seed needed, safe.
Batch revokes? Not native, but do 5-10 at once on low gas times (mornings UTC). L2s like Base: under $0.10 total. Ethereum? Wait for dips-check ethgasstation.info.
Don't just revoke once. Make it routine.
In my experience, this cuts risk 99%. Had a friend ignore it-lost 10k to a re exploit. Don't be that guy.
Questions pop up? "How much at risk?" Tools show USD value. "Safe sites?" Stick to these three. Others like Unrekt, approved.zone work too, but verify first.
MetaMask's new Spending Caps let you overwrite old approvals with limits. During approve, pick "Custom" → set 100 USDC max. Boom-old infinite replaced.
Automation? Revoke.delegate thing from MetaMask-sets rules like "revoke if allowance >10% balance." Cool for whales, but beta ish. I skip for now.
Batch approvals for devs? That's dApp side, using metamask_batch. Users still confirm each, but fewer clicks. Safer than unlimited, though.
NFT approvals? Same drill-ERC-721 shows in tools. Revoke "setApprovalForAll" especially; gives full collection access.
Exotic chains? Revoke.cash covers most. No support? Native explorer or Cointool.app.
Mobile? Portfolio web on phone browser. Clunky, but works. Extension can't revoke.
One pain: Failed revokes from low gas limit. Bump it 20% in MetaMask advanced.
That's the full rundown. Do it today-your future self thanks you. Hit a snag? Reply, I'll sort it.
© 2026 Della Group. All Rights Reserved.