I sent crypto to the wrong place
If you've sent crypto and it hasn't ended up where you expected, start by checking if the transaction has been confirmed. If the transaction has not been confirmed, and is headed to the right place, you can speed it up. If the transaction has not been confirmed, and is not headed to the right place, you can cancel it.
If the transaction has been confirmed, but you sent it to the wrong network or address, continue with the relevant section below.
Confirm the transaction status
If your transaction was made on MetaMask, head to the 'Activity' tab on Extension or Mobile. If you've sent tokens on MetaMask Portfolio, head to the 'Activity' tab on the Portfolio website.
From the 'Activity' tab, find the transaction you're looking for. If the transaction shows as Pending, it's still being processed — you can wait, or speed it up or cancel it while it remains unconfirmed. You can also check the block explorer from the transaction detail view.
If the transaction shows as Success, the tokens reached the destination address.
The recipient can't see the tokens in their wallet
If the block explorer confirms the transaction was successful but the recipient can't see the tokens, their wallet may simply not be displaying them. Some wallets — MetaMask included — don't always detect tokens automatically, especially newer or less common ones. The recipient may need to add the token manually. See How to display tokens in MetaMask for instructions.
Sent on the wrong network
If you've already sent a token on the wrong network, here's what to know.
EVM-compatible networks (recoverable)
Your Secret Recovery Phrase generates the same address across all EVM-compatible networks — Polygon, Arbitrum, Optimism, Avalanche, and many others. If you sent tokens to a friend on the wrong EVM-compatible network, the tokens are not lost. Your friend simply needs to switch their wallet to that network, and the tokens will be there. They can then bridge them to the intended network.
Non-EVM networks (likely unrecoverable)
If you sent tokens to an address on a non-EVM network, it's likely your tokens are gone forever.
The reason is that seed phrases generate different addresses on different networks. An address that exists on a non-EVM network will not correspond to the same address on Ethereum. If you sent tokens on Ethereum to an address derived from an a non-EVM seed phrase, those tokens went to a different address entirely — most likely one that will never be accessed.
A seed phrase is linked to a specific network; it will not restore the same address on another network.
Sent to the wrong address
If you know who owns the destination address, you can contact them and ask them to send the tokens back via a new transaction. Because addresses are pseudonymous, this is often not possible.
Sent to a contract address
If you sent tokens to a smart contract address rather than a regular account, there is no guarantee of recovery. The contract may not be programmed to handle incoming tokens. In some cases the project team may be able to help — it's worth reaching out — but this is not guaranteed.
MetaMask will not DM you about this
MetaMask will never contact you directly, and will never ask for your Secret Recovery Phrase. If someone messages you claiming they can recover your funds or that they're from MetaMask, they are a scammer. Seek help only through official MetaMask channels.