Why Can’t I See My Tokens in a Wallet or DApp?

Short answer: a missing balance is almost always a display problem, not lost funds. There is one place to check whether the assets exist: a block explorer for the right network. If the explorer shows them, they are onchain, and the job is to find out why the wallet or dapp is not showing them.

Step 1: confirm the tokens on a block explorer

1. Pick the explorer for the network: Etherscan for Ethereum, Basescan for Base, Arbiscan for Arbitrum, BscScan for BNB Chain.
2. Search your wallet address and look at its token holdings.
3. For a recent transfer, search the transaction hash and check the status is Success rather than Pending or Failed; see how to check a transaction hash.

MetaMask's own troubleshooting follows the same order: transactions are fast but not instant, so confirm on an explorer first, then compare the explorer balance with what the wallet shows.

On the explorer but not in the wallet

• Wrong network selected. A token only appears on the network it was sent on. If the wallet is showing Ethereum and the tokens are on Base, you will not see them.
• Token not detected. Not every token is added automatically. Import it manually, using the contract address from the project's official site or the explorer, never one a stranger sent you.
• Tokens with changing balances. Rebasing tokens and tokens with a transfer tax can show amounts you did not expect. The project's documentation explains how.
• Connection or RPC trouble. MetaMask suggests checking your connection, restarting the browser, turning off ad blockers or a VPN, switching to another network and back, or trying a different RPC URL in network settings; see how to switch RPC.

In the wallet but zero in the dapp

• The dapp is on another account or network. With several accounts, the dapp may be connected to a different one, or sitting on another network. Check the address and network it shows.
• Same name, different token. "USDC" can be several contracts across networks, and even on one network, for example native USDC and bridged USDC.e. A dapp only recognises the version it supports.
• Native vs wrapped. ETH and WETH are different assets, and some dapps accept only one of them.
• Funds deposited elsewhere. Assets supplied to a lending market, staking contract or liquidity pool show up as a receipt token, or not at all. Check your position on that protocol.
• Stale page. Disconnect and reconnect, refresh, or try another browser.

Not on the explorer either

• For an exchange withdrawal, find the transaction hash and network in the withdrawal history and confirm which chain it was sent on; see USDT transfer not arrived.
• For a bridge, funds appear on the destination chain only after the bridge completes; see the bridge checklist.
• If you picked the wrong network, see sent crypto on the wrong network.

FAQ

Someone offered to "sync" or "fix" my wallet balance. Is that real?

No. Every display problem above can be fixed by you, and none needs anyone to connect to your wallet or see your seed phrase. "Wallet sync" and "wallet validation" pages are a standard phishing lure.

A token I never bought appeared in my wallet. Should I do anything?

Do not visit any site it points to in order to claim or swap it. Unsolicited tokens are a common way to lure people to drainer pages. Hide it and move on.

Further reading

• What is a transaction hash, and how do you check it?
• Same address, different balance? Check the network first
• What is an RPC endpoint, and how do you switch?
• USDT transfer not arrived? Check in this order

Sources

• MetaMask: what to do when your balance of tokens is incorrect (support.metamask.io)
• ethereum.org: transactions
• Etherscan (etherscan.io)