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Please note, this article is for MetaMask swaps performed with the Swap button within our app or extension (as shown below). For all other swap inquiries, please contact the third-party swap system you used, as they will have a better understanding of their system's intricacies, nuances, and issues. For general information regarding transactions, see here.
MetaMask Swaps fetches multiple quotes from various DeFi protocols. When you execute a swap through MetaMask, you interact directly with the liquidity source that offered the best price for your requested trade. MetaMask does its best to optimize each transaction before the swap is submitted. However, just like any on-chain transaction, transaction success is not guaranteed.
The main reason why your swap might have failed is likely to be slippage. When you perform a swap, you are agreeing to a price quote. If the price of the swap goes outside of the allowed slippage set (typically 2-3%), it will fail, in order to prevent you from seeing a huge variance in value when completed. There is a higher risk of slippage if you're trading a pair that includes a volatile asset, as its price is more likely to change whilst the transaction is processing.
If your swap fails, you can retry the swap, but this time, input a higher slippage percentage. Here's how to do so:
When you're inputting the details of your swap, hit the 'settings' icon and adjust slippage tolerance. If you want to increase it above 3%, you'll need to click 'Custom' and input your preferred tolerance.
Please be aware that this means the swap will still complete even if the price of the token changes more drastically during the pending/confirmation time.
If the swap still won't execute, you can contact our support team so we can investigate the underlying DEXs and assets to ensure it is due to slippage each time.
When a swap fails, some gas (ETH) will still be spent. This ETH goes to the network validators and not to MetaMask. This is unavoidable and part of the nature of blockchain.
FAQs
The main reason why your swap might have failed is likely to be slippage. When you perform a swap, you are agreeing to a price quote. If the price of the swap goes outside of the allowed slippage set (typically 2-3%), it will fail, in order to prevent you from seeing a huge variance in value when completed.
Why is the swap button not working in MetaMask? ›
If you are on a network on which Swaps is available, but are unable to click the Swap button, try restarting your browser, or try a different network connection entirely.
Why does my swap fail? ›
Error: The swap fails due to exceeding the slippage tolerance. Explanation: Slippage refers to the potential difference between the estimated price you see initially and the actual price executed on the blockchain. To protect users from significant price swings, there is a default slippage tolerance (often 0.5%).
Why are MetaMask transactions failing? ›
If you sent a transaction, and it failed, the most likely cause is a lack of gas: you "ran out of gas", in other words, the transaction had a cost in gas that, when multiplied by the gas price, resulted in a total amount of the network's native currency that was greater than what you had in your wallet.
How do I fix MetaMask error? ›
Here are some of our top fixes:
- Restart your browser, or force close the mobile app and reopen.
- Restart your computer or mobile device.
- Lock and unlock MetaMask.
- If your problem relates to a specific transaction, check the relevant block explorer for the network you're using, such as Etherscan.
The main reason why your swap might have failed is likely to be slippage. When you perform a swap, you are agreeing to a price quote. If the price of the swap goes outside of the allowed slippage set (typically 2-3%), it will fail, in order to prevent you from seeing a huge variance in value when completed.
Why won't my swap work? ›
A swap can fail because of a sudden shift in the exchange price between the cryptocurrencies you're trying to swap. We recommend waiting at least 60 seconds before retrying the transaction.
What is a swap error? ›
Swap errors occur when a subject reports a feature value that was present among the remembered items but that does not correspond to the target item[4, 11].
What happens when a crypto swap fails? ›
Your input tokens will be reverted but the network fee (gas) will be spent. This is likely due to a sudden hike in swap volume for the corresponding token pairs.
Why can't I swap on blockchain? ›
Failed: In some cases, a Swap order may fail to complete successfully. There could be various reasons for this, including volatile cryptocurrency market movements or the order value fluctuating beyond the predefined limits.
If you can't find an answer in these resources, click on the 'Contact Support' button on https://support.metamask.io/ to speak to a support agent.
Will I lose everything if I reset my MetaMask wallet? ›
Reset wallet will completely remove your wallet from the device, requiring you to restore with your SRP. 'Reset account' will wipe your transaction history, leaving your wallet otherwise untouched. See our account reset article for additional detail.
How to confirm swap in MetaMask? ›
Select the token you want to swap to (example: DAI) Enter the amount of the token you want swapped. Select “Get Quotes” Review swap information and select “Swap” to confirm transaction.
How do I cancel a failed transaction in MetaMask? ›
Method 1: In-app cancellation
If you haven't done this already, to cancel the transaction, simply select Cancel, as in the screenshot above. Please note, a cancellation can only be attempted if the transaction is still pending on the network. Transactions that have already been confirmed cannot be reversed.
How do I reset MetaMask? ›
To do this, navigate to settings and select Lock at the bottom.
- As soon you are on the unlock view, click Reset Wallet.
- You will see the message: "Are you sure you want to erase your wallet" click "I understand, continue".
- Type delete my wallet.
Find the account whose balance you want to refresh and click the three vertical dots next to it when you mouseover. Once in the 'More actions' menu, you'll see the option to 'Resync balances'. Click it to refresh your balances.
Why can't i swap tokens? ›
There are various reasons why the “Unable to swap these tokens” error may appear. The most common one is related to liquidity constraints when swapping two (or even one) long tail assets.
Why can't I swap my USDT on MetaMask? ›
On MetaMask, when you try to trade a swap, you need to agree to a quote. Therefore, if the swap price exceeds the allowed slippage rate by 2-3%, the swap will fail. The reason the exchange fails is to prevent you from seeing a huge difference in value when the processing is done. How to Swap on MetaMask successfully?
Why can't I switch networks in MetaMask? ›
This happens because of the updated MetaMask Wallet API — the Ankr Staking-related networks you added prior to the MetaMask update stopped working correctly. To fix this problem, all you need to do is to delete the networks you added earlier, than add them back again.
