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Your first week on Solana: a step-by-step plan for complete beginners

You don't need to learn everything at once. Spend ten to twenty minutes a day for a week, with an amount of money you would be fine losing, and you will know how to use Solana safely. Here is the plan, one day at a time.

  • 6 min read
  • Published
  • Facts checked
  • By StonkBuilder Community

In short

  • Take one small step a day and use a small amount of money while you learn.
  • Your recovery phrase is your wallet: write it on paper and never type it into a website or a chat.
  • Send a small test before every new kind of transfer, and keep a little SOL for fees.
  • A token's name and logo can be copied. Its contract address cannot, so that is what you check.

Words you'll meet

Wallet
An app that holds the keys to your crypto and lets you approve actions.
Recovery phrase
12 or 24 words that can restore your wallet on any device. Whoever has them owns your funds.
Address
Your public account number. Safe to share when someone sends you crypto.
SOL
Solana's own coin. Every transaction pays a small fee in SOL.
Swap
Trading one token for another, straight from your wallet.
Contract address
The unique address of a token, also called its mint. The reliable way to tell a real token from a copy.

More words, explained plainly: the StonkBuilder Learn glossary

This plan is for people who have never used crypto. Each day has one goal, takes ten to twenty minutes, and ends with a simple check that you got it right. If a day takes longer, that's fine: the order matters more than the speed.

The seven days

  1. Day 1: Learn five words

    Read about wallets, recovery phrases, addresses, tokens and fees. Our Solana guide's basics take five minutes, and StonkBuilder Learn explains recovery phrases in depth. Done when you can say why nobody should ever see your recovery phrase.

  2. Day 2: Install a wallet

    Pick a well-known Solana wallet such as Phantom, Solflare or Backpack, and download it only from its official website or your phone's official app store: fake wallet apps are a common trap.[1] Create a new wallet, write the recovery phrase on paper in order, and set a password.[2] Done when your phrase is on paper, not in a photo, a note app or an email.

  3. Day 3: Buy a little SOL

    Buy SOL with your own currency on an exchange licensed in your country, or with a card inside your wallet app where that is offered.[3] Our guide compares the ways to buy SOL. Done when you own a small amount of SOL.

  4. Day 4: Send a small test

    Copy your wallet address, withdraw a small amount of SOL from the exchange and choose the Solana network. Check the first and last few characters of the address before you confirm. It usually arrives seconds after the exchange sends it.[4] StonkBuilder Learn walks through your first transfer . Done when the test shows up in your wallet.

  5. Day 5: Make your first swap

    Swap a small amount of SOL for USDC, a digital dollar, with your wallet's Swap button or with Jupiter. Read the quote first: what you pay, what you get and the fees. Follow our step-by-step Jupiter guide. Done when USDC shows in your wallet and you still have some SOL left for fees.

  6. Day 6: Learn to spot fakes

    Anyone can copy a token's name and logo, but not its contract address.[5] Find a token's address on the project's official site, or on the verified address cards in our Raydium, StonkFun and $ORE hubs, and compare the whole address. Hide tokens you never bought that appear in your wallet: they often lead to scam sites. Done when you can find and compare one token's address.

  7. Day 7: Explore one more app, safely

    Pick one thing to try with a small amount, such as staking a little SOL, or read one project community from start to finish. Then set your habits: bookmark official sites, and keep savings in a separate wallet from the one you use every day. Done when you have tried one new app and bookmarked its real address.

Your safety checklist

  • Never share your recovery phrase. No real support team will ever ask for it.
  • Open apps from your bookmarks, and check the address bar before you connect your wallet.
  • Read what your wallet asks you to approve. If you don't understand it, reject it. StonkBuilder Learn explains token approvals .
  • Ignore messages you didn't ask for, and anyone promising to double your money. Learn how to spot a scam .
  • Keep a little SOL for fees: every transaction pays one, even when you send another token, and each new token needs a refundable deposit of about 0.002 SOL.[6]

If something goes wrong

  • Sent to the wrong address? Solana transactions are final, so it cannot be reversed. That is why the small test comes first.
  • Withdrew on the wrong network? Contact your exchange's official support through its website or app. It may or may not be able to help.
  • Think your wallet is compromised? Create a new wallet with a new recovery phrase, move what is left into it straight away, and stop using the old one. Anyone who offers to recover your funds for a fee is running a second scam.

Questions people ask

How much money do I need to start?

Very little. The base network fee is 0.000005 SOL per transaction, and each new token in your wallet needs a refundable deposit of about 0.002 SOL. A few dollars' worth of SOL is enough to learn with.

Which wallet should I choose?

A well-known self-custody wallet such as Phantom, Solflare or Backpack. Solana's own wallet directory compares them. What matters most is downloading the real app and keeping the recovery phrase safe.

Can I do all of this on my phone?

Yes. The wallets above have phone apps, and exchanges and swap apps work in the phone browser or in their own apps.

Do I have to finish in seven days?

No. Take a day off whenever you like. The order is what keeps you safe: learn, set up, test with a little, then try more.

Go deeper in our project communities

More on the StonkBuilder Journal

Sources

  1. Solana: What is a wallet? solana.com/learn/what-is-a-wallet
  2. Solana: Staying safe on Solana solana.com/learn/staying-safe-on-solana
  3. Solana: On and off ramps solana.com/solanaramp
  4. Solana: Sending and receiving SOL solana.com/learn/sending-and-receiving-sol
  5. Solana: Introduction to Solana tokens solana.com/learn/introduction-to-solana-tokens
  6. Solana: Understanding Solana transaction fees solana.com/learn/understanding-solana-transaction-fees

Checked on 29 Sep 2026. Projects change their fees and features; the linked pages are the source of truth.

StonkBuilder Community writes independent, educational guides. We are not affiliated with, endorsed or sponsored by the projects we cover; names and trademarks belong to their owners. Nothing here is financial, investment or legal advice. Crypto prices are volatile and you can lose money.