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Quickstart: Stake SOL in 5 Minutes#

This guide walks you through staking SOL with Marinade using the web interface.

Prerequisites#

Requirement Details
Wallet Phantom, Solflare, Backpack, or Ledger
SOL Amount to stake + ~0.01 SOL for fees
Time ~5 minutes

New to Solana wallets?

See our Wallet Setup Guide for step-by-step instructions.

Step 1: Connect Your Wallet#

Time: ~30 seconds

  1. Go to app.marinade.finance
  2. Click Connect Wallet in the top right corner
  3. Select your wallet (Phantom, Solflare, etc.)
  4. Approve the connection in your wallet popup

You're connected when...

You see your wallet address displayed in the top right corner.

Step 2: Choose Staking Method#

Time: ~1 minute

Best for: DeFi users who want liquidity

  1. Ensure you're on the Stake tab
  2. Enter the amount of SOL to stake
  3. Review the mSOL amount you'll receive
  4. Click Stake
  5. Approve the transaction in your wallet
Text Only
You deposit: 10 SOL
You receive: ~9.5 mSOL (rate varies)

Why less mSOL than SOL?

mSOL appreciates over time. The exchange rate reflects accumulated rewards, so 1 mSOL is always worth more than 1 SOL.

Best for: Users who want full custody

  1. Click the Native Stake tab
  2. Choose your staking product:
    • Max Yield - Optimized for highest APY
    • Select - Curated validator set
  3. Enter the amount of SOL to stake
  4. Click Stake
  5. Approve the transaction in your wallet

What happens to your SOL?

Your SOL is placed in stake accounts that you own. Marinade manages delegation but you retain withdraw authority.

Step 3: Verify Your Stake#

Time: ~30 seconds

Check that mSOL appears in your wallet:

Wallet How to verify
Phantom Token list on main screen
Solflare Assets tab
Backpack Token balances

Not showing? Add token manually: mSoLzYCxHdYgdzU16g5QSh3i5K3z3KZK7ytfqcJm7So

View your stake in the Marinade dashboard:

  1. Click Manage in the navigation
  2. Select Native Stake
  3. See your stake accounts and their status
Status Meaning
Activating Stake will be active next epoch
Active Earning rewards
Deactivating Preparing for withdrawal

Step 4: Start Earning#

Congratulations! You're now earning staking rewards.

Staking Type How rewards work
Liquid (mSOL) mSOL exchange rate increases each epoch
Native Rewards added to stake account balance

Rewards are distributed every epoch (~2 days).

Unstaking Your SOL#

Liquid Staking (mSOL)#

Get SOL immediately:

  1. Go to app.marinade.finance
  2. Navigate to Unstake tab
  3. Enter mSOL amount
  4. Click Unstake
  5. Receive SOL immediately

Fee: ~0.1-0.3% (varies by liquidity)

Get SOL with no fee:

  1. Navigate to Unstake tab
  2. Select Delayed Unstake
  3. Enter mSOL amount
  4. Wait ~1-2 epochs (~2-4 days)
  5. Claim your SOL

Fee: None

Native Staking#

  1. Go to Manage → Native Stake
  2. Select your stake account(s)
  3. Choose unstake method:
    • Instant - Small fee, immediate SOL
    • Delayed - No fee, ~1 epoch wait
  4. Approve transaction
  5. For delayed: return after deactivation to withdraw

Troubleshooting#

Transaction failed

Common causes:

  • Insufficient SOL for fees (need ~0.01 SOL)
  • Network congestion (retry in a few seconds)
  • Wallet popup blocked (check browser settings)

Full Troubleshooting Guide

mSOL not showing in wallet

Add the token manually:

  1. Open wallet settings
  2. Add custom token
  3. Paste: mSoLzYCxHdYgdzU16g5QSh3i5K3z3KZK7ytfqcJm7So
Stake account not visible
  • Refresh the Marinade dashboard
  • Check wallet's stake account viewer
  • Use: solana stakes --withdraw-authority YOUR_PUBKEY
How long until I earn rewards?

Rewards begin in the epoch after your stake activates:

  1. You stake → transaction confirms
  2. Next epoch → stake activates
  3. End of that epoch → first rewards

Typically 2-4 days for first rewards.

What's Next?#

Goal Resource
Use mSOL in DeFi DeFi Guide
Understand staking options Staking Overview
Track your rewards Rewards Guide
Learn Solana basics Core Concepts