How to Use Uniswap to Swap Tokens (Step by Step)

Uniswap is one of the largest decentralized exchanges on Ethereum, and its web app also supports Base, Arbitrum, Optimism, Polygon and many other networks. To swap, go to app.uniswap.org, connect a wallet like MetaMask or Coinbase Wallet, pick the network the token lives on, paste the token's contract address, enter an amount and confirm. The first time you sell a given token you also approve it. Network fees depend on the network and how busy it is: layer 2 networks like Base and Arbitrum usually cost far less than Ethereum itself.

1. Open Uniswapapp.uniswap.org
2. Pick networkWhere the token lives
3. Paste addressToken you're buying
4. ConfirmIn your wallet

Step-by-step

1. Go to app.uniswap.orgType it or use a bookmark. Fake Uniswap sites are a common way to drain wallets.
2. Connect your walletClick Connect and choose your wallet. Connecting shares your address but doesn't move anything.
3. Choose the networkOpen the token drop-down, then the network drop-down inside it, and pick where the token lives, such as Base. Your ETH has to be on that same network. If it isn't, see sending crypto from Coinbase to a wallet.
4. Select the tokensSell: ETH. Buy: open the second token drop-down and paste the contract address into the search. If Uniswap shows a token warning (for example Impersonator, Honeypot, or that the token isn't traded on a leading US exchange), stop and double-check the address before you continue.
5. Review and swapEnter the amount. Check the rate, the price impact and the network cost. Click Swap, review the details, click Confirm Swap and confirm in your wallet.

What is the "approve" step?

When you sell most tokens (not ETH) for the first time, Uniswap needs permission to move them from your wallet. Your wallet first asks you to approve the token, which is an onchain transaction with a network cost and is usually needed only once per token. Then it asks you to sign a message, which has no network cost; in the Uniswap app that signature lasts up to 30 days before you're asked again. Both are normal on the real Uniswap site.

An approval lets a contract move that token from your wallet later, and a malicious signature request can abuse it. Read what you sign, only approve or sign on sites you reached yourself, and never approve a token you didn't intend to trade. You can review and revoke old approvals with a tool like revoke.cash.

Which network should I use?

You don't get to choose freely: use the network where the token you want actually lives.

Risks to know

• Copycat tokens: paste the verified address rather than searching by name. See how to find a token's real contract address.
• Low liquidity: a token with a small pool can be hard to sell, and price impact can be large.
• No undo: swaps can't be reversed, and anyone with your recovery phrase controls the wallet.

The IRS treats crypto as property, and swapping one token for another generally means a capital gain or loss to report. Keep records.

Find the route for your token

Search the coin on Lasso. For Ethereum, Base, Arbitrum, Optimism and Polygon tokens, the coin page links to Uniswap on the right network with the address filled in.