⚠️ Always use the official website. Bookmark it and never click links from emails, Telegram, or social media. Phishing clones are extremely common.
What you need before you start
- MetaMask wallet installed — download here
- ETH in your wallet to pay gas fees — even €5–€10 is enough
- The token you want to swap from — ETH, USDC, or any ERC-20 token
Step-by-step — your first swap
Set up MetaMask
Go to metamask.io and install the browser extension. Create a new wallet, write down your 12-word seed phrase on paper and store it safely. Fund your wallet by sending ETH from an exchange like Coinbase or Kraken to your MetaMask address.
Go to app.uniswap.org
Open the official Uniswap app. You'll see a simple swap interface with two token fields — one for the token you're swapping from and one for the token you want to receive.
Connect your wallet
Click "Connect wallet" in the top right. Select MetaMask. A MetaMask popup will ask you to confirm the connection — click "Connect". Your wallet address will appear in the top right.
Select your tokens
In the top field, select the token you're swapping FROM (e.g. ETH). In the bottom field, select the token you want to receive. You can search by name or paste a contract address for tokens not in the default list.
Enter the amount
Type the amount you want to swap. Uniswap will automatically calculate how much of the other token you'll receive, including the current exchange rate and estimated gas fee.
Check slippage tolerance
Slippage is the difference between the expected price and the actual price at execution. The default (0.5%) is fine for popular tokens. For low-liquidity tokens increase it to 1–3%. Click the settings icon to adjust.
Confirm the swap
Click "Swap". Review the amounts, rate, and fees on the confirmation screen. Click "Confirm swap". MetaMask will open — review the gas fee and click "Confirm". Your transaction is now submitted.
Wait for confirmation
Ethereum transactions typically confirm within 30 seconds to a few minutes. Once confirmed, your new tokens will appear in your MetaMask wallet.
💡 First time using a token? Some tokens require an "approval" transaction before you can swap them. This is a one-time permission you grant Uniswap to spend that token from your wallet. It costs a small gas fee but only needs to be done once per token.
Common issues and how to fix them
- Transaction pending for a long time: Gas fee set too low. Speed it up in MetaMask by clicking the pending transaction and selecting "Speed up".
- "Insufficient liquidity" error: The token pair doesn't have enough liquidity. Try a smaller amount or adjust slippage.
- Transaction failed: Usually caused by slippage being too low for a volatile token. Increase slippage tolerance and try again. You still pay gas for failed transactions.
- Token not appearing after swap: Add the token manually to MetaMask using its contract address.