How to verify a deposit address before sending crypto to an exchange

05 September 2026

The only reliable way to verify a deposit address is to check it against the address shown inside your account on the exchange itself, after you have logged in securely. No other source - not a previous email, not a saved note, not a chat message - should be trusted as the final confirmation.

Why verification matters

Deposit addresses are long strings of characters. A single wrong character, or a copy-paste that grabs a different string from your clipboard, sends your funds to an address you do not control. On most blockchains, that transaction is irreversible. The exchange cannot reverse it either.

Attackers also use malware that replaces a copied address with one they control. This is known as clipboard hijacking. It happens silently. The address you paste looks plausible because the first and last few characters may match the real one, but the middle differs.

How to verify step by step

1. Log in directly. Open your browser, type the exchange's URL manually or use a bookmark you set yourself. Do not click a link from an email or a search result to reach the login page.

2. Navigate to the deposit section. Find the asset you want to send. The exchange will display a deposit address and, for some blockchains, a destination tag or memo.

3. Compare the address on screen with where you will paste it. Read at least the first six and last six characters aloud, or check them one by one. Do this every time, even if you think you remember the address.

4. If you copy the address, paste it into a plain text editor first. This shows you exactly what is on your clipboard. Compare that text to the address on the exchange. Then copy from the editor to your wallet's send field.

5. Send a small test amount first. For any transfer above a trivial sum, send the minimum possible transaction. Wait for one confirmation on the blockchain. If the test arrives in your exchange account, the address is correct. Then send the remainder.

What to do if the address on screen looks wrong

Close the browser tab. Open a new one. Log in again from a fresh session. If the address is still different from what you expected, contact the exchange's support team through their official channel. Do not send funds until you understand why the address changed.

Exchanges rotate deposit addresses for privacy and security. A new address for the same asset is normal. What is not normal is an address that changes every time you reload the page, or an address that does not match the blockchain network you intend to use.

One more check before you send

Confirm the blockchain network. Sending Ethereum to a Bitcoin address, or sending a token on the wrong layer-2 network, can lose your funds even if the address string is correct. The exchange's deposit page will show the network name. Your wallet's send screen must match it exactly.

When something goes wrong

If you send to a wrong address, the funds are almost certainly gone. No exchange, no wallet provider, no blockchain explorer can reverse a confirmed transaction. The only exception is if the address belongs to the same exchange and the deposit system can credit it manually - this is rare and depends entirely on the exchange's policy.

If you send to a correct address but the funds do not appear, check the transaction on a block explorer using the transaction ID. If the transaction is confirmed and the address matches, contact the exchange's support. Provide the transaction ID, the address, and the asset. Do not share your private keys or seed phrase with anyone, including support staff.

The next thing to read

Verifying a deposit address is one step in a broader process. The hub page "Swapping crypto safely" covers the full sequence of checks that reduce the chance of losing funds when moving crypto between wallets and exchanges. It includes how to choose a trustworthy exchange, how to review transaction details before confirming, and what to do if a swap fails.

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