Phantom transaction failed: common Solana errors and fixes
Most failed Phantom transactions on Solana are caused by price moving beyond your slippage setting, the transaction expiring before it was confirmed (about 60 to 90 seconds), or too little SOL for fees and rent. Check the transaction in a block explorer first, then retry with a fresh quote, a smaller amount or more SOL.
Quick steps
- Check the explorer. Open the transaction from Phantom's History in a Solana explorer and read the result line before doing anything else.
- Read the error. Match the error to the table: slippage, expired blockhash, simulation failed, not enough SOL or a program error.
- Get a fresh quote. For swaps, close the old quote and start again so the price and blockhash are current.
- Adjust amount or slippage. Try a smaller amount first; raise slippage only if you accept a worse price.
- Top up SOL if needed. Keep enough SOL for fees and any new token account rent, then retry.
- Approve promptly. Confirm within about a minute, and on Ledger open the Solana app on the device before you start.
A failed transaction is annoying, but it is normal on Solana, especially for memecoin swaps during busy periods. Before retrying, find out whether it actually failed. Phantom's help centre warns that a transaction may still be pending even if the app shows an error, and recommends checking your History and a block explorer before you try again (Phantom help centre, 2026).
Step one: did it really fail?
- Open your Activity or History in Phantom and tap the transaction.
- Open it in a Solana explorer such as Solscan or Solana Explorer, or search your wallet address there.
- Look at the result line. "Success" means it went through. A red error message tells you why it failed. If the transaction is not found at all, it never reached the chain.
Fees work differently in these cases. A transaction that lands on-chain and then fails still pays its network fee, because validators processed it (Solana Foundation, 2026). A transaction that fails Phantom's preview or simply expires never landed, so it costs nothing.
Common failure reasons
| Error or symptom | What it usually means | Fix |
|---|---|---|
Slippage errors, often 0x1771 | The price moved more than your slippage tolerance allowed between quote and execution | Get a fresh quote and retry; try a smaller amount; only raise slippage if you accept a worse price |
TransactionExpiredBlockheightExceeded, "block height exceeded", "transaction expired", "Blockhash not found" | The transaction was not confirmed before its blockhash expired | Retry and approve promptly; nothing was charged if it never landed |
Transaction simulation failed | A dry run of the transaction failed before sending, for example because of balance, slippage or a program rule | Read the rest of the message; try a smaller amount and check slippage |
"Not Enough SOL" or insufficient funds for rent | Not enough SOL for fees, or the transaction would leave an account below Solana's rent minimum | Add SOL or send a little less; see not enough SOL |
Custom program error: 0x1 | A program returned error number 1; in Solana's token program this means the account does not hold enough of the token | Check the token balance and amount; retry with a lower amount |
| Fails only when the network is busy | Congestion; low-priority transactions drop | Wait a few minutes and retry |
The error strings above are the forms reported by Solana wallets and explorers; Phantom may show a shorter version.
Slippage on Phantom swaps
Slippage is the most price movement you accept between the quote and the moment your swap executes. If the market moves further, the swap is cancelled on-chain rather than filled at a worse price. On fast-moving or thin memecoins this happens often.
Phantom's swap settings include an Auto slippage option, which Phantom says suits most swaps; raising the tolerance means accepting a worse price (Phantom help centre, 2026). Practical rules:
- Leave slippage on Auto first and simply retry with a fresh quote.
- Try a smaller amount. Large orders in small pools move the price more.
- Be very careful raising slippage on new tokens. High slippage makes you an easy target for bots that trade just before and after you.
- If a token can be bought but every sell fails, it may be a honeypot. See memecoin safety in Phantom.
Phantom charges a 0.85% fee on most swaps, shown before you confirm (Phantom help centre, 2026). Use our swap cost calculator to see the total cost of a trade, and how Phantom swaps work for more detail.
Expired blockhash: the 60 to 90 second window
Every Solana transaction includes a recent blockhash, a kind of time stamp. The Solana documentation explains that a blockhash stays valid for about 150 blocks, which at 400 to 600 milliseconds per slot is roughly 60 to 90 seconds (Solana docs, 2026). If the transaction is not processed in that window, validators reject it and it can never be processed later.
So an expired transaction is safe to retry: the old one is dead. It usually expires because you waited too long to approve, a Ledger confirmation took too long, or the network was congested. Approve promptly, and if you use a Ledger, open the Solana app on the device before you start.
"Simulation failed" and Phantom's preview
Before you sign, Phantom simulates the transaction to show you what will change in your wallet. If the simulation itself fails, you might see a simulation error or a warning that Phantom cannot predict the result. Phantom's help centre says a simulation failure alone does not prove a token is malicious, and suggests trying a smaller amount and checking slippage (Phantom help centre, 2026).
A different case is the red warning "This dApp could be malicious. Do not proceed unless you are certain it is safe." That one appears when Phantom cannot simulate a transaction from a site. Treat it seriously and read Phantom's dApp warnings before you continue.
Ledger users
If you sign with a Ledger, many failures are timeouts: the transaction expires while the device waits. Update the Ledger firmware and Solana app, unlock the device and open the Solana app before you approve, and enable blind signing in the Solana app if a dApp requires it (it can switch off after updates). See using Phantom with Ledger.
What not to do
- Do not hammer the retry button during an outage. Check the explorer and Phantom's official X account first.
- Do not give anyone your recovery phrase to "fix" a failed transaction. No legitimate fix needs it.
- Do not install "transaction booster" or "unstuck" tools found in search results or DMs.
Frequently asked questions
Do I lose SOL when a Phantom transaction fails?
If the transaction landed on-chain and then failed, the small network fee is still charged. If it failed Phantom's preview or expired before landing, nothing is charged.
What does 0x1771 mean on Solana?
It is a program error commonly returned by swap programs when slippage tolerance is exceeded. Get a fresh quote, try a smaller amount, or accept a higher slippage only if you are comfortable with a worse price.
Why does my transaction say block height exceeded?
Solana transactions expire roughly 60 to 90 seconds after their blockhash. If it was not confirmed in time it is dropped for good, so you can safely retry.
Phantom showed an error but the swap went through. Why?
The app can show an error while the transaction is still being processed. Phantom recommends checking History and a block explorer before retrying, to avoid swapping twice.
Should I set slippage very high to stop failures?
Usually not. High slippage lets you be filled at a much worse price and makes you a target for trading bots. Retry with Auto slippage or a smaller amount first.