--- title: "How to track a crypto wallet by address, safely" description: "Track Ethereum, Solana, Bitcoin and other wallets with only the public address. What an address reveals, what never to share, and how to avoid scams." url: "https://sonarfolio.com/guides/track-crypto-wallet-by-address" language: "en" published: "2026-10-12" updated: "2026-10-27" author: "Sonar team" --- # How to track a crypto wallet by address, safely You can track a crypto wallet with nothing more than its public address. Paste the address into a block explorer or a portfolio tracker and it can read balances and transaction history, because that information is public on the blockchain. Tracking never requires your private key, seed phrase or a wallet signature, and anything that asks for one isn't a tracker. This guide covers how addresses work on Ethereum and other EVM networks, Solana, Bitcoin and several other networks, what tracking by address can and can't show, and how to stay safe while doing it. ## Public address vs private key Every wallet has two very different pieces of information: - **The public address** is like an account number. You share it to receive funds. Anyone can look it up and see its balance and history. It can't be used to spend anything. - **The private key or seed phrase** (recovery phrase) controls the funds. Anyone who has it can move everything in the wallet. ethereum.org's page on [Ethereum accounts](https://ethereum.org/en/developers/docs/accounts/) explains that the public address is derived from the private key, but the key can't be worked out from the address. That one-way relationship is what makes read-only tracking possible. **Rule:** a tracker needs only the public address. Never type a seed phrase or private key into any website, app or form to "connect" or "verify" a wallet. *The public address (left) is safe to share and is all a tracker needs. The private key or seed phrase (right) controls the funds and is never shared.* ## How addresses differ by network ### Ethereum and EVM networks (Base, Arbitrum, Optimism, Polygon, BNB Chain, Avalanche and others) EVM networks share the same address format: `0x` followed by 40 hexadecimal characters. The same address exists on every EVM network, so one wallet may hold assets on Ethereum, Base and Arbitrum at once. A good tracker checks each network for that address. Many wallets also have a readable ENS name (like `name.eth`) that points to the address; see [ENS](https://ens.domains/). *One EVM address is the same on every EVM network, so a tracker reads its balances on each of them, such as Ethereum, Base and Arbitrum.* ### Solana Solana addresses are base58 strings, usually 32 to 44 characters, with no `0x` prefix. Tokens are held in accounts linked to your main address, as described in Solana's documentation on [accounts](https://solana.com/docs/core/accounts). A tracker should read those token accounts for you when you give it the main address. ### Bitcoin Bitcoin addresses start with `1`, `3` or `bc1`. Most modern Bitcoin wallets are hierarchical deterministic (HD) wallets that generate a new address for each payment received, as explained in Bitcoin's developer guide on [wallets](https://developer.bitcoin.org/devguide/wallets.html). Bitcoin.org also recommends using new addresses for [privacy](https://bitcoin.org/en/protect-your-privacy). The consequence: one Bitcoin "wallet" can hold funds across many addresses, and tracking a single address shows only what's at that address. ### Other networks Many other networks have address formats of their own, each with a checksum that catches typos: - **Bitcoin-style networks** such as Litecoin, Bitcoin Cash, Dash and Zcash work like Bitcoin: one wallet can spread funds across several addresses. Bitcoin Cash and Bitcoin SV also accept Bitcoin's legacy `1` and `3` addresses, so one of those can hold coins on more than one chain. - **Account-based networks** such as XRP Ledger (`r…`), Stellar (`G…`), TRON (`T…`), NEAR (`name.near`) and Hedera (`0.0.12345`) keep everything under one address, like Ethereum. - **Cardano** wallets use many payment addresses (`addr1…`) tied to one stake address (`stake1…`), which covers the whole wallet. - **Aptos, Sui and StarkNet** all write addresses as `0x` plus 64 hexadecimal characters, so the format alone doesn't say which network an address is on. - **Cosmos chains** share one format with a different prefix per network (`cosmos1…`, `inj1…`, `celestia1…`, `sei1…`). Polkadot and Bittensor addresses are the same key written with different prefixes. Some balances can't be read from an address at all. Monero and Zcash shielded addresses hide amounts by design; seeing them takes a viewing key, which a tracker that works from public addresses doesn't use. ## Step by step: tracking a wallet by address 1. **Copy the public address** from your wallet app's "Receive" screen. Copy and paste; don't retype it. 2. **Check it against the wallet** by comparing the first and last several characters. 3. **Look it up in a block explorer** for that network (for example, Etherscan for Ethereum, or mempool.space for Bitcoin) to confirm it's the right address and holds what you expect. 4. **Add it to a tracker** if you want it valued alongside your other investments and kept current automatically. 5. **Repeat for each wallet and network** you use. For Bitcoin HD wallets, add each address that holds a balance. ### Tracking in Sonar In Sonar's [crypto wallet tracker](https://sonarfolio.com/crypto-wallet-tracker), you paste a public address or an ENS name. Sonar reads balances on more than 50 networks, including Ethereum and other EVM chains, Solana, Bitcoin, Litecoin, XRP Ledger, TRON, Stellar, Cardano, NEAR, Aptos, Sui, Cosmos Hub and Polkadot, and transaction history on most of them. One EVM address is checked on every supported EVM network. That page lists every network and what each one can't show. A few details that matter for accuracy: - **Addresses are validated strictly.** Each address must pass its network's checksum, so a typo is rejected rather than tracked as the wrong wallet. - **Tokens are matched by contract,** never by ticker. Tokens with copycat names don't get priced as the real asset. On networks where airdropped spam is common, tokens Sonar can't recognize or price are left out; elsewhere, anything it can't match is kept and flagged as not recognized. - **Holdings update on their own:** daily on Free and every 6 hours on Starter, Standard and Premium. - **Bitcoin is tracked by address.** If your wallet spreads funds across several addresses, add the ones that hold your balance. The same goes for Litecoin, Bitcoin Cash, Dash and Zcash. Sonar never asks for a private key or seed phrase, and couldn't move funds if it wanted to. The wallet sits in the same portfolio as your exchanges, brokerage and manual positions. See the [demo](https://sonarfolio.com/demo) for how it looks. *Allocation by account in the sample portfolio: Ledger and Phantom wallets next to exchange and brokerage accounts.* ## What tracking by address shows, and what it doesn't **It shows:** - Current balances of coins and tokens at that address - Incoming and outgoing transfers, swaps and other transactions recorded on chain - The value of those holdings at current prices **It doesn't show:** - What you paid, unless the purchase happened on chain in a way that records a price. Exchange purchases followed by a withdrawal show up only as an incoming transfer. See [what is cost basis](https://sonarfolio.com/guides/what-is-cost-basis). - Funds at other addresses you control - Assets on networks the tracker doesn't support ## Privacy: what an address reveals Blockchains are public. Anyone with your address can see its balance and full history, and anyone you've paid can see the address you paid from. Some practical points: - **Sharing an address with a tracker shares your holdings with that service.** Check its privacy and security pages. Sonar's [security](https://sonarfolio.com/security) page lists what it keeps and what it never sees. - **ENS names link an identity to an address** if the name relates to you. - **Reusing one address everywhere** makes it easy to connect your activity. ## Safety: scams that target wallet trackers - **"Validate" or "sync" sites asking for your seed phrase.** These are always scams. No legitimate service needs it. - **Connect-wallet prompts that ask you to sign.** Read-only tracking doesn't need a wallet connection or signature. A signature request can authorize a token approval that lets someone move your funds. - **Address poisoning.** Scammers send tiny transfers from look-alike addresses, hoping you'll copy theirs from your history next time. Always copy addresses from your wallet's Receive screen. - **Fake support accounts** on social media offering to "recover" or "track" a wallet. The SEC warns about [social media investment fraud](https://www.investor.gov/introduction-investing/general-resources/news-alerts/alerts-bulletins/investor-alerts/social-media-and-investment-fraud-investor-alert). ## Common mistakes - **Tracking only one network** for an EVM address that also holds assets on Base or Arbitrum. - **Tracking one Bitcoin address** when the wallet holds funds across many. - **Counting a transfer twice** when both the exchange and the wallet are tracked but the move isn't matched. - **Trusting token names.** Tokens can copy any name or symbol. Matching by contract avoids pricing fakes. ## FAQ ### Can someone steal my crypto with my wallet address? No. A public address can only receive and be read. Funds can only be moved with the private key. The risks come from scams that trick you into revealing the key or signing a malicious transaction. ### Is it safe to give a portfolio tracker my wallet address? Giving an address is read-only, so the tracker can't move funds. The trade-off is privacy: the service can see that address's holdings. Choose one that explains what it stores. ### Do I need to connect my wallet (WalletConnect, MetaMask) to track it? No. Tracking needs only the address. Connecting a wallet is for signing transactions, which a tracker doesn't need. ### Can I track a hardware wallet like a Ledger or Trezor? Yes. A hardware wallet has public addresses like any other. Copy them from the companion app's Receive screen; the device itself never needs to be connected to the tracker. ### Why doesn't my tracker show the price I paid? Blockchains record transfers, not purchase prices from exchanges. Import your exchange history to add cost, or enter it by hand.