Skip to content

Create an account & get funds

Create or import an account in the Polkadot app, protect the recovery phrase, and get enough devnet funds to start using Products on the Polkadot Products Devnet.

This is a devnet

The Polkadot Products Devnet is a public developer preview. The tokens you receive here have no real value, and flows may change. Never reuse a recovery phrase from a real, value-bearing wallet on a devnet.

1. Get the app

Install the Polkadot app for the full account, signing, payments, and messaging experience. Use the web gateway when you only want to open Devnet apps from a browser.

2. Create or import the account

The Polkadot app is self-custodial: your keys are generated and stored on your own device. The app's backend never holds your keys; every signature happens locally after you approve it.

  1. Open the app and choose to create a new account if you are starting fresh, or import an existing account if you already hold a recovery phrase.
  2. If you create a new account, the app generates a fresh key pair on the device.
  3. Follow the prompts to back up your recovery phrase. Store it somewhere you can recover later, but never somewhere another person or website can read it.

Your recovery phrase is the account

Anyone who holds your recovery phrase controls the account, and losing it means losing access. Write it down, store it offline, and never paste it into a website, a chat, or a support request. The Polkadot app will never ask you to share it.

3. Get devnet funds

There are two ways to receive devnet funds.

Use "Get CASH" in the app

On non-production networks the app exposes an in-app top-up. When you tap Get CASH, the app requests a devnet top-up and prepares the funds so they show up as your CASH balance. Some devnet builds also fund a brand-new account automatically.

sequenceDiagram
    participant U as You
    participant App as Polkadot app
    U->>App: Tap "Get CASH"
    App->>App: Request devnet top-up
    Note over App: Prepare funds for spending
    App-->>U: CASH balance appears

CASH is the balance you spend inside the app. For what it is and how to send it, see Get & use CASH.

The faucet

You can also request devnet tokens from the public faucet. This is useful when you need native devnet funds for fees as well as CASH for app flows.

If your balance does not appear

A few common reasons a balance may not show up right away:

  • The transaction is still settling. Funding involves an on-chain transfer and, for CASH, an automatic conversion step. Give it a few moments to finalize and refresh the balance view.
  • Account minimums and fees. Like other Substrate-based chains, accounts need a small native balance to stay active and pay fees. On this Devnet, keep a small PAS balance available.
  • Wrong network. Make sure the app is pointed at the devnet. Balances for one network will not appear while you are viewing another.

Tip

If a top-up still does not arrive after retrying, request funds from the faucet and confirm you are connected to the devnet before troubleshooting further.

Learn more