How to Create an ERC-20 Token (2026 Step-by-Step Guide)

Creating your own cryptocurrency used to require a Solidity developer, an audit and days of work. Today you can launch a fully functional ERC-20 token on Ethereum in under a minute, without writing a single line of code. This guide walks you through the entire process from start to finish, explains every option you'll see, and shows you what to do after your token is live.

What is an ERC-20 token?

An ERC-20 token is a fungible token that follows the ERC-20 standard on Ethereum. "Fungible" means every unit is identical and interchangeable, just like one dollar is the same as any other dollar. The standard defines a common set of functions — transfer, approve, balanceOf and others — that every wallet, exchange and DeFi protocol knows how to talk to. That shared interface is exactly why ERC-20 became the backbone of the entire token economy: deploy a compliant contract and it instantly works everywhere in the Ethereum ecosystem.

Whether you want to launch a community coin, a meme coin, a utility token for an app, or a DeFi project token, the creation process is identical. The differences come down to the parameters you choose — name, symbol, supply, decimals and optional features — all of which we cover below.

What you need before you start

You only need three things to create a token:

• An EVM wallet. MetaMask is the most popular choice, but Coinbase Wallet, Rainbow, Trust Wallet and any WalletConnect-compatible wallet work too. If you don't have one yet, see our MetaMask setup guide.
• Some ETH for the fee and gas. You need enough ETH to cover the flat service fee plus the network gas required to deploy the contract. Keep a small buffer so the transaction doesn't fail mid-way.
• Your token details. Decide on a name, ticker symbol, total supply and (optionally) a logo before you begin so the process is smooth.

Step 1 — Connect your wallet

Open Create ERC-20 Token and click the Connect Wallet button in the top-right corner. Choose your wallet from the list. If you're using a browser extension like MetaMask, a popup will ask you to approve the connection — click connect. The site automatically detects whether you're on Ethereum Mainnet and, if not, prompts you to switch. Approve the network switch so the deployment goes to Ethereum.

Step 2 — Enter your token name and symbol

The token name is the full, human-readable name of your project (for example, "My Token"). The symbol (or ticker) is the short uppercase abbreviation that appears in wallets and on exchanges (for example, "MYT"). A few tips:

• Keep the symbol between 2 and 6 characters. Most well-known tokens use 3–5.
• Check that your symbol isn't already used by a major project to avoid confusion.
• The name and symbol are stored permanently on-chain, so choose carefully — you cannot rename a deployed token.

Step 3 — Set the total supply

The total supply is the number of tokens that will exist. There is no "correct" number — it's a branding and economics decision. Common choices include 1 million, 1 billion, or 1 trillion. Meme coins often use very large supplies so the per-token price looks low, while utility tokens often use smaller, rounder numbers. For a deeper breakdown, read our guide on choosing supply and decimals.

The entire supply is minted to your wallet at the moment of creation. From there you control distribution — you can add liquidity to a DEX, send tokens to team members, run an airdrop, or hold them.

Step 4 — Choose decimals

Decimals define how divisible your token is. The ERC-20 standard default — and what almost every token uses — is 18 decimals, mirroring how ETH itself works. Stablecoins sometimes use 6, and some tokens mimic Bitcoin with 8. Unless you have a specific reason, leave decimals at 18 for maximum compatibility with wallets and DEXs.

Step 5 — Add a logo and description (optional)

Uploading a logo and a short description makes your token look professional in explorers and our token feed. The image is resized automatically in your browser, so any reasonable photo works. This step is optional and has no effect on the contract itself.

Step 6 — Pick optional features

By default, your token is a clean, immutable and ownerless fixed-supply ERC-20 — the safest, most trustless setup. You can optionally enable owner powers that suit your project:

• Mintable — create more supply later (you become the owner).
• Burnable — holders can always destroy their own tokens.
• Pausable — emergency stop for transfers.
• Transaction Tax — a small percentage routed to a wallet on each transfer.
• Anti-Whale — a maximum balance per wallet.
• Blacklist — block specific addresses (e.g. known bots).

Each capability is locked at deployment: a token can never gain a power it wasn't created with. See ERC-20 token features explained for full detail, and why immutable tokens are safer for the trade-offs.

Step 7 — Deploy your token

Click Create Token Now. Your wallet opens and asks you to confirm a single transaction that pays the service fee and deploys the contract at once. Review the details and approve. Within a block or two the transaction confirms, the contract is created, and the full supply lands in your wallet.

Step 8 — What to do after launch

Once your token is live, the next steps depend on your goals:

• Add it to your wallet using the contract address so you can see your balance — see add your token to MetaMask.
• Create a market by adding liquidity on a DEX — read add your token to Uniswap.
• Verify the contract on Etherscan so the source code is public — see verify a contract on Etherscan.
• Distribute to your community via airdrops, sales or rewards, and share your contract address.

Conclusion

Launching an ERC-20 token on Ethereum is now a no-code, one-transaction process. Decide on your name, symbol and supply, choose whether you want a trustless immutable token or one with owner features, connect your wallet, and deploy. In about a minute you'll have a standards-compliant token that works with every wallet, exchange and DeFi app in the ecosystem — ready to trade, distribute and build a community around.

Frequently Asked Questions