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How to Swap Your Entire Balance Without Leaving Dust

Gem Wallet can calculate a maximum swap for a blockchain's native coin. When you select 100%, the wallet accounts for how the chosen provider receives funds and whether the source network needs an additional reserve.

Where the route and network allow it, the final amount uses the available native-coin balance minus the actual network fee so an estimated fee reserve is not left behind as unnecessary dust.

note

This behavior applies to a maximum swap of a network's native coin, such as ETH, SOL, or BNB. When swapping a token such as USDT, the token can be swapped separately, but the wallet still needs the network's native coin to pay fees.

Swap the Maximum Available Amount​

You can review the calculated amount without submitting the swap:

  1. Open Gem Wallet and select Swap.
  2. Select a native coin as the asset you are paying.
  3. Select the asset you want to receive.
  4. Select 100% to use the maximum amount.
  5. Wait for the available provider quotes.
  6. Review You Pay, You Receive, the provider, and the network fee.
  7. Select Swap to open the confirmation screen.
  8. Check the final amount and fee, then close the screen if you do not intend to submit the transaction.

The confirmation screen can update the payment amount after loading the current network fee. The amount shown there is the amount Gem Wallet prepares to sign.

Why Does the Amount Change on Confirmation?​

The quote screen does not always know the final network fee. For a provider that requires an exact input amount, Gem Wallet initially keeps a fee reserve out of the quote. On supported Ethereum-style networks, the confirmation screen then replaces that estimate with the current fee and recalculates the maximum spend.

This can make You Pay slightly different from the amount shown in the first quote. Review the refreshed receive amount and minimum received before confirming.

How Provider Routes Affect the Maximum​

Swap providers accept the source amount in two main ways:

Route typeMaximum-swap behavior
Flexible deposit routeThe provider swaps the amount that reaches its deposit address. Gem Wallet can quote the full balance and subtract the network fee when signing.
Exact-amount contract routeThe router must receive the amount used for the quote. Gem Wallet reserves funds for the fee, then refines the amount when the current fee is available.

Providers and routes can change for the same asset pair. Selecting another provider may therefore change both the amount paid and the estimated amount received.

Why Is a Small Balance Sometimes Left?​

Some networks have costs that are not fully represented by the displayed transaction fee. Gem Wallet intentionally keeps a small reserve for supported maximum swaps on networks where the transaction may also require:

  • Account or token-account rent.
  • Message forwarding costs.
  • Energy or other network resources.
  • Additional execution costs required by the route.

Current wallet rules may retain a reserve on networks such as Solana, TON, TRON, Sui, and Aptos. The reserve protects the swap from failing and may leave a small balance. It is not a Gem Wallet fee.

caution

Do not repeatedly create transactions to eliminate a tiny remaining balance. The next transaction also needs network resources, and its fee can exceed the balance you are trying to move.

Why Does the Provider Show a Minimum Amount?​

After the network fee is deducted, the amount reaching a flexible deposit route may fall below the provider's minimum. Gem Wallet shows the provider's minimum instead of preparing a transaction that would likely be rejected or refunded.

If this happens:

  1. Review the minimum shown in the app.
  2. Try a different provider, if one is available.
  3. Add enough native coin to satisfy the minimum and network fee.
  4. Request a fresh quote before trying again.

Do not send a smaller manual amount directly to an old provider deposit address.

Maximum Native Coin vs Maximum Token​

When the source asset is a native coin, the same balance normally pays both the swap amount and the network fee. Gem Wallet must reduce or reserve part of that balance.

When the source asset is a token, its balance does not pay the network fee. You may be able to swap the full token balance, but the wallet must also hold enough of the correct native fee coin on the same network. A token approval may require an additional transaction.

See Gem Wallet Shows Insufficient Funds if the wallet cannot cover the swap, approval, or network fee.

Before Confirming a Maximum Swap​

  • Confirm that the source asset is on the intended network.
  • Review the final payment amount after the fee loads.
  • Check the selected provider and route.
  • Compare You Receive and Minimum Received.
  • Expect a small reserve on networks with additional resource costs.
  • Cancel if the amount, provider, or destination network changes unexpectedly.

For provider comparison, read How to Select a Swap Provider in Gem Wallet. To inspect the route itself, follow How to Verify a Swap Provider and Contract Address.