What Is a Block Explorer and How Do I Use It?
What Is a Block Explorer?â
A block explorer is a public website that shows everything recorded on a blockchain: every transaction, address, and balance. Anyone can use one, and it doesn't need your wallet or your Secret Phrase.
Well-known explorers include Etherscan for Ethereum, Solscan for Solana, Mempool and Blockchair for Bitcoin, and Tronscan for TRON. Each network has its own.
Use an explorer to:
- Confirm that a transaction went through, and when.
- Check the exact amount, network fee, and recipient.
- See whether a swap or bridge delivered funds on the other network.
- Look up an address before you send to it. See How to Inspect a Wallet Address Before Sending.
How to Open an Explorer from Gem Walletâ
- A transaction: open it in Activity and tap View on at the bottom of the details.
- An address or asset: open the asset and use its explorer link. A single-network wallet also links its address to the explorer from the wallet's screen.
Gem Wallet opens the explorer for the right network, so you don't need to search for the transaction yourself. To copy the ID instead, see How to Find a Crypto Transaction ID.
What the Main Fields Meanâ
Names vary by explorer, but most show:
| Field | What it means |
|---|---|
| Transaction hash or ID | The transaction's unique ID |
| Status | Success, failed, or pending. A failed transaction still paid its network fee |
| Block and Timestamp | When the network included it |
| From and To | The sender and the recipient, or the contract it called |
| Value or Amount | The coin sent with the transaction |
| Token transfers | Tokens that moved, which can differ from the coin value |
| Fee | The network fee actually paid. See How to Check a Transaction's Final Network Fee |
| Method | For a contract call, the action it ran, such as transfer or swap |
If a token transfer shows on the explorer but not in Gem Wallet, check that the token is added and visible in your wallet. See I Don't See My Token in Gem Wallet.
Choose Which Explorer Gem Wallet Usesâ
Many networks have more than one explorer. To pick the one View on opens:
- Open Settings > Preferences > Networks.
- Select the network.
- Under Explorer, choose the one you prefer.
For example, on Bitcoin you can choose between Blockchair, Mempool, and 3xpl, and on Ethereum between Etherscan, Blockchair, and Blocksec.
Stay Safe on Explorersâ
- An explorer only shows public data. It never needs your Secret Phrase, private key, or a wallet connection to look something up.
- Be careful with tokens and comments you didn't expect. Some scam tokens use names or messages that point to fake websites.
- Open explorers from Gem Wallet or a saved bookmark, not from links in messages. See How to Verify Official Gem Wallet Links.