How to Create (Mint) a Meme Coin and Other SPL Tokens on Solana: Full Beginner’s Guide
What Is an SPL Token?
An SPL token is the standard token format used on the Solana blockchain. It functions similarly to ERC-20 tokens on Ethereum and can represent anything: meme coins, utility tokens, governance tokens, reward assets, or tokenized items. SPL tokens are stored on-chain, appear in major Solana wallets (Phantom, Solflare, Backpack), and can interact seamlessly with DeFi platforms and liquidity pools.
Whether you're creating a fun meme coin or a serious token for an application, the process is identical—and very simple with the right tools.
Requirements
1. A Crypto Wallet
We recommend Phantom Wallet. This guide was tested using Phantom, but other Solana wallets such as Solflare or Backpack work as well. Your wallet will be used to connect, approve transactions, pay SOL fees, and receive your new token.
2. A Small Amount of SOL
You’ll need enough SOL to cover:
- Rent-exempt fee for the mint account (about 0.002–0.003 SOL)
- Network and transaction fees (fractions of a cent)
- At least 0.2 SOL for the service fee when using Solana Token Forge
3. A Token Creation Tool
A trusted, streamlined token creation tool makes the minting process effortless. Our preferred choice is Solana Token Forge, which avoids command-line complications, provides a no-code solution and has been reviewed with help from the Phantom support team to ensure no malicious warnings appear.
Your token can be created within seconds.
Step-by-Step: How to Create Your Token
1. Connect Your Wallet
Open the Solana Token Forge tool and click Connect Wallet. Select your wallet (e.g., Phantom) and approve the request. Once connected, fill out the form fields for your new token.
To ensure a smoother process, it is recommended that you are already signed into your wallet before clicking the Connect Wallet button.
2. Set Token Name and Symbol
Example:
- Token Name: Solana
- Symbol: SOL
Requirements:
• Token name: 3–32 characters
• Token symbol: 2–5 characters
3. Choose Initial Supply and Decimals
The recommended and most common setup is:
- Token Supply: 1,000,000,000
- Decimals: 9
These are the values set by default on our tool. If you're okay with these values then there is no need to edit them when creating your token.
Important:
The product of the token supply multiplied by 10 to the power of the chosen decimals cannot be larger than 18,446,744,073,709,551,615.
This is a constraint set by Solana.
Our tool automatically enforces this limit. Some tools do not, and invalid values may cause your minting transaction to fail.
This first example is acceptable:
- Token Supply: 18,446,744,073,709,551,615
- Decimals: 0
- 18,446,744,073,709,551,615 * 10^0 = 18,446,744,073,709,551,615
This second example is NOT acceptable:
- Token Supply: 18,446,744,073,709,551,615
- Decimals: 1
- 18,446,744,073,709,551,615 * 10^1 = 184,467,440,737,095,516,150
4. Add Metadata
Metadata defines how your token appears in wallets:
- Token logo
- Description
- Website link (optional)
- Social links (optional)
Your metadata is formatted into a JSON file and uploaded to IPFS via Pinata. This ensures permanent, decentralized storage. You can view the metadata on a blockchain explorer such as Solana Explorer or Solscan.
To learn more, see:
5. Token Authorities
Before minting, you must choose whether to keep or revoke token authorities. The three authorities are:
- Freeze Authority
- Mint Authority
- Update Authority
Freeze Authority is automatically revoked for safety. Revoking Mint Authority is highly recommended so your token cannot be inflated later. Revoking Update Authority locks your metadata permanently, which some users prefer for transparency.
To learn more:
6. Create the Token
After completing the form, click Forge Token and approve the transaction in your wallet. The tool will:
- Create the mint
- Initialize metadata
- Create your associated token account
- Mint your initial supply
Once complete, your new token is visible in your wallet and on Solana explorers. A toaster notification in the bottom right will appear that includes the mint address for easy copying.
How to Make Your Token Tradable
Creating Liquidity
To make your token tradable, you must provide liquidity. We recommend Raydium, but any trusted tool works. You can create liquidity directly through Raydium’s interface. You can manage liquidity through Raydium's portfolio manager. Both are linked in the navbar at the top of the site. Just click Create Liquidity or Manage Liquidity.
To learn more: