Guides

Withdrew USDC or USDT to a wallet with no gas? How to move it

The withdrawal arrived, the balance shows, but the wallet cannot send it. Exchanges send only the token you withdraw, not the coin that pays the network fee.

Check your wallet Send or swap without gas

What the wallet says

Depending on the wallet and its version, messages like these (after an exchange withdrawal):

Insufficient funds for gas
Not enough SOL
Insufficient energy

Why it happens

A fresh wallet holds exactly what you sent to it. If you withdrew USDC to Arbitrum or Base, it has USDC but 0 ETH there; on Polygon 0 POL; on Solana 0 SOL; on Tron 0 TRX. Each of these chains charges its fee in its own coin, so the stablecoins sit there until the wallet gets some of it.

How to fix it

Check where the funds are and what is missing: the free wallet check at gasrescue.io/check shows every chain at once, without connecting the wallet.
Withdraw a small amount of the gas coin from the exchange to the same address on the same chain.
Or move the stablecoins without gas with gasrescue: send them on, or swap a few dollars into gas.

Step by step, by chain

Common questions

I withdrew on the wrong network. Is the money lost?

If it arrived in your own wallet, no: it is on that network and can be moved from there once there is gas, or with gasrescue without gas. If it went to an address that is not yours, only the owner of that address can move it.

Can I send it straight back to the exchange?

Yes, if the exchange accepts deposits of that token on that network. Use the deposit address the exchange shows for exactly that network.

Before you start

Blockchain transfers are final, so check the recipient carefully. Only sign on gasrescue.io, never share your seed phrase, and start with a small amount. gasrescue is in early access and independent of every wallet and chain named here.