How to Revoke Token Approvals in 2026 — Protect Your Crypto Before It’s Too Late
⚠️ Real talk: Thousands of users lose funds every month simply because they forgot about old token approvals. One exploited or malicious contract — and your wallet can be emptied in seconds.
In this guide you’ll learn exactly what approvals are, why they are dangerous in 2026, how to find and revoke them safely, and why HOT Wallet is currently one of the most powerful and user-friendly tools for managing approvals across multiple chains.
Let’s clean your wallet and take back control.
What Are Token Approvals and Why Do They Even Exist?
Every time you connect your wallet to a dApp (Uniswap, OpenSea, a new yield farm, lending protocol, memecoin launcher, etc.), you usually see the infamous prompt:
“Approve spending limit”
This is a token approval — you grant a smart contract permission to spend a specific amount of your tokens (or unlimited).
Typical situations where you create approvals:
Swapping on a DEX → approve USDC, ETH, SOL, NEAR, etc.Minting an NFT → approve the collection contractDepositing into a liquidity pool → approve LP tokensBorrowing assets on a lending platform → approve collateral
Approvals are the foundation of DeFi and Web3 UX. But the problem is that most people approve unlimited amounts “just in case” and never revoke them.
Why Forgotten Approvals Are One of the Biggest Security Risks in 2026
Unlimited approvals = unlimited danger If the contract you approved gets hacked, the team rugs, or the protocol is upgraded maliciously — the attacker can transfer all approved tokens from your wallet at any time.Old approvals from 2023–2025 Tens of thousands of users still have active permissions to projects that were exploited, abandoned or turned out to be scams.Phishing dApps & fake sites Scammers create look-alike pages that trick users into approving huge amounts to attacker-controlled contracts.Hidden micro-drains Some malicious contracts slowly spend tiny amounts repeatedly — you may not notice until significant damage is done.
Bottom line in 2026: Revoking unused and unknown approvals is one of the top 3 wallet hygiene habits (along with hardware wallet usage and avoiding suspicious links).
How to Revoke Approvals — Step-by-Step in HOT Wallet
https://medium.com/media/324accdcce37ad262735a038853f0e54/href
HOT Wallet has one of the cleanest, fastest and most informative approval management interfaces available today.
Here’s how to do it:
Open HOT Wallet on your phone or browser extensionGo to Settings → Security → Manage ApprovalsWait a few seconds — the app automatically scans all your connected networksYou get a very readable list:Real dApp names (not cryptic 0x… addresses)Which token is approvedAmount (or ∞ = unlimited)NetworkDate of approval
5. Tap any approval → Revoke
6. Or use bulk actions: revoke all on one chain / revoke all unlimited / revoke all older than 6 months
Confirm the transaction — done.
Time needed: usually 30–120 seconds.
Why HOT Wallet Makes Revoking Approvals Actually Enjoyable
Most wallets either hide approval information or make revoking painful (long loading, bad UX, no filters). HOT Wallet solves this with several smart features:
Human-readable labels Instead of 0xAbCdEf123… you see “Uniswap V3 Router”, “Aave V3”, “Blur Marketplace”, etc.Powerful filters & sorting By token / by dApp / by network / by amount / by dateAll chains in one place Ethereum, Polygon, Arbitrum, Optimism, BSC, Solana, NEAR, TON, Stellar, Tron — no need to switch appsGas estimator See exact cost of bulk revoke before signingGas Refuel from any token No native gas? Pay fees from USDC, USDT, HOT, NEAR, etc. on any supported chainRisk indicators Suspicious, exploited or inactive contracts are marked with warning icons
These features turn a stressful security task into a quick 1–2 minute routine you actually don’t mind doing.
How Often Should You Audit Approvals?
Recommended routine in 2026:
After every new dApp interaction → 30-second check & revoke old onesOnce a month → full audit in HOT WalletAfter major market events (big hacks, rugs) → immediate review
Pro tip: set a recurring calendar reminder “Wallet Hygiene Day” — 10 minutes a month can save you thousands.
Final Thoughts — Your Wallet, Your Rules
Token approvals remain one of the most overlooked yet most dangerous aspects of Web3 security. Most wallets still don’t give users proper visibility or easy tools to manage them. HOT Wallet changes that — with clear interface, smart filters, multi-chain support and zero unnecessary friction.
Your next 2-minute action:
Download HOT Wallet if you haven’t already 🔗
https://download.hot-labs.org/blog_medium_approvals_engOpen Settings → Security → Manage ApprovalsRevoke everything you don’t actively use or don’t recognize
Spend a couple of minutes today — sleep much better tomorrow.
HOT Wallet — because security should be simple and powerful.
Have you ever found a surprising old approval in your wallet? Which one shocked you the most? Share in the comments — let’s make Web3 safer together! ↓
#DeFi #CryptoSecurity #Web3 #HotWallet #TokenApprovals #WalletSecurity #CryptoTips #Ethereum #NEAR
How to Revoke Token Approvals in 2026 — Protect Your Crypto Before It’s Too Late was originally published in Coinmonks on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.