Start your staking journey or explore more information about staking on Polkadot's Home Page. Discover this new Staking Dashboard that makes staking much easier and check our extensive article list in the Overview article to help you get started.

This article explains how you can connect and disconnect your account to the Staking Dashboard. We will show how to connect the following types of accounts:

We will also show how to disconnect and remove accounts:

How to connect your Polkadot Vault account


1. Click on the "plug icon" button in the top right corner:



2. Click "Import" under "Polkadot Vault":



3. Click "Import account" to scan the QR code from Polkadot Vault. 



4. If this is the first time you're adding a Polkadot Vault account, allow the Staking Dashboard to access your camera:



5. Open the Polkadot Vault app, click on your account name, and select the account you want to link to the Staking Dashboard.



6. Then select the network. You'll see a QR code with "Public Key" above it, and your account name and address below:



7. Show the QR to the computer's camera, and the Staking Dashboard will detect your address. Give it a name and click "Done" to finish adding your Polkadot Vault account to the Staking Dashboard:



8. You will be taken back to the connection options. Click "Select Account" and choose your Polkadot Vault account from the list. You'll see the Polkadot Vault App logo on the right of your wallet.



Now, you can start staking or join a nomination pool. Check out this article to see what else you can do on the Staking Dashboard.

How to connect your Ledger account


‼️ IMPORTANT

Ledger can only be connected using Chromium-based browsers, such us Google Chrome, Edge, or Brave.


1. Connect your Ledger device to the computer, unlock it, and open the Polkadot app. You should see "Polkadot Ready" on your Ledger screen.


‼️ IMPORTANT

If you are staking on Kusama, the Staking Dashboard will not recognize the Polkadot Migration app. It's recommended that you connect your Ledger to a compatible wallet, unbond, and transfer your KSM to the account generated by the Generic Polkadot Ledger app. Remember that the Polkadot Ledger app can now operate on Kusama as well!

Alternatively, you can connect the Migration app to a compatible wallet and use it on the Staking Dashboard.


2. On the Staking Dashboard, click on the "plug icon" button in the top right corner:



3. Click on "USB" under "Ledger":



If you are connecting your Ledger for the first time, this screen will appear. Ensure your Ledger device is unlocked and the Polkadot app is open. Then, select your Ledger device and click "Connect". If you've connected before, you can skip to the next step.



5. Your default Polkadot Ledger account will appear. Give it a name and click the "Import" button next to it. Confirm the import, then click "Done" to finish the process:



If you're not using the default account type of 0, click the "Get another account" button to generate an account with type 1, 2, etc., and import the account you need.


6. You will be taken back to the different connection options. Click "Select Account" and choose your Ledger account from the list.



Now you can start staking or join a nomination pool. Check out this article to see what else you can do on the Staking Dashboard.

How to connect your account through an extension


1. Click on the "Plug icon" button in the top right corner:



2. If this is the first time you are using the dashboard, you will be presented with a list of supported extensions. Choose which one(s) the dashboard should use to import accounts:




ℹ️ INFO

The steps and screenshots below will vary depending on the extension you select, but the fundamental concept of granting access to the Staking Dashboard remains consistent across all wallets.

Check some of the wallets you can use with the Staking Dashboard in the article "Where to Store DOT: Polkadot Wallet Options"


3. Once you select the extension, a pop-up window will appear asking whether to allow the dashboard to access the accounts in the extension. Select the account(s) you want to use in the Staking Dashboard and continue.


4. Once you authorize access, the selected accounts in the extension will be connected to the dashboard. Click the "Select Account" button at the top of the panel to view them.


5. On the next screen, you'll see all the allowed accounts, and you can select the one you want to connect:



If you already have other accounts either nominating or joining a nomination pool, they will show up under an "Nominating", or "In pool" section:



You have successfully connected your account to the dashboard and can now start staking or managing your stake!

How to connect a proxy account


You can connect a staking proxy to the staking dashboard and operate on behalf of the stash account.


1. Connect the proxy account to the Staking Dashboard as any other account. You can find the steps above. You can have your proxy account in Polkadot Vault, Ledger, or one of the supported extensions.


2. Once the proxy is connected, go to the "Proxies" tab. Declare it by clicking the "Declare" button, pasting your proxied account, and clicking the "Import" buton.



3. Click "Select Account," and you'll see a list of your accounts, including your individual accounts and your Staking Proxy Account.



4. Click the staking proxy account to manage the stash from the Staking Dashboard.


⚠️ ATTENTION

Controller accounts are being deprecated. You can still use existing ones for now, but creating new ones is no longer possible.

It is recommended to set your stash account as its own controller (learn how to do it here) and create a staking proxy to obtain the same benefits and greater flexibility.

Check out the article on creating a proxy account for more information.

Adding a read-only account


If you want, you can add any account as read-only. Perhaps you want to simply monitor your stash that's in cold storage. This doesn't even require that you have an extension installed.


1. Click on the "Plug icon" button in the top right corner:



2. Instead of Extensions, click on "Read Only":



3. Then click "+ Add" and paste the address you want to monitor and click "Import":


 

4. Click "Select Account" and you will see the read-only account under the available accounts:


 

Click on it to connect the account as read-only. 


Read-only accounts have a small pair of glasses next to them and the words "Read Only." They don't have account names. Instead, the address is shown.

How to disconnect your account


1. After you've connected your account, the "Select Account" button will change to your account's name or address. Click in your account name.



2. In the modal that opens, click "Disconnect" or change the account by clicking the "Switch Account" option.


How to remove a read-only account


To completely remove a read-only account from the imported accounts, follow these steps:


1. Click the "Plug icon".



2. On the modal that opens up, click on the "Read Only" tab:



3. Click on "Forget" next to the account you want to remove: