Burn vs Close: What Happens to Your Tokens and Your SOL
Updated · 4 min read
Burning and closing are often mentioned together, but they do different things. Burning removes tokens from supply. Closing removes an empty account and returns its rent deposit.
What burning does
A burn instruction destroys a number of tokens from your account and reduces the total supply of that mint. It does not return any SOL by itself, and the account stays open afterwards.
What closing does
A close instruction deletes a token account whose balance is zero and sends the rent deposit, about 0.0015 to 0.002 SOL for a standard account, to your wallet.
Using both
For worthless dust you no longer want, the typical sequence is burn first, then close. After the burn empties the account, the close returns the deposit. Burning is irreversible, so only burn tokens you are sure have no value to you.
Check your wallet for locked SOL
Scan any Solana address for empty token accounts and see exactly how much rent you can reclaim. Free to check, non-custodial to close.
Frequently asked questions
Does burning tokens give me SOL back?
Burning alone does not. The SOL comes back when the now-empty account is closed.
Can I undo a burn?
No. Burned tokens are permanently removed from supply.