Confirmed doesn't always mean visible
A confirmed transaction means the network recorded the transfer. Your wallet showing it is a separate matter. Wallets only display tokens they have been set to look for, on the single network you currently have selected. A token can be sitting at your address while the interface stays blank.
So the first move is not to panic or resend. It is to prove where the balance actually is. A block explorer for the destination network reads the chain directly and shows the true balance regardless of what your wallet UI renders. Everything below is about closing the gap between what the chain holds and what your wallet chooses to show.
Work through the checklist
Run these checks in order. Most missing-token reports resolve at one of the first three steps, because the token is present and the display is simply out of sync.
1. Confirm the network you are viewing
A wallet shows one network at a time. If your swap delivered on Base and the wallet is set to Ethereum, the balance looks like zero. Switch the active network to the one the swap targeted, then look again.
This is the single most common cause. EVM chains share the same address format, so the same account holds separate balances on every chain and each is only visible when that network is selected.
2. Add the token as a custom token
Wallets auto-detect popular tokens, but many are held without being listed. If the token is not in your list, it is held and hidden, not lost. Add it manually using its contract address for the destination network.
Always take the contract address from an official source for that specific chain. The same token has a different contract on each network, and a wrong or look-alike address will either show nothing or point at an imposter token.
3. Check the address on a block explorer
Open the block explorer for the destination network and paste your receiving address. The explorer lists every token balance the chain records for that address, independent of your wallet. If the balance is there, you have confirmed arrival and the rest is a display fix.
If you have the transaction hash, look it up directly. A successful status with your address as the recipient is proof the tokens landed, even while the wallet still shows nothing.
4. Match the destination address and network
Confirm the swap sent to an address you control on the network you expected. If the route delivered to a different chain than you assumed, the funds are on that chain instead, still under your control but out of your current view.
For a cross-chain swap this matters most. The asset you receive lives on the destination network, not the one you started from, and it only appears once the wallet is switched there.
5. Know bridged versus native
Some routes deliver a native version of a token and others deliver a bridged or wrapped version. These can carry different contract addresses and different names on the same chain. If your wallet is tracking the native contract but you received a bridged variant, the balance sits under a different entry.
Check which variant the route delivered, then add that exact contract. A bridged token is still yours. It just needs its own listing to show up.
When it really is missing
If the block explorer shows nothing on the destination and the swap was cross-chain, the destination leg may still be settling. Give it the time the slower chain in the route needs, then check again.
If the source transaction confirmed but nothing arrives on the destination well past a reasonable window, stop and contact support with the transaction hash rather than sending again. A second attempt can complicate tracing the first. The hash lets support follow the exact route and locate where the value sits.