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Minting an NFT means creating a blockchain token and associating it with media or other metadata. On OpenSea in 2025, the current no-code route is OpenSea Studio. The old “free lazy minting” workflow is no longer available for new NFTs: OpenSea disabled new lazy-minted items on October 3, 2023.
This guide shows how to prepare your wallet and files, create an OpenSea collection, mint an individual NFT, or launch a buyer-minted drop. It also explains gas fees, creator earnings, allowlists, reveals, metadata errors, and the decisions that are difficult to reverse.
What you need before minting an NFT
Prepare these items before opening OpenSea Studio:
- A crypto wallet such as MetaMask, Coinbase Wallet, or another wallet supported by your browser.
- The cryptocurrency needed for network gas. The amount depends on the blockchain and current network congestion.
- An image, video, audio file, or other supported media file.
- A name and description for each item.
- A decision about whether you will mint the NFT yourself or let buyers mint it.
Never share your wallet’s seed phrase or private key. OpenSea support will not need either one. Check every wallet prompt before signing, especially the network, contract address, and transaction cost.
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OpenSea Studio provides two different creation models. Choose based on who should receive the token at the moment of minting.
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| Option | Best for | Standard | When the NFT exists | Supply model |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Open Collection | Minting individual items yourself | ERC-1155 | Immediately after you mint | One item can have multiple copies; supply of 1 makes it unique |
| Scheduled Drop | Timed public launches and presales | ERC-721 | When a buyer mints | Limited or open edition |
Use Open Collection if you already own the artwork and want to mint it into your connected wallet. Use Scheduled Drop if buyers should mint directly into their own wallets during a sale.
How to mint one NFT with Open Collection
1. Open OpenSea Studio
- Sign in to OpenSea and connect the wallet that should own the collection.
- Open Studio from OpenSea’s left-hand sidebar.
- Click Create new near the lower-left area of the Studio landing page.
- Select Create Collection.
Take the collection decision seriously. NFTs created in one collection cannot later be moved to another collection through this workflow.
2. Deploy the collection contract
Complete the contract-deployment form with:
- Logo image
- Contract name
- Token symbol
- An EVM-compatible blockchain
The contract name and token symbol are written on-chain. Neither can be changed after deployment. OpenSea describes typical token symbols as four to seven characters, so use a short, recognizable abbreviation rather than a long slogan. The logo can be changed later.
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3. Upload the media and metadata
- After the contract deploys, open the Media & Metadata tab.
- Upload the media file.
- Enter the item name.
- Set the item supply.
- Optionally add a description, external link, and traits.
- Click Mint and approve the wallet transaction.
All NFTs in the same Open Collection must use the same file type. For example, do not mix a PNG item with an MP4 item in the same collection if Studio does not accept that combination for the collection.
For a one-of-one NFT, set the supply to 1. A supply of 25 creates 25 copies of the same ERC-1155 item, rather than 25 independently numbered ERC-721 tokens.
4. Add more items later
Return to the collection and open its Upload tab to add additional items. The items remain in the collection created by the original contract.
How to launch a Scheduled Drop
A Scheduled Drop is more involved because it includes a smart contract, sale stages, optional allowlists, metadata preparation, and a reveal. The buyer—not the creator—mints each ERC-721 NFT.
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1. Start the drop
- Open Studio.
- Click Create new.
- Select Scheduled Drop.
- Follow the setup stages to deploy the drop contract and enter collection details.
The Drop setup includes stages for deploying the contract, preparing the schedule, defining allowlists, selecting a pre-reveal image, setting earnings, building the drop page, and preparing metadata.
2. Set the collection and earnings
Before configuring the sale, review the collection details and creator-earnings settings. Use Collection Details for the OpenSea display name, description, custom URL, category, sensitive-content setting, trait-based collection offers, and eligible OpenRarity display.
OpenSea’s collection categories include Art, Gaming, Memberships, Music, PFPs, Photography, Domain Names, Sports Collectibles, and Virtual Worlds.
To configure earnings, open OpenSea Studio → select collection → Creator Earnings. Choose Add earnings payout address and percentage, then enter the recipient wallet and percentage. OpenSea allows a maximum configured percentage of 10%.
For OpenSea Studio contracts deployed after April 2, 2024, at 10:00 a.m. PT, the Enforce earnings option may be available. Enforced earnings restrict compatible sales to OpenSea and marketplaces using LimitBreak’s Payment Processor; OpenSea identifies Magic Eden as an included marketplace. For older Studio contracts, earnings are optional rather than retroactively enforceable.
3. Configure the mint schedule
- Open Drop Setup → Settings.
- Choose Limited edition or Open edition.
- For a limited edition, enter the number of items.
- Set the mint start date and time.
- Create the sale stages and save each change through the wallet.
A limited edition has a fixed maximum supply. An open edition allows unlimited minting during its sale timeframe; the final collection size is the number of NFTs minted when the period ends.
Every schedule change is an on-chain transaction and costs gas. The mint start date can be edited until the drop begins.
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Every drop must include a public sale stage. It is always the final stage and cannot be deleted. Configure its:
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- Stage name
- Sale price
- Duration
- Per-wallet mint limit
A stage can last up to 365 days. Test the time zone carefully; a launch scheduled for 12:00 UTC is not the same as 12:00 local time.
5. Add presales and allowlists
In Drop settings, click Create stage to add a presale. Studio supports up to five presale stages, each with its own price, wallet limit, and allowlist. Only one presale stage can be active at a time.
Upload a separate CSV for each presale stage. The file must:
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.csvextension. - Contain no header row.
- Contain no duplicate addresses.
- Use complete Ethereum-compatible wallet addresses with the
0xprefix. - Exclude ENS names.
- Contain no more than 30,000 addresses for one presale stage.
Each row follows this format:
0x1234567890abcdef1234567890abcdef12345678,2,0.05The second field is the customer’s per-wallet limit and the third is the custom per-wallet price. Both are optional, so a row may contain only an address. OpenSea’s allowlists are additive by default: limits from successive stages can roll over and accumulate for an eligible wallet, and the public-stage allowance is additional to presale limits.
Use the wallet lookup button to test sample addresses before minting begins. Allowlists cannot be edited after the mint starts.
6. Upload Drop media and metadata
Open the Media & Metadata section and select Upload. Studio supports up to 10,000 media files for a drop in JPG, PNG, SVG, or GIF format, together with a metadata file.
OpenSea recommends CSV metadata. Use Download Example to obtain a ZIP containing a 50-item CSV and sample media files. The metadata maps media files to token IDs and includes traits. Studio CSV uploads currently support string traits only; numeric traits are not supported.
Before publishing, use View/Edit to preview the collection and correct item names, descriptions, and metadata. Check token numbering, file names, spelling, trait values, and the number of items against the schedule.
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7. Set the pre-reveal image and publish the drop page
Choose the image buyers should see before the collection is revealed, then build and review the drop page. Test the public URL, sale price, wallet limit, countdown, and collection description from a separate browser or logged-out session.
How the NFT reveal works
After minting ends, the Reveal control appears in the drop’s View tab.
- Confirm the number of NFTs actually minted.
- If the collection did not mint out, reduce the item supply to the number minted.
- Click Reveal.
- Wait while Studio uploads the items and metadata to IPFS.
- Click Complete Reveal.
- Sign the wallet transaction.
Metadata is not published on-chain until the final transaction is completed. Revealing prevents further changes to the drop settings and item metadata, so treat it as a permanent publishing step.
“Content not available yet” usually means the collection has not been revealed or the creator did not complete the reveal transaction. To refresh an already minted item, open its item page and click Refresh metadata in the upper-right corner. OpenSea then queues the item for an update.
Instant reveal is not a standard Studio upload option. It requires a separate metadata server that listens for mint events and reveals each token as it is minted.
Using existing JSON metadata
Studio’s normal Drop upload accepts CSV metadata. If your metadata is already arranged as JSON files, OpenSea documents a base-URI workaround:
- Open the Drop page.
- Click the three-dot menu on the right.
- Click the blockchain explorer logo.
- Open the Contract tab.
- Select Write Contract.
- Call
setBaseURIwith the location of your metadata.
The base URI must end with a slash, such as:
ipfs://your-ipfs-hash/The contract appends the token ID to that path. Your files must therefore be reachable without adding a .json extension—for example, the contract may request ipfs://your-ipfs-hash/1, not ipfs://your-ipfs-hash/1.json. Test several token URLs before relying on this method.
Gas fees, failed transactions, and common mistakes
| Problem | Likely cause | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Transaction rejected | Insufficient native cryptocurrency or wrong network | Check the wallet network and leave extra balance for gas. |
| Mint fails but gas is charged | The transaction was submitted and consumed blockchain resources | Review the transaction error; do not assume a failed mint is free. |
| Supply sells out while minting | Another transaction claimed the remaining items while yours was pending | Verify the collection state before trying again. |
| Allowlist wallet cannot mint | Typo, missing 0x, incomplete address, duplicate row, or ENS name |
Compare the exact 42-character address and test it with wallet lookup. |
| Wrong collection name or symbol | Contract fields were confirmed incorrectly | Deploy a new contract; these fields cannot be changed after deployment. |
| Drop has nothing to reveal | Zero items were minted | Extend the schedule, reduce the price to zero and mint to your wallet, or adjust supply to the number minted. |
| Unexpected metadata | Incorrect token numbering, file mapping, or unrevealed metadata | Use View/Edit before reveal; after reveal, refresh the item metadata. |
Gas is charged for attempted blockchain transactions, including failed mints. Wallet providers calculate the gas price, and OpenSea does not control or refund those fees. A crowded network can make a transaction more expensive or leave it pending long enough for the supply to change.
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Final pre-mint checklist
- Confirm the connected wallet is the intended owner and earnings recipient.
- Confirm the blockchain and that the wallet has enough native currency for deployment, minting, and later updates.
- Check the collection name and token symbol letter by letter.
- Verify that the media type and file sizes are accepted.
- For drops, test token IDs, file mappings, traits, sale times, prices, and wallet limits.
- Test allowlist addresses with the lookup tool.
- Remember that supply cannot be increased through Studio after minting begins.
- Do not alter supply through the contract to bypass Studio; OpenSea says that doing so can cause delisting for violating its Terms of Service.
- Do not reveal until all metadata and the final minted supply are correct.
FAQ
Can I still mint an NFT for free on OpenSea?
Not through the former lazy-minting workflow. New lazy-minted items have been disabled since October 3, 2023. OpenSea Studio uses blockchain transactions for contract deployment and minting, which can require gas.
Does OpenSea use ERC-721 or ERC-1155?
Both are used. Open Collection NFTs use ERC-1155, while Scheduled Drops use ERC-721. Open Collection supports multiple copies of one item; a supply of 1 makes that item unique.
Do Drop NFTs exist before someone mints them?
No. A Drop NFT is created when a buyer mints it. Before that transaction, the drop is a sale configuration and the token does not exist as a minted NFT.
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Can I increase a Drop’s supply after minting starts?
No through OpenSea Studio. Increasing supply directly through the contract can result in OpenSea delisting the collection. Lowering supply during an active mint is permanent, so verify the number before launch.
Are creator royalties enforced on every marketplace?
No. Creator earnings may be optional unless the contract supports the applicable enforcement standard or is an eligible OpenSea Studio contract. Enforced earnings also limit compatible sales to OpenSea and marketplaces using LimitBreak’s Payment Processor.
Why does my NFT say “Content not available yet”?
The drop may not have been revealed, or the creator may not have completed the Complete Reveal transaction. After a metadata update, open the item and select Refresh metadata.
Can I use JSON instead of CSV for Drop metadata?
The normal Studio workflow supports CSV metadata. If your files are already JSON, OpenSea documents setting the contract’s base URI through the blockchain explorer’s Contract → Write Contract → setBaseURI interface. The URI must end with a slash, and files must be accessible without the .json extension.
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The Bottom Line
For a straightforward NFT that you will mint yourself, use OpenSea Studio → Create new → Create Collection, deploy the contract, upload the media and metadata, set the supply, and approve the mint. For a timed launch where buyers mint into their own wallets, use Scheduled Drop and carefully configure the schedule, public sale, allowlists, metadata, and reveal.
The irreversible decisions are the collection contract name and symbol, the collection itself, and—after the relevant stages begin—the supply, allowlist, and reveal state. Check those details before signing each wallet transaction, and keep enough network currency available for every required blockchain operation.
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