Why Switch?
Sometimes you may want to change the validator you are staking with.
This could happen if your validator raises their commission too high, gets jailed, or if you simply want to support decentralization by moving to a smaller or mid-sized validator.
In these cases, there is no need to fully unstake, wait through the unbonding period, and then stake again. Instead, you can simply redelegate (switch validator) right away.
How to Switch Validator
On each chain page or in the Staking tab, you can see how much you have staked with each validator.
Click the validator you’d like to switch from. The staking modal will open with that chain and validator already selected.
Hit Switch Validator.
On the next screen, you can choose a validator from the chain’s active set to redelegate to.
Review details such as:
- Commission: the percentage each validator keeps from rewards as their operating fee
- Voting Power: the validator’s share of the network’s stake
At the top, you will see the validator (Keplr in this example) you are currently redelegating from. Select the validator you want to redelegate to. A blue dot next to a validator’s name indicates that you are already staking with them.
In this step, you will see:
- The amount you currently have staked (”Available for Redelegation”)
- The validator you are switching from and the validator you are switching to
- A field to enter the amount you want to redelegate
Keep in mind that most chains enforce redelegation rules to prevent validator hopping. After redelegating from Validator A to Validator B, you must wait for the chain’s unbonding period before redelegating again from B to another validator (for example, C). For Cosmos Hub, this redelegation cooldown is 21 days.
Once you’ve reviewed the details, hit Redelegate. Approve the transaction in Keplr Extension.