NFTs have become a cornerstone of digital ownership, representing everything from digital art to collectibles and virtual real estate. But what happens when your NFT isn’t rendering correctly on marketplaces like OpenSea? The image might be missing, or the preview could be broken—yet you know the asset is real and stored securely. This issue often stems from how NFTs are stored: not on the blockchain itself, but via decentralized file systems like IPFS (InterPlanetary File System).
In this guide, you’ll learn how to locate your NFT directly on IPFS, bypassing broken previews and ensuring you can always access your digital asset. Whether it’s a JPEG, GIF, or video, the process remains consistent and empowering.
Step 1: Locate the Minting Smart Contract
Start by navigating to your OpenSea profile and finding the NFT that isn’t displaying properly. Click into its details page. Here, you’ll find essential information about the token, including its Contract Address—a unique identifier for the smart contract used during minting.
👉 Discover how blockchain transparency empowers digital ownership — explore secure access methods now.
This address is usually hyperlinked. Clicking it will redirect you to Etherscan, Ethereum’s most widely used block explorer. Alternatively, you can manually check your transaction history on Etherscan by visiting https://etherscan.io/address/{your-wallet-address} and locating the minting transaction.
Make note of two key pieces of data:
- Token ID: A unique number identifying your specific NFT within the collection.
- Contract Address: The smart contract responsible for minting the NFT.
These values are crucial for retrieving your NFT's metadata from the blockchain.
Step 2: Retrieve Your NFT’s Metadata via Etherscan
Once on the Etherscan page for the contract, go to the “Contract” tab, then select “Read Contract”. This section allows you to interact directly with the smart contract using predefined functions.
Scroll through the list until you find a function named tokenURI. This function returns the location of your NFT’s metadata, typically stored as a JSON file on IPFS.
In the input field labeled tokenId, enter your NFT’s Token ID. Then click the Query button.
Within seconds, Etherscan will return a result in this format:
ipfs://QmYGgEFqTRkWvNZ6u7gfk9HDdh55bQAbYVyc16TF1zX658/69Copy only the part after ipfs:// — in this example: QmYGgEFqTRkWvNZ6u7gfk9HDdh55bQAbYVyc16TF1zX658/69
This string is the path to your NFT’s metadata file on IPFS.
Step 3: Access the Metadata on IPFS
With the copied path in hand, head over to the public IPFS gateway:
https://ipfs.io/ipfs/Append your copied string to this URL:
https://ipfs.io/ipfs/QmYGgEFqTRkWvNZ6u7gfk9HDdh55bQAbYVyc16TF1zX658/69Press Enter.
You’ll be taken to a page displaying your NFT’s metadata—a JSON file containing attributes such as name, description, and crucially, the image or animation URL. At this stage, you won’t see the actual image yet—just data.
Look for a field labeled "image", "animation_url", or similar. Its value will likely start with ipfs://. For example:
"image": "ipfs://QmR36VFfo1hH2RAwVs4zVJ5btkopGip5cW7ydY4jUQBrKW"Again, copy only the part after ipfs:// — in this case: QmR36VFfo1hH2RAwVs4zVJ5btkopGip5cW7ydY4jUQBrKW
Now construct the full public URL:
https://ipfs.io/ipfs/QmR36VFfo1hH2RAwVs4zVJ5btkopGip5cW7ydY4jUQBrKWVisit this link in your browser.
Step 4: View Your NFT Directly
If everything went smoothly, you should now see your NFT displayed in full—whether it’s a high-resolution image, animated GIF, or video file.
👉 Ensure uninterrupted access to your digital assets using decentralized storage solutions.
Some tips:
- If it's a video and playback is choppy, right-click and choose “Save Video As” to download it locally.
- If the page doesn’t load, try alternative IPFS gateways like
https://cloudflare-ipfs.com/ipfs/or use a browser with native IPFS support. - Bookmark your final IPFS link as a backup in case marketplace previews fail again.
Congratulations—you've successfully retrieved your NFT directly from decentralized storage.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Q1: Why isn’t my NFT showing up on OpenSea?
A: Marketplaces rely on external servers or gateways to fetch NFT images. If those services go down or if metadata is incorrectly formatted, the preview may break—even though your NFT still exists securely on-chain.
Q2: What is IPFS and why do NFTs use it?
A: IPFS is a decentralized file storage system that ensures content isn't tied to a single server. NFTs use it because it provides censorship-resistant, permanent hosting for digital assets—critical for long-term ownership integrity.
Q3: Is my NFT lost forever if IPFS goes down?
A: No. As long as at least one node hosts the file and you have the correct CID (Content Identifier), the file remains accessible. The decentralized nature of IPFS means redundancy across many nodes worldwide.
Q4: Can I view any NFT using this method?
A: Yes—any NFT whose metadata is stored on IPFS can be accessed this way, regardless of marketplace or blockchain (assuming you're using an appropriate block explorer and gateway).
Q5: Why not store NFTs directly on the blockchain?
A: Storing large files directly on-chain is prohibitively expensive due to gas fees. Instead, blockchains store only a reference (like a token ID), while media files are hosted off-chain—ideally on decentralized networks like IPFS.
Q6: Are there risks with storing NFTs on IPFS?
A: While IPFS itself is robust, issues arise if no one pins (hosts) your file. Some projects use services like Filecoin or Pinata to ensure permanent pinning and avoid “link rot.”
Final Thoughts
Understanding how to retrieve your NFT from IPFS gives you true control over your digital assets. You're no longer dependent on third-party platforms to display what you own.
As more users embrace decentralized ownership, mastering tools like Etherscan and IPFS becomes essential literacy in the Web3 world.
Whether you're verifying authenticity, backing up rare collectibles, or troubleshooting display issues, this knowledge empowers you to act independently and confidently.
👉 Stay ahead in Web3—secure, verify, and explore your digital assets with confidence.
Core Keywords:
NFT, IPFS, OpenSea, Etherscan, Token ID, Contract Address, metadata, decentralized storage