MetaMask is an open-source Web3 wallet with more than 10 million active monthly users. It has grown to support the whole Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM) ecosystem by enabling users to hold and swap digital assets and host Decentralized Finance (DeFi) apps, NFT Marketplaces and facilitate blockchain games.
Binance Smart Chain (BSC) is currently the second biggest smart contract network after Ethereum. It has gained significant market admiration as an Ethereum alternative because of its low-cost gas fees and high settlement speeds. Furthermore, it has EVM and smart contract features that support NFTs and other DeFi use cases.
If you have a MetaMask wallet, you can switch from Ethereum or any other supported blockchain to BSC, access DeFi apps, and trade on DEXs like PancakeSwap. Let’s explore how to add Binance Smart Chain to MetaMask.
If you are using a web browser, you can add BSC to MetaMask automatically through BSCscan or manually through MetaMask.
This is the easiest method of adding Binance Smart Chain to MetaMask. Below are three steps you should follow:
Essentially, BSCscan is a blockchain explorer for the Binance Smart Chain, just like Etherscan for Ethereum.
After visiting BSCscan, navigate to the bottom of the web page. You will see a MetaMask icon adjacent to the tab “Add BSC Network” on the left side of your screen.
You will be prompted to log in after clicking the button.
MetaMask requires its users to confirm all connection requests while logged into their MetaMask accounts.
Press the “Switch network” button to allow the BSCscan to change your default MetaMask wallet to BSC automatically.
That’s how easy it is to add the Binance Smart chain to MetaMask through BSCscan!
Follow these four steps to add Binance Smart Chain to MetaMask manually:
Open the MetaMask browser extension by pressing the MetaMask icon on the top right-hand side of your screen.
After logging into your MetaMask account, visit the network selection menu on the upper right side of your screen.
The menu reads “Ethereum Mainnet” if it’s your first time switching networks. Click it to access a drop-down menu and hit the ‘Add Network” tab to proceed to the next step.
After clicking the “Add Network” button above, a new window will open.
Enter these details into their relevant fields:
New RPC URL - https://bsc-dataseed.binance.org/
Block Explorer URL (Optional) - https://bscscan.com
Tip: You are more likely to make errors typing the details into the fields. Therefore, do copy and paste them to eliminate typing errors.
After filling in the fields accordingly, the “Save” tab on the bottom of your screen turns blue. Press it to add Binance Smart Chain to your MetaMask wallet.
You will realize that your mainnet network has turned into “Smart Chain.”
If you wish to change back to the Ethereum network, simply press on the “Smart Chain” menu on the top.
Connecting MetaMask to Binance Smart Chain differs from the BSCscan and browser extension options. Also, BSCscan lacks the option of interacting with the MetaMask mobile app.
Here is a step-by-step process of adding BSC to the MetaMask app.
Navigate to the MetaMask App on your smartphone, and open it. If you don’t have the app yet, visit the Play Store or iOS to download it.
After opening the app, press the three dashes on the top left side to open a new window.
Click the “Settings” menu in the lower half of your screen.
After a new window opens, navigate down and select “Networks.”
Press “Add Network” then “Custom Networks” to add the Binance Smart Chain network.
Like in the browser extension, a window with five empty fields will appear.
Copy and paste the details below into their relevant fields:
New RPC URL - https://bsc-dataseed.binance.org/
Block Explorer URL (Optional) - https://bscscan.com
After pasting the details appropriately, press the “Save” tab at the bottom to add BSC to your MetaMask wallet.
Your Mainnet network menu will now read “Smart Chain.”
Again, you can switch back to Ethereum by clicking the network menu. That’s it!
After successfully adding BSC to MetaMask, you need to fund your account with some BNB tokens. You will use the tokens to pay for transaction costs, swap for other tokens, or hold them as an investment.
To fund your MetaMask account with BNB:
Copy your BNB wallet address on the top middle section of your screen.
Log into the source of your funds and paste it into the “Withdrawal Address” field
Remember to select “BSC (BEP20)” in the network field and avoid sending funds to the wrong network.
You can also send other BSC custom tokens to your MetaMask account. However, you must manually add the tokens for them to reflect in the “Assets” section. This is how to go along:
Click the “Import tokens” tab in the bottom middle section of your screen.
Visit CoinGecko's token page to find the token contract.
Go back to MetaMask and paste the contract in the “Token Contract Address” field. The MetaMask engine will automatically fill the other two fields.
After that, click on the “Add Custom Token” to complete the process.
Congratulations, you have successfully added BSC to MetaMask and funded it. Now you can start swapping tokens, holding NFTs, or interacting with various dApps at low transaction fees.
Josiah is a tech evangelist passionate about helping the world understand Blockchain, Crypto, NFT, DeFi, Tokenization, Fintech, and Web3 concepts. His hobbies are listening to music and playing football. Follow the author on Twitter @TechWriting001
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