With Ethereum network develops, applications like MetaMask will undoubtedly become integral components in the bridge between existing technologies and nascent cryptocurrency infrastructure.

Questions about MetaMask, Ethereum, or anything else? Head over to Ask Academy, where the community will answer them.

How to set up Metamask?

To start with MetaMask, you can visit MetaMask and click the 'Download' icon. If you tend to use browser, you need either Chrome, a Chromium-based browser such as Brave, or Firefox. If you prefer keeping an App on your phone, check the iOS version or Android version.

MetaMask is a powerful tool for browsing the decentralized web. Don't know how to use MetaMask? Head over to get started with it.

Why Should you Link MetaMask to Other Blockchains?

Linking your MetaMask wallet to another blockchain allows you to use services and tokens unique to that chain.

For example, by linking your MetaMask wallet to the Binance Smart Chain (BSC), you can use all the services on BSC like Bakery Swap, Pancake Swap and Venus. You can also send and receive BNB tokens — or any other token on the BSC chain.

Carrying out transactions on a new blockchain requires a balance of the new blockchain’s native token to pay any fees. For example, you need Matic tokens to pay for your transactions on the Polygon network. Similarly, if you connect to the BSC you’ll need BNB tokens.

How to Link MetaMask to Different Blockchains？

There are two ways to link your MetaMask wallet to another blockchain:

• Using a third party like Chainlist to link the new chain to your wallet automatically.
• Manually input the data to link the desired chain to your wallet.

Use Chainlist to Link Your MetaMask Wallet

Chainlist is a third-party website listing countless Ethereum virtual machine (EVM) networks to which you can connect your MetaMask wallet.

Visit Chainlist on your own browser. You will find the place to connect your wallet on the top right corner.

When you complete the wallet connection, you can roll the page and find the netword you'd like to add to your MetaMask wallet. Besides, you can also search network in the search bar.

After finding the correct chain in the search results, click “Add To MetaMask.”

A browser window will pop up and require you confirm the connection. It will ask you if you want to “allow this site to add a network.” Click approve at the bottom of the page and the new chain should appear in your wallet.

To check the network has linked successfully, simply find the network tab in the setting and check it successfully connected to your MetaMask wallet. If the network fails to appear, you will have to link to it manually.

Using Chainlist is undeniably easier than manually connecting your wallet to a new blockchain. However, you are trusting a third party to provide the correct data, which is a risk. For this reason, many people prefer to input the data and link new blockchains manually.

Besides, Chainlist doesn’t list every available blockchain, so it’s worth knowing how to link a chain to your MetaMask wallet manually.

Manually Link Your MetaMask Wallet

The process for manually linking different blockchains to your MetaMask wallet is the same no matter which blockchain you want to link to.

Click the browser extension with fox icon and unlock your Metamask wallet.

Open MetaMask and click the network dropdown menu. Find the button "Add Network".

You’ll be asked to fill in five fields: a network name, a new RPC URL, a chain ID, a currency Symbol and a block Explorer URL. You can also choose any network name, but picking a name related to the new network will make navigating easier.

Below you will find instructions on how to manually link your MetaMask wallet to some of the more popular blockchains, as well as a short description of what each chain offers.

How to Manually Link MetaMask with Polygon?

Polygon, previously called MATIC, is a blockchain scaling solution aiming to bring global adoption to the Ethereum network. The Polygon network has low gas fees, low latency, and incredibly fast transaction times.

If you want to learn more about Polygon, come here.

Here are the required fields to link with Polygon:

Network Name — Polygon

New RPC URL — https://rpc-mainnet.matic.network

Chain ID — 137

Currency Symbol — MATIC

Block Explorer URL — https://polygonscan.com

Put the above information to correspond blank and save it. Among the information, Block Explorer URL is optional which you can skip if you don't know or haven't found.

Once saved successfully, you can check it in the network dropdown menu.

How to Manually Link MetaMask with BSC?

BSC is designed for trading crypto, building dApps, using smart contracts and DeFi products as well as linking to other blockchains.

BSC is not to be confused with the Binance Chain, which launched in April 2019. The BSC runs alongside the Binance Chain, but with added functionality for smart contracts and compatibility with the Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM).

Learn more about Binance Smart Chain here.

Here are the required fields to link with BSC:

Network Name — BSC Smart Chain

New RPC URL — https://bsc-dataseed.binance.org/

Chain ID — 56

Currency Symbol — BNB

Block Explorer URL — https://bscscan.com

Put the above information to correspond blank and save it. Among the information, Block Explorer URL is optional which you can skip if you don't know or haven't found.

Once saved successfully, you can check it in the network dropdown menu.

How to Add Tokens to MetaMask Wallet after linking to Blockchains?

Taking Polygon as an example.

First, head to PolygonScan and confirm if the token you’d like to add is on PolygonScan. If not, make sure to get the contract address from the project’s official website or social media channels. Be careful!

Second, find out the token you'd like to add and copy its address. Here is to add USD coins to MetaMask.

After copying the address, open MetaMask extension and click "Import tokens". This step also needs to confirm if MetaMask is under Polygon chain.

In the page of Import Tokens, paste the address you have already copied. The token symbol and decimal will filled in automatically. Then, click the button "Add Custom Token".

What's more, you will be asked to confirm the action of importing USDC. If you have already held a number of tokens, it will be shown on the page.

After importing the token, you can see it in your wallet under the Polygon chain.

Based on the above example, the process for adding different tokens under different blockchains to your MetaMask wallet is the same no matter which token you want to add.