How to Connect MetaMask to (Almost) Any Blockchain?
A step-by-step guide on how to connect your favorite chain to MetaMask!
Since 2016, MetaMask has been an instrumental key to the blockchain and cryptocurrency community and is now the recommended wallet for EVM-based assets 30 million monthly active users.
MetaMask is a highly intuitive, simple to install, and cross-browser plugin that is often the first stop for new cryptocurrency users. More experienced cryptocurrency users, on the other hand, may instead choose to use a hardware wallet—which can be used to safely store cryptocurrencies in cold storage.
The ‘Add Network’ feature allows users to support more than 50 different blockchain mainnets and testnets, which is one of the reasons MetaMask continues to be popular.
If you want to start using a new network, here’s what you should be aware of.
To be able to interact with non-EVM chains like Solana, Terra, Waves, or NEAR using MetaMask, you’ll need a separate native wallet.
Manually Adding a New Network
MetaMask comes equipped with support for a few Ethereum-based networks such as the mainnet and its testnets (Ropsten, Kovan, Rinkeby, Goerli). If you want to use MetaMask to connect with other networks, you can do so by adding those network manually via MetaMasks’s ‘Add Network’ feature.
The path to follow is straightforward. You’ll need to give MetaMask the following information for the new network:
Name: The name of the blockchain you want to use, e.g. BNB Chain.
RPC URL: The RPC URL is the protocol set address that MetaMask can use to interact with any target blockchain.
Chain ID: Network managers use a chain ID to identify each network.
Currency symbol: The ticker MetaMask uses displays the balance for the network’s native coin, e.g. BNB.
Block Explorer URL (optional): This is the network’s block explorer URL.
Many non-EVM chains also have an EVM sidechain or layer-2 solution, such as the NEAR Aurora platform or Velas’ EVM space. Because these are built on the Ethereum Virtual Machine, they can be integrated into MetaMask in the same way as a standard layer-1 chain
If you want to add a new network on MetaMask, go to ‘Settings’ by clicking the avatar in the top right corner of the plugin.
Click the ‘Networks’ button at the bottom of the window to access the necessary interface. The following data is needed for the top 20 most popular EVM chains. Simply input the ones you need and hit “Save” to save them to your MetaMask.
After verifying your account, you’ll be able to pick the new network from the MetaMask window’s top drop-down menu after signing in.
You may also search for a specific network using the above list to find its relevant RPC details.
Automatically Add Networks to MetaMask
In some circumstances, simply going to the dApp you want to use may prompt a message asking you to add the network of that app to your MetaMask. That said, this is still relatively uncommon, especially for less well-known platforms.
Alternatively, you may use a website like Chainlist to add a network to your MetaMask automatically. Here’s how to do it.
– Connect your MetaMask wallet
– Search for the network you want to add
– Once found, click the ‘Add To Metamask’ button. This will pull up an interface showing the RPC details that will be added. Click ‘Approve’ if you are happy with the details. This will add the network to your MetaMask permanently (or until manually removed).
– You can then opt to switch directly to the new network using the prompt.
Does MetaMask Support Bitcoin?
As of this writing, MetaMask does not support the Bitcoin blockchain directly. However, according to a recent update, the platform will soon enable Bitcoin and other non-EVM chains through its forthcoming “Snaps” feature.
Snaps are programs that MetaMask will run in an isolated environment to extend its capabilities. By offering its own range of Snaps and also supporting third-party Snaps,MetaMask’s capabilities go beyond just additional networks.
MetaMask has yet to release a timeline for this much-anticipated feature. However, it’s anticipated that users will need to use MetaMask’s developer client called ‘MetaMask Flask.’
