MetaMask is an Ethereum wallet allowing you to interact with the Ethereum blockchain in a simple way. Once installed, users can send and receive ETH and ERC-20 tokens. In addition to this, MetaMask serves as an entry point for DeFi, dApps, and NFTs.
Install MetaMask
Head to the Chrome Web Store or MetaMask.io to install MetaMask. Other than Chrome, you can use browsers such as Brave, Firefox, or Opera. Alternatively, you can also download the dApp to your mobile device.
Once the installation is complete, head to your browserâs toolbar to open the dApp. Click âGet Startedâ.
Set up New Wallet
Next, youâll click âCreate a Walletâ. If you already had an existing wallet, youâd click on âImport Walletâ. You would import by using your seed phrase. For todayâs tutorial, weâre going to learn how to create a new wallet.
Youâll then see a screen about helping to improve MetaMask. Click âI agreeâ or âNo Thanksâ depending on what you want to do. For this guide, Iâll agree.
The next thing youâll need to do is create a password with a minimum of 8 characters. You should always choose strong passwords with a combination of characters and numbers. Store your password safe as you normally would with your accounts. If you happen to lose your password, youâll be able to recover your wallet with your seed phrase.
To reveal your secret words aka your seed phrase, click on the grey area. It is of utmost importance to write down your secret backup phrase and store it safely. Be sure to make multiple backups as well.
Whoever is in possession of a secret backup phrase has access to your crypto. If anything were to happen to your device, youâd need your secret backup phrase to restore your wallet.
To confirm you have written down your secret backup phrase, enter each phrase in the exact order.
Receive ETH
Now that you have successfully set up your MetaMask account, you can now send ETH to it from another address or exchange. Copy and paste your address to ensure you send it to the correct account.
If you do not have any ETH yet, you can buy it with Metamaskâs built-in exchange.
Check your balance on the bottom half of the wallet. To add additional custom ERC-20 tokens, you can click âAdd Tokenâ to do so. Depending on the Ethereum blockchainâs traffic, you may have to wait several minutes for your ETH to show up.
Send ETH
Once you have ETH or any ERC-20 token in your wallet, you can then send the crypto to anyone, a merchant, exchanges, or additional ETH wallets. Click âSendâ and enter the amount of ETH youâd like to send and how much in fees youâd like to pay and click âNextâ.
The fee will be automatically set by MetaMask by deflation ult. You are always free to pay a higher fee to get your transaction confirmed faster. To find an ideal fee for your ETH transaction, head to ETH Gas Station.
To finalize your transaction details, click âNextâ and then âConfirmâ. To see the status of your transaction, click âActivityâ in MetaMask.
Dive into dApps
The reason why so many people love MetaMask is its integration with a plethora of dApps and DeFi platforms such as SushiSwap, PancakeSwap, and Uniswap. When a platform supports MetaMask, youâll be able to âConnect Walletâ and choose MetaMask. You will see a pop-up, click âNextâ and âConfirmâ.
You can think of MetaMask as a bridge to the decentralized internet. The best way to learn the ins and outs is to play. Have fun and stick around for our next guide.
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