How to Add BNB Chain (BSC) to MetaMask (2026)

Method 1: Automatic via ChainList (Recommended)

The fastest and safest way — ChainList pulls verified network settings directly.

Go to chainlist.org
Connect your MetaMask wallet (click “Connect Wallet” top right)
Search for “BNB Smart Chain”
Find the entry with Chain ID 56
Click “Add to MetaMask”
MetaMask will pop up with the network details — click “Approve”
Click “Switch network” if prompted

That’s it. BNB Chain is now available in your network selector.

Method 2: Manual Entry

If you prefer to add it manually or ChainList isn’t accessible:

Open MetaMask
Click the network selector at the top (shows “Ethereum Mainnet” by default)
Click “Add network”
Click “Add a network manually”

Enter these exact details:

Field	Value
Network Name	BNB Smart Chain
New RPC URL	https://bsc-dataseed.binance.org/
Chain ID	56
Currency Symbol	BNB
Block Explorer URL	https://bscscan.com

Click Save
MetaMask will switch to BNB Chain automatically

How to Switch Between Networks

Once BNB Chain is added, switching is instant:

Click the network name at the top of MetaMask
Select BNB Smart Chain from the list

Your BNB balance and BEP-20 tokens will now appear

To go back to Ethereum, click the network name again and select Ethereum Mainnet.

Sending and Receiving on BNB Chain

Your MetaMask address (starting with 0x...) is the same on BNB Chain as on Ethereum. This is because both are EVM-compatible blockchains.

Sending BNB or BEP-20 tokens:

Make sure you’re on the BNB Smart Chain network
You need BNB in your wallet to pay gas fees (not ETH)
Gas fees on BNB Chain are typically $0.10–$0.50 — much cheaper than Ethereum

Receiving tokens:

Share your regular 0x... address
Make sure the sender is sending on BNB Chain, not Ethereum
Tokens sent on the wrong chain won’t appear unless you switch networks

Adding BEP-20 Tokens

Most BEP-20 tokens aren’t automatically shown in MetaMask. To add them:

Switch to BNB Smart Chain network
Scroll down and click “Import tokens”
Enter the token’s contract address (find it on bscscan.com or the project’s official site)

Symbol and decimals auto-fill
Click Add custom token

Common Issues

BNB Chain not showing after adding:

Refresh MetaMask or close and reopen the extension. The network should appear in your selector.

“Wrong network” error on a DApp:

The DApp is asking you to switch to BNB Chain. Click the prompt in MetaMask to switch, or manually select BNB Smart Chain in the network selector.

Transaction failed — “insufficient funds”:

On BNB Chain, gas is paid in BNB. If you have no BNB, transactions will fail even if you have other tokens. Buy or bridge a small amount of BNB first.

Tokens sent to BNB Chain address but not showing:

Switch MetaMask to BNB Smart Chain network. Tokens exist on the chain — they’re just not visible while on Ethereum mainnet.

BNB Chain vs Ethereum: Key Differences

Feature	BNB Chain	Ethereum
Gas token	BNB	ETH
Average gas cost	$0.10–$0.50	$1–$20+
Transaction speed	~3 seconds	~12 seconds
Decentralisation	Lower (21 validators)	Higher
DeFi ecosystem	Large	Largest
Chain ID	56	1

BNB Chain is faster and cheaper — a good choice for smaller, frequent transactions. Ethereum has the largest, most established DeFi ecosystem.

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