To set up MetaMask, install it only from metamask.io or your phone's official app store. Choose "Create a new wallet" and secure it with either a 12-word Secret Recovery Phrase (SRP) or a social login plus a password. Write the phrase down offline before you add any funds. The installation takes a few minutes. Protecting the recovery phrase or password is the step that decides whether your funds stay safe. MetaMask states that if you lose your SRP, or someone else gets it, it cannot recover your wallet.
This guide follows MetaMask's own support documentation as it stood on 25 October 2026. Menu names change between versions, so your screens may look slightly different.
What MetaMask is
MetaMask is a self-custody wallet that comes as a browser extension and as a mobile app. Self-custody means no company holds your keys. The phrase or social-login backup is the only way back into the wallet, and no support desk can reset it for you.
One account, several networks
MetaMask now uses "multichain accounts" by default. MetaMask's support page puts it this way: "A multichain account houses multiple addresses across networks." Each account holds addresses on:
- EVM networks: Ethereum and EVM chains such as Arbitrum, Base and Linea
- Solana: supported natively
- Bitcoin: supported natively
- TRON: supported by default for holding, sending and swaps. Staking TRX works only on MetaMask Mobile, and MetaMask says dapp connections on TRON are not available yet.
The switch to multichain accounts happened automatically from MetaMask Mobile v7.57 and Extension v13.5. Two limits apply. Hardware-wallet accounts remain EVM-only, and you cannot import a private key for Bitcoin or Solana addresses yet.
Step 1: Install MetaMask from the official source
MetaMask's first warning is not to download it from anywhere other than the official store. The reason is that cloned apps are "programmed to record your Secret Recovery Phrase as soon as it's generated."
Browser extension
- Go to metamask.io and click "Get MetaMask". It sends you to your browser's extension store.
- Supported browsers are Chrome, Firefox, Edge and Brave.
- Confirm the install. In Chrome, click "Add to Chrome" and then "Add extension". You can pin the fox icon from the puzzle-piece menu.
- Firefox: the publisher shows as "danfinlay". MetaMask says this is one of its main developers, so it is not a warning sign.
- Brave: if MetaMask shows as not installed, go to Settings > Web3, set the default Ethereum wallet to "None", and restart the browser.
MetaMask also warns that it "does not work correctly if another browser extension wallet is active."
Mobile app
Search for MetaMask in the App Store (iOS) or Google Play (Android). On Android, MetaMask's guide says to pick the listing with 10M+ downloads. Then open the app and follow the prompts.
Step 2: Create the wallet
On a new install, choose "Create a new wallet". MetaMask then asks how you want to secure it.
Option A: Secret Recovery Phrase
MetaMask generates a 12-word phrase in English. Write it down in English, exactly as shown, without translating it. This phrase controls the wallet on every device. Anyone who has it can move your assets.
Option B: Social login (Google, Apple or Telegram)
You sign in with a social account and set a password. MetaMask stores your SRP online as encrypted ciphertext. The encryption key is split among several key-share holders using Shamir Secret Sharing, so no single party can rebuild the phrase. Both the social login and your password are needed to unlock the wallet.
Two points before you pick this option:
- MetaMask says the password "cannot be recovered for you like other social login methods." You should manage it "as securely as you would manage your SRP."
- MetaMask's wallet-creation guide lists social login for the extension. Check that it is available in your app before relying on it on mobile.
The device password
The extension also asks for a password, which unlocks MetaMask on that device. It is a different thing from the recovery phrase. The password protects the app on one computer or phone. The phrase is the wallet itself.
MetaMask's advice is to use a strong, unique password and not to store it unencrypted or in cloud storage. If you use social login, keep your MetaMask password different from your Google or Apple password.
Tokens not showing after a transfer?
Answer two questions about a transfer to your MetaMask address to see what MetaMask's guidance says to do next.
Which network was the transfer sent on?
- The network I meant to use → next question
- A different EVM network, for example Arbitrum, Base or Linea → Switch to the network it was sent on
- A non-EVM network → The tokens are likely lost
With MetaMask switched to that network, does the token appear in your wallet?
- Yes, it shows → The funds have arrived
- No, it is not in the list → Add the token yourself
Tokens sent on the wrong EVM network are usually not lost. Switch MetaMask to the network the transfer used, and they should appear there.
MetaMask says tokens sent on a non-EVM network are likely gone permanently. Before your next transfer, check that sender and recipient use the same network.
MetaMask detects tokens automatically only in some cases. Add the token yourself with its contract address.
The tokens are in your wallet. To move them, you need some of that network's native token to pay gas, even when you send a different token.
This follows MetaMask's general guidance only. It cannot look up your transaction, confirm which network it used or recover funds, and menus vary between MetaMask versions.
Step 3: Back up the recovery phrase properly
MetaMask says to store the SRP offline and not in cloud services or password managers. In practice:
- Do: write it on paper or a metal backup and keep it somewhere private and secure. Consider a second copy in a separate location.
- Don't: take a screenshot, save it in a notes app, email it, or put it in cloud storage.
You should only ever need to type your SRP when creating a new wallet or restoring one. MetaMask notes that scammers fake both of those situations. It also says it "will never ask you to provide your SRP" and that any email claiming to be from MetaMask is a scam.
Step 4: Add funds
There are three ways to put crypto into a new wallet:
- Receive from another wallet. Copy your address, or show its QR code, and send it to the sender. Check that you are both on the same network.
- Transfer from an exchange account. Paste your MetaMask address as the withdrawal destination and choose the network that matches it.
- Buy inside MetaMask. The Buy feature is in both the extension and the app. You pick a token, a network, an amount and a payment method (card, bank transfer, or Google or Apple Pay, depending on region and provider).
On the Buy fees, MetaMask says it "receives a 1% fee on every transaction, calculated as a percentage of the fiat value you request." The provider's processing fee includes that 1%, and gas is shown separately as the network fee. Buying is not available in every country.
Gas fees
Transactions on Ethereum cost gas, which is paid in ETH. You need some of each network's native token to pay fees, even when you are sending a different token.
Ethereum's documentation calculates the fee as gas used × (base fee + priority fee). The base fee is set by the protocol and burned, and the priority fee is a tip to validators. When demand rises, users have to bid higher tips, so fees go up.
Sending on the wrong network
MetaMask's guidance depends on the network:
- The wrong EVM network: the tokens are usually not lost. The recipient switches to that network and they appear there.
- A non-EVM network: the tokens are likely gone permanently.
If a token doesn't show up in your wallet, MetaMask only detects tokens automatically in some cases. You may need to add it yourself with its contract address.
Step 5: Connect to dapps, and disconnect afterwards
To use a dapp such as a lending protocol, an NFT marketplace or a decentralised exchange:
- Click "Connect wallet" on the site.
- Check the site's address in the MetaMask pop-up.
- Approve the connection.
Before you sign anything, check what the dapp is actually requesting. MetaMask's advice is: "Always check what a dapp is actually requesting before clicking 'approve'." You can also limit how much of a token a dapp is allowed to spend.
Disconnecting is not revoking
These are two separate steps:
- Disconnecting a site. In the extension, use the menu's permissions or dapp-connections list and click Disconnect next to the site. On mobile, open the site, tap the account icon, then choose Permissions.
- Revoking token approvals. Disconnecting does not cancel approvals, so a dapp you approved may still be able to move those tokens. To revoke, use MetaMask Portfolio (Ethereum Mainnet, Polygon, BNB Chain), a block explorer's token-approval checker, or a third-party revocation tool. Each revocation is an on-chain transaction and costs gas.
Security habits that matter
- Never share your SRP or private keys with anyone. MetaMask says this includes "the MetaMask team or anyone claiming to represent us."
- MetaMask Support will never ask for your password either.
- Bookmark the dapps you use and open them from the bookmarks rather than from search results.
- Consider keeping a separate account for experimenting and another for long-term holdings. This one is a common practice, not something stated in MetaMask's documentation.
- For larger balances, MetaMask notes that hardware wallets "are commonly thought to be the safest way to store your tokens." With one connected, every transaction has to be confirmed on the device.
- The extension connects directly to Ledger, Trezor and Lattice, and works with air-gapped wallets such as Keystone. - MetaMask Mobile supports a shorter list.
- If you think your phrase has been exposed, create a new wallet with a new phrase and move your assets to it.
Limitations: this guide is based mainly on MetaMask's own support pages as read on 25 October 2026, and the menus may differ in your version. This is not investment advice.
