Getting started with MetaMask
- Author
- CRYPTO PORT Editorial
- Published
- Updated
- Reading time
- 6 min
In short
MetaMask is the most widely used self-custody wallet on EVM chains. Your keys live on your own device and the vendor never holds them — which means nobody can recover your funds if you lose the seed phrase, and they are gone the moment someone else has it. Only ever install it from the official site.
Key points
- It is self-custody: responsibility for the keys is entirely yours
- Install from the official site only — fake builds spread through search ads and mirror sites
- Write the seed phrase on paper and keep it offline; never photograph it or put it in the cloud
- It covers EVM chains; Solana or Bitcoin need a different wallet
Definition
MetaMask is a self-custody wallet for EVM-compatible chains, available as a browser extension and a mobile app. It keeps private keys on the user's own device and signs transactions and dApp connections with them.
The single most common accident is where people get it from. Always go through the official site (metamask.io) to your browser's official add-on store or your platform's official app store. Fakes distributed through search adverts, social links or sites advertising a 'Japanese edition' look identical and forward everything you type to an attacker. If you already installed an extension some other way, removing it and reinstalling properly is the safer move.
On first run you choose between creating a new wallet and restoring an existing one. Creating one walks you through setting a password and then displaying and confirming a seed phrase — around twelve words. That phrase is the wallet. Copy it onto paper rather than screenshotting it, somewhere no one is watching and no camera is pointed. Keep it out of cloud notes, draft emails and photo libraries.
Once you are using it, two separate axes become apparent: the account (the address) and the network you are connected to. The same address shows different balances depending on whether you are looking at Ethereum or Polygon. Most 'my balance disappeared' moments are simply the wrong network being selected. Networks can be added manually, but since a known attack is to hand someone network details over social media, take them from official sources.
Every transaction brings up a signing prompt. The things to actually check are the domain of the site you are connected to, the type of action (a transfer, or a token approval), and the asset and amount involved. Getting into the habit of approving without reading is what leaves people exposed to approval-abuse attacks. 'Revoking token approvals' covers how approvals work and how to clean them up.
MetaMask has a built-in swap, though its routing and costs can differ from other venues. You can also connect a hardware wallet and drive it from MetaMask's interface while the keys stay on the device. Once the amounts involved grow, that setup is worth considering.
Watch out for
- · Any screen, DM or 'support agent' asking for your seed phrase is a scam without exception. Genuine MetaMask support does not contact you individually to ask for it
- · Do not reach the official site through a search advert or a 'contact support' link — that is a standard route onto a look-alike site
- · If an unfamiliar token or NFT shows up in your wallet, do not touch it, connect to it or try to sell it. They are sometimes sent purely to extract an approval
Frequently asked questions
Does MetaMask cost anything to use?
Installing and using the wallet itself is free, but every on-chain transaction costs gas — the network fee. Some features, such as the built-in swap, may carry an additional charge, so check the breakdown on the confirmation screen before you execute.
What happens to my assets if my computer dies?
Your assets sit on the blockchain, so a dead device does not destroy them: with the seed phrase you can restore the wallet elsewhere. The corollary is that if the seed phrase is lost, nobody can recover it for you.