Add BNB Smart Chain to MetaMask — with the right block explorer URL

To add BNB Smart Chain to MetaMask, select BNB Chain in the network menu or add a custom network with chain ID 56, the RPC URL https://bsc-dataseed.bnbchain.org, currency symbol BNB and the block explorer URL https://bscscan.com. The explorer URL is what makes “View on explorer” open your transactions on BscScan.

Five fields, two minutes. Yet “which RPC?”, “why does it say the chain ID is wrong?” and “where did my USDT go?” are among the most common questions new BNB Chain users ask. Old tutorials still circulate with retired Binance-era endpoints and the pre-2022 “Smart Chain” name, and scam sites happily fill the gap. Below you get the current, verified settings, a one-click button that uses only official endpoints, and the fixes for every error we have run into.

One-click: add BNB Smart Chain to MetaMask

Recent MetaMask versions list BNB Chain among their built-in popular networks, next to Ethereum, Base and Arbitrum. On most installs you only need to open the network menu and pick it — no settings to type. If it is missing, or you use another browser wallet, the buttons below send a standard wallet_addEthereumChain request. Your wallet shows every field in a pop-up before anything changes, and if the network already exists it simply switches to it.

The buttons use BNB Chain’s official public RPC endpoints and the same values published in BNB Chain’s wallet configuration docs. Nothing is sent to us: the request goes from this page straight to the wallet extension in your browser. On a phone, open this page inside the MetaMask app’s built-in browser, because mobile browsers like Safari or Chrome have no wallet to talk to.

Manual settings: add BSC to MetaMask step by step

Prefer to type the values yourself, or setting up a hardware wallet through MetaMask? The flow is the same in the extension and the mobile app, following MetaMask’s own instructions for custom networks.

1. 1

   Open the network menu

   In the MetaMask extension open the menu and choose Networks; on mobile tap the network selector at the top of the Tokens tab. If BNB Chain is already listed among the popular networks, simply select it — you are done.

2. 2

   Choose “Add a custom network”

   Only needed when BNB Chain is missing from the list or you want your own settings. On mobile, switch to the Custom tab first.

3. 3

   Enter the name and RPC URL

   Network name: BNB Smart Chain. Default RPC URL: https://bsc-dataseed.bnbchain.org — BNB Chain’s official public endpoint.

4. 4

   Enter chain ID and currency symbol

   Chain ID: 56 (hex 0x38). Currency symbol: BNB. MetaMask checks the chain ID against the RPC and warns you if they do not match.

5. 5

   Add the block explorer URL and save

   Block explorer URL: https://bscscan.com. No trailing path, no /tx/. Click Save.

6. 6

   Switch and verify

   Select the new network, check that your balance is shown in BNB, then use View on explorer in the account menu. It should open your address on BscScan.

About the RPC URL. https://bsc-dataseed.bnbchain.org is operated by BNB Chain and load-balances across its public nodes. Numbered mirrors (bsc-dataseed1.bnbchain.org to bsc-dataseed4) and the older bsc-dataseed.binance.org still answered in our September 2026 tests, as did independent endpoints such as https://bsc-rpc.publicnode.com and https://1rpc.io/bnb. Public nodes are rate-limited, so if MetaMask feels sluggish, add a second RPC as a backup rather than replacing the network. Our guide to BSC RPC endpoints compares the free options and their limits.

The correct BNB block explorer URL — and why it matters

The block explorer URL is the optional field most people skip, and it is the one they miss later. MetaMask uses it to build links: it takes the base URL you entered and appends /tx/<hash> for a transaction or /address/<address> for an account. If the field is empty, “View on explorer” simply does not appear. If it points to the wrong site, or includes a path such as https://bscscan.com/tx/, the links break or open a 404.

So the rule is: enter the bare domain of an explorer that uses /tx/ and /address/ paths. For BNB Smart Chain the standard choice is BscScan, the explorer run by the Etherscan team. BSCTrace from NodeReal uses the same URL scheme and makes a cleaner, faster alternative. OKX’s explorer works too if you include its chain path. All of the URLs below were checked in September 2026.

Which one should you pick? If you mostly check payments, any of them will do. If you read contracts, check address labels or verify tokens, BscScan is the most complete — see our BscScan review. If you want a lighter interface with a free developer API behind it, read the BSCTrace review. The full comparison lives in our ranking of BNB Smart Chain explorers. And for sharing a payment with someone else, our BNB transaction explorer gives you a clean link and a copyable payment receipt; it uses a search URL, though, so it cannot be entered as a wallet explorer URL.

How to change the explorer URL on an existing network

If BNB Chain came built into your MetaMask, you do not add it again — you edit it. Open Networks, click the three dots next to BNB Chain and choose Edit. Open the Block explorer URL drop-down and pick Add a block explorer URL. Paste the base URL, save, and make sure the new entry is selected as the default. The same screen lets you add or switch RPC URLs.

Then test it. In the account menu choose View on explorer; your address should open on the explorer you chose. Open any past transaction under Activity and click View on block explorer; the transaction page should load, not a search or error page. If the link opens Etherscan instead, you are looking at the Ethereum network, not BNB Chain — a surprisingly common mix-up, since your address is identical on both chains.

BSC testnet and opBNB settings

BNB Smart Chain Testnet, also called Chapel, is where developers deploy and test contracts with valueless tBNB. Settings: network name BNB Smart Chain Testnet, RPC https://data-seed-prebsc-1-s1.bnbchain.org:8545, chain ID 97, symbol tBNB, explorer https://testnet.bscscan.com. MetaMask hides test networks by default, so switch on “Show test networks” in the network menu if you do not see it. Free tBNB comes from the official faucet; our BNB testnet explorer guide covers faucets, debugging and the testnet explorers.

opBNB Mainnet is BNB Chain’s OP Stack layer 2: name opBNB Mainnet, RPC https://opbnb-mainnet-rpc.bnbchain.org, chain ID 204, symbol BNB, explorer https://opbnbscan.com (or https://opbnb.bscscan.com). Gas is paid in BNB, but opBNB is a separate chain: BNB sent there from BSC must be bridged, and a BSC transaction hash will not exist on opBNB. The opBNB testnet uses chain ID 5611 and the RPC https://opbnb-testnet-rpc.bnbchain.org. Official values for both are in BNB Chain’s opBNB network information, and our opBNB and Greenfield explorer overview explains when layer 2 is worth using.

Trust Wallet, Rabby and OKX Wallet

Trust Wallet supports BNB Smart Chain out of the box — there is nothing to configure. The only trap is choosing the right network when receiving or adding tokens. Pick BNB Smart Chain (BEP-20), not a legacy BEP-2 entry: the old BNB Beacon Chain was shut down in late 2024 and Trust Wallet dropped BEP-2 support. If you still hold BEP-2 tokens, our Beacon Chain explainer covers the token recovery tool. To add an unlisted token, use the search, tap Add custom token, choose BNB Smart Chain and paste the contract address.

Rabby includes BNB Chain as a built-in chain and switches to it automatically when a dApp asks. Because the chain is built in, you do not add it as a custom network. To use your own RPC, open Settings and choose Modify RPC URL, then set a custom endpoint for BNB Chain. Rabby’s transaction preview is also handy on BSC, where scam tokens and hostile approval requests are common.

OKX Wallet supports BNB Smart Chain natively as well, and offers an MEV protection toggle for swaps, according to BNB Chain’s list of wallets with built-in sandwich protection. You rarely need to touch network settings. If you want a different explorer or RPC for other apps, the values in this guide are the ones to use.

Troubleshooting: chain ID errors, RPC failures, missing tokens

“This network already exists” or a chain ID mismatch

MetaMask will not add the same chain ID twice. If BNB Chain is already built in, edit the existing entry instead of adding a new one. If MetaMask says the RPC returned a different chain ID, you have mixed up networks — for example a testnet RPC with chain ID 56, or a mainnet RPC with 97. Chain ID 56 always goes with a mainnet RPC; Chainlist’s BNB Smart Chain page is a quick cross-check. A warning about the currency symbol usually means you typed “BSC” or “BNB Chain” in the symbol field; the correct symbol is simply BNB.

“Could not fetch chain ID” and other RPC errors

The endpoint is down, rate-limited, mistyped or blocked by a VPN or corporate firewall. Check for a missing https://, a trailing space or the :8545 port on a mainnet URL. Then try another endpoint from the list above. If balances load but transactions fail with “internal JSON-RPC error”, the cause is usually on the contract side — insufficient BNB for gas, slippage or a token that blocks transfers. Our guide to reading a BSC transaction helps decode failed transactions.

Tokens not showing, or a zero balance

First, confirm you are on BNB Chain. An exchange withdrawal “on BEP-20” lands on BSC, and MetaMask open on Ethereum will show nothing, even though the address is identical. Paste your address into our address lookup to see what it holds on BSC. If the tokens are there but invisible in MetaMask, use Import tokens and paste the contract address. Take that address from a trusted list — our BEP-20 token explorer has verified addresses for USDT, USDC, BTCB and other majors. Never copy one from a Telegram message or an airdrop description.

Transactions stuck on “pending”

On BSC a normal transaction confirms in about a second. If one hangs, the gas price is probably below the 0.05 gwei network floor, or an earlier transaction with a lower nonce is stuck. Use “Speed up” in MetaMask and compare with the live BSC gas tracker.

Safety checklist: fake RPCs, fake tokens, seed phrases

Adding a network does not give anyone access to your funds — but it does decide who tells your wallet what is happening on-chain. A malicious RPC can show balances that are not there, hide or fake transaction confirmations, and log which addresses you use. That is why MetaMask stresses that it does not verify custom networks for you. A few rules keep you safe.

Take settings from primary sources: BNB Chain’s documentation, Chainlist, the built-in network list, or the buttons above. Look-alike copies of popular crypto sites, pushed through search ads, are a known lure. Read the pop-up: a network request should show chain ID 56 (or 97, 204) and an RPC domain you recognise. Never enter your seed phrase on any website — not to “sync”, “validate”, “fix RPC” or “claim a gas refund”. MetaMask, BNB Chain and every explorer will never ask for it. Distrust unknown tokens that appear in your wallet; airdropped scam tokens often point to phishing sites. Before interacting with a token, run it through our BSC token checker.