MetaMask Extension for Chrome and Firefox

Managing crypto funds is no doubt a bit risky and hard task to do. The major reason behind this is that this world is completely virtual and thus, the operations relating to it are also performed virtually. The lack of physical existence of the tools and other things associated with the crypto world is what makes investors a bit nervous. Thus, to help you build confidence and make your journey secure, MetaMask could be a smart choice.

MetaMask extension is the oldest way that was launched by the team to provide users with the facility to manage digital funds through a crypto wallet. Despite being the oldest method of managing the wallet, users find it a bit critical to operate trading tasks through extensions. 

Thus, to help them with the significant information relating to it, we have crafted this read. 

MetaMask, as we all know is a recognized secured software wallet belonging to the crypto world. The wallet is designed with the core aim of providing crypto investors with a safe tool that aids them in managing their crypto assets and performing trade operations conveniently. To state, MetaMask is a hot, web3, self-custodial crypto wallet launched by ConsenSys in 2016. In its introductory phase, this wallet only has two supportive browser extensions, which are Google Chrome and Mozilla Firefox. Further, at that time there wasn’t any mobile application, but as time passed the team realized that designing a mobile app for the wallet had also become the need of the trade. And, this was then by September 2020 the team announced the official public release of its mobile app that can be accessed easily on Android and iOS devices. 

As the wallet kept on performing well, the team gradually launched several other browser extensions supporting the wallet activities. The further additions made to the MetaMask extension are:

• Microsoft Edge

• Brave, and

• Opera 

Thus, overall there are five supportive browser extensions to date. Users can opt for any of the one launched extensions for carrying out their trade operations. But, here we will be learning the set of actions you need to perform for carrying out the wallet tasks through its Chrome extension.

The very first step investors have to take for initiating the actions through the extension is installing it. Here, we are mentioning the steps that one has to perform to install the MetaMask Chrome extension.

1. Reach the official website of MetaMask

2. From there click on “Download” https://metamask.io/download/ 

3. Next, hit on “Install MetaMask for Chrome”

4. Or, tap on the Chrome icon under the “Supported Browser” head

5. You’ll get into the “Google Web Store” and then click on “Add to Chrome”> “Add Extension”

After performing the following steps, wait for a while to get the extension installed.

The steps required for creating a wallet are as listed under:

1. Open the installed MetaMask Chrome extension

2. Agree to the “MetaMask’s Terms of Use”

3. From the provided options, select “Create a New Wallet”> “Get Started”

4. Submit your decision relating to “Help Us Improve MetaMask”

5. Create a wallet password and then confirm the same. Further, acknowledge the below-mentioned information by marking a tick sign in the provided box

6. Tap on “Create a New Wallet”

7. Watch or skip the video relating to “Secure Your Wallet”

8. Securing your wallet is recommended

9. Move ahead in the process and check your wallet Secret Recovery Phrase

10. Note it down somewhere same, create a backup, and perform the prompted actions to finish the wallet creation process

Just a set of three simple actions will permit you to perform any of the activities supported by MetaMask, and they are:

1. Open the MetaMask on your operating device

2. On the “Welcome Back” page, enter the password that you created at the time of wallet creation

3. Click on “Unlock” to start performing the operations

Unable to memorize your MetaMask Chrome extension password?

No worries. You can fix this issue easily by modifying/altering or creating a new password for your wallet. Simple to perform, the actions involved in the process of resetting the wallet password are:

1. Open the installed MetaMask Chrome extension

2. At the “Welcome Back” page, find the “Forgot Your Password?” option and click on it

3. On the displayed page, first mention the number of words your recovery phrase has. Further, accurately mention the Secret Recovery Phrase of your wallet in the provided spaces serially

4. Now in the below-provided box create a new password for your wallet and confirm the same by entering it again in the relevant field

5. Hit on “Restore” and then perform the remaining actions prompted on your screen

Most of the problems that take place whilst managing your wallet can be easily erased with a couple of simple troubleshooting measures. Whether it is a login issue or any other error that restricts your path, fix it with the following resolutions:

• Check if you are facing the issue of lousy internet

• Review all the details mentioned by you

• Clear out all the cache and cookie data

• Try accessing the MetaMask extension through incognito

• Get an update of the installed extension

• Cross-check the functionality of your operating system

Beware of the following incidents!

There are some malicious activities that are practiced by online scammers/hackers to get the user’s data. Thus, always memorize that the MetaMask team never asks for the following information or doesn’t practice the below-mentioned activities:

• It doesn’t send a direct message to the users (at first), and

• Never ask users to share their wallet recovery phrase

Multiple pathways for seeking assistance from the team

If you are facing any problem while performing operations through the MetaMask extension or its mobile app, then you can address the issue in the following ways:

• Read articles mentioned in the wallet’s “Knowledge Base”

• Through its “Community Forums”, and

• Lastly, by connecting with its “Support Agent”

Criticism that MetaMask face…

Despite being praised by several investors, this wallet has faced a few criticisms relating to its mechanism and they are:

• It doesn’t support the activity of checking your NFT collection like other crypto wallets have

• Doesn’t provide the facility of directly connecting it to a bank. Users have to first get a fiat currency and then they can cash out their funds, which is a bit longer process

MetaMask extension has removed the curves from the crypto trade by making it quite simple for investors to perform their trading activities. The simplicity of this wallet has made it appealing among crypto investors. Users based on their preference can perform the wallet-related activity either through their mobile devices (via its app) or through any other extension as well. As a healthy practice, we recommend you to first go through its official website before jumping to any decision.