© 2026 Della Group. All Rights Reserved.
Adding Polygon to your MetaMask? Super quick. Like, 3 steps if you're lazy about it. I've done this a ton-saves you bucks on gas fees compared to straight Ethereum. Why bother? Transactions cost pennies, literally like 0.0001 MATIC or less most days. Sound familiar if you've been burned by ETH fees?
Okay, first things first. Make sure MetaMask is installed and you're logged in. Browser extension or mobile app, doesn't matter much. But hey, if you're on mobile, it's a tad different. We'll hit that later.
Look, I usually go this route. No typing crap that could mess up. Head to Polygonscan.com. That's the blockchain explorer for Polygon, kinda like Etherscan but for this chain.
Scroll to the bottom right. Boom-"Add Polygon Network" button with a MetaMask fox icon. Click it. MetaMask pops up, asks to approve. Hit approve. Done. It'll switch you over automatically.
What's next? Check your network dropdown. Polygon Mainnet should be there, Chain ID 137, showing MATIC as the gas token. In my experience, this works 99% of the time. But if it glitches?
Pro tip: Polygon switched their gas token from MATIC to POL recently, but MetaMask still shows MATIC for compatibility. You'll see POL balances, but it works fine. Fees? Tiny. Like 0.001-0.01 MATIC equivalent per swap or transfer.
Alright, say the auto way flops. Or you like control. Open MetaMask. Click the network dropdown at the top-Ethereum Mainnet by default.
Select Add network. It might list Polygon already-search for it, hit Add, approve. Easy peasy.
No luck? Hit Add a network manually. Punch in these exact deets. Copy paste 'em, seriously. Typos kill it.
| Field | Details |
|---|---|
| Network Name | Polygon Mainnet |
| New RPC URL | https://polygon rpc.com/ |
| Chain ID | 137 |
| Currency Symbol | MATIC |
| Block Explorer (optional) | https://polygonscan.com/ |
Save. Boom. Switch to it. Test by checking your balance-should be empty unless you've bridged stuff over.
The thing is, RPC URLs can get congested. If it's slow, swap to alternatives like https://polygon mainnet.infura.io/v3/YOURINFURAKEY (get a free) or https://rpc mainnet.matic.network. I rotate 'em when one lags.
Phone users, listen up. Open MetaMask app. Tap the top menu-three lines. Settings > Networks > Add Network.
Pick Polygon Mainnet if listed, or Custom Network and enter the same details from the table above. Save. Switch over.
Why does mobile suck sometimes? Smaller screen, easy fat finger errors. In my experience, copy from a desktop browser first, then paste in app. Works like a charm.
You can't do jack without gas. Polygon uses MATIC (or POL now) for fees. Super cheap-think $0.0005 per transaction average.
Buy on an exchange like Binance or Coinbase, withdraw to your MetaMask Polygon address. Or bridge from Ethereum using the official Polygon Bridge at wallet.polygon.technology/bridge.
Bridge steps real quick:
Fees on bridge? Ethereum side eats gas, like 20-50 gwei nowadays, but Polygon side is nada. Start with 0.1 MATIC to test.
Polygon's got thousands-USDC, QUICK, AAVE, you name it. MetaMask won't show 'em auto unless native MATIC.
Grab the contract address from Polygonscan or CoinGecko. In MetaMask on Polygon network, scroll bottom: Import tokens. Paste contract. Symbol and decimals auto fill. Add Custom Token > Import.
Example: USDC on Polygon is 0x2791Bca1f2de4661ED88A30C99A7a9449Aa84174. Paste that, done. Balance pops if you have any.
Common pitfall: Wrong network. Always double check you're on Polygon, not Ethereum. Sent tokens to wrong chain? Pain. Use bridges to recover, but it's a hassle.
Polygon ain't just one chain anymore. Main one's Proof of Stake (PoS), Chain ID 137. But zkEVM? That's 1101, separate beast for zero knowledge scaling.
To add zkEVM: Hit polygon.technology, find zkEVM section, or go zkevm.polygonscan.com, bottom button "Add zkEVM Network". Approve. Same drill.
Details if manual:
Why multiple? PoS for speed and cheap DeFi. zkEVM for Ethereum equivalent security. I use both-bridge between 'em via Polygon portals.
Newbie? Don't burn real MATIC. Add Mumbai testnet first. Same steps, but:
| Field | Mumbai Testnet |
|---|---|
| Network Name | Polygon Mumbai |
| RPC URL | https://rpc mumbai.maticvigil.com/ |
| Chain ID | 80001 |
| Symbol | MATIC |
| Explorer | https://mumbai.polygonscan.com/ |
Faucet for free test MATIC: faucet.polygon.technology. Spam transactions, learn dApps risk free.
Network not saving? MetaMask outdated-update extension. RPC failing? Switch URLs, like to https://matic mainnet.chainstacklabs.com.
"Insufficient funds"? Gas estimate wrong-bump it manually in advanced settings. Or low balance-top up 0.05 MATIC.
Tokens invisible? Wrong decimals or contract. Verify on Polygonscan. Revoke approvals if sketchy dApp connected-use revoke.cash.
Honestly, 90% of issues are user error. Screenshot errors, Google 'em. Communities like Polygon Discord fix the rest.
Gas? Forget ETH's $5 swaps. Polygon's 0.000001-0.01 MATIC. DeFi yields? Aave, SushiSwap-same as ETH but cheap.
Bridge assets: ETH becomes WMATIC, USDT flows. NFTs? OpenSea supports Polygon. Gaming? Immutable X on top.
In my experience, once set up, you'll live here. Ethereum for big moves, Polygon for daily grind. Fees add up-saved me hundreds last year.
Another one click: chainlist.org. Search "Polygon", hit Add to MetaMask. Filters secure RPCs, verifies Chain ID. I use it for obscure chains.
Approve, switch. Same as Polygonscan. Why multiple ways? Pick what clicks.
Never share seed phrase. Phishers love "add network" scams-check URLs. Only connect trusted sites.
After adding, check Connected Sites in MetaMask settings. Revoke unknowns. Gas fees spike? Phishing attempt maybe.
That's it. You're rolling. Hit a snag? Drop what happened, I'll troubleshoot. Go crush some DeFi.
(
© 2026 Della Group. All Rights Reserved.