Since the Avalanche network is set to reach new heights, altcoin enthusiasts have been flocking over in hopes of riding the wave and securing a profit. I mean, who can blame them? That’s the beauty of the evolving crypto space.

The problem? Users often find it challenging to send AVAX (the network’s native cryptocurrency) from a centralized exchange (CEX) to a noncustodial wallet—specifically, how to send AVAX from Coinbase to MetaMask. 

Well, if you’ve read up to here and ran into this hurdle, you’re in luck. I’ll be going in-depth on how to send AVAX from Coinbase to MetaMask, the most popular CEX and noncustodial wallet, respectively. 

Before we start, make sure you download, install, and create an account on Coinbase and MetaMask.

Why send AVAX from Coinbase to MetaMask?

If you’re new to the crypto space, you may wonder why you should go through all this trouble.

There’s a reason why people are constantly searching “how to send AVAX from Coinbase to MetaMask” in Google: the poor security of CEX’s custodial wallets, provided to you for free upon creating an account, are not to be trusted.

They’re notoriously risky, as your private keys are in the hands of a centralized organization that suffers from hacks and breaches on an hourly basis. Just look at this never-ending list, and you’ll see what I’m getting at.

Therefore, it is highly recommended you store all your funds in a noncustodial wallet, with some of them in a hot wallet like MetaMask for quick trades and fast transactions.

So now that we’re up to speed let’s get into it.

Step 1: Purchase AVAX from Coinbase

For the first step, crack open your Coinbase app and hop into the Trade tab in the bottom navigation menu.

From here, type in “avax” or “avalanche” into the search bar up top, and click “Avalanche” once it pops up.

On the next screen, hit Trade, then Buy AVAX. Keep everything as is and enter the amount you want to purchase. In this case, I used my credit card to purchase AVAX, but there are several options depending on your preference.

Once that’s done, click Preview buy, check if everything’s a-okay, then click Buy now.

And that’s it! Now, if you go into the Assets tab in the bottom navigation menu, you’ll see your AVAX stashed in your Coinbase account.

Remember, this is not ideal. For the next step, we will need to manually add the Avalanche network into our MetaMask, as it isn’t integrated within the app (as of yet).

Step 2: Add the Avalanche network onto MetaMask

After buying your AVAX, open your MetaMask wallet. Tap on the hamburger menu icon in the top left and scroll down to Settings.

Click Networks near the bottom of the screen, then the Add Network button below.

Here you’ll see the New RPC Network screen. This allows you to add any blockchain network that isn’t inside the app. 

Now you want to type in all the information seen below. If you’ve inputted it correctly, it should say you’ve added the Avalanche network into your MetaMask wallet.

Here are the details:

• Network Name: Avalanche Network
• New RPC URL: https://api.avax.network/ext/bc/C/rpc
• ChainID: 43114
• Symbol: AVAX
• Explorer: https://snowtrace.io/

Step 3: Send AVAX from Coinbase to MetaMask wallet

So you’ve purchased AVAX via Coinbase, have it stored and ready to transfer on your Coinbase custodial wallet, and set up the Avalanche network on MetaMask. 

In this step, we’ll be sending AVAX from Coinbase to MetaMask.

First, ensure you’re logged into your MetaMask and have the Avalanche network selected at the top (underneath Wallet). If you don’t, click Wallet and scroll until you see Avalanche Network.

Next, click the AVAX ticker (which should say “0 AVAX” as you haven’t deposited any), then Receive. Copy the address below the QR code as you’ll need it for the next step.

Now go back to Coinbase, head over to the Assets tab, and click Avalanche. From here, click your Avalanche assets again (you may have to scroll down a bit), then tap the arrow at the top right.

Enter the amount you want to send, and you’ll get an Enter recipient screen. Next, paste in the address you copied a minute ago, click Preview send, select Self-custody wallet, then the Send now button at the bottom.

And there you have it! You will most likely have to enter your 2FA information, but besides this, you’re good to go!

Now, if I go into my MetaMask, I’ll see this: