ARBITRUM BRIDGE TUTORIAL
Step 1: Add Arbitrum to MetaMask
Before you can get started with using Arbitrum, you should set up your cryptocurrency wallet to support the Arbitrum network. We recommend using MetaMask, as it provides a convenient way to store your crypto in a non-custodial manner. Adding Arbitrum to MetaMask is easy, and we’ll show you exactly how to do it.
The easiest way to connect your MetaMask wallet to Arbitrum is to simply go to the Arbitrum Bridge website at https://bridge.arbitrum.io/ and select “Arbitrum One” in the dropdown menu. This will automatically prompt your MetaMask wallet to ask you if you wish to connect to Arbitrum.
As you can see, all the necessary information is already filled in. After clicking “Approve”, you will be prompted to switch the current network your MetaMask is connected to from Ethereum to Arbitrum. You can of course switch your MetaMask back to Ethereum any time you like.
You can also connect MetaMask to Arbitrum manually
You can also connect your MetaMask wallet to Arbitrum manually, if you wish. Click on your profile picture in your MetaMask wallet, and select “Settings”.
In the “Settings” menu, choose “Networks” and then click “Add Network”. Choose “Add network manually”.
Here are the details you need to connect your MetaMask to Arbitrum:
Network Name: Arbitrum One
New RPC URL: https://arb1.arbitrum.io/rpc
Chain ID: 42161
Currency symbol: ETH
Block explorer URL: https://arbiscan.io
Step 2: Bridge tokens
Once your MetaMask is set up to use the Arbitrum network, you’re ready to bridge ETH from the Ethereum mainnet to Arbitrum.
Note: Moving ETH from Ethereum to Arbitrum is fast. However, ETH withdrawals from Arbitrum back to the Ethereum network take approximately 7 days to finalize. Please keep this in mind any time you’re bridging funds.
Head over to the Arbitrum bridge at https://bridge.arbitrum.io/.
Make sure that the “From” network is “Mainnet” and the “To” network is “Arbitrum One”. Input the amount of ETH that you want to bridge over to Arbitrum. Make sure to consider the gas fee before approving the transaction.
If everything looks good to go, click “Move funds to Arbitrum One”.
Your MetaMask wallet will pop up with the details of the transaction. If everything checks out, press “Confirm” to continue.
After clicking “Confirm”, the Arbitrum bridge website will notify you that the bridging transaction is currently taking place, and will provide you with an estimate of how long it will take.
Once the bridging is complete, you’ll be able to use Arbitrum-based decentralized applications with the ETH that you just transferred over. You can use the Arbiscan block explorer to view transactions on the Arbitrum network.
Some examples of exchanges that support withdrawals to Arbitrum include:
- Crypto.com
- Binance
- Bybit
- KuCoin
- OKX
If you have ETH on any of these exchanges, you can withdraw it directly to Arbitrum if you wish to do so. Of course, you will also need to set up a wallet for the Arbitrum network beforehand in order to receive the funds and actually use Arbitrum.
The bottom line — Moving ETH to Arbitrum will allow you to enjoy fast and cheap transactions
By using the Arbitrum bridge, you can easily move ETH from the Ethereum mainnet over to the Arbitrum layer 2. This will enable you to utilize decentralized applications on the Arbitrum network with much lower transaction costs than what you would have been paying on the Ethereum mainnet.
You can bridge your ETH over to Arbitrum directly with your wallet, or use a centralized exchange that allows you to withdraw ETH to Arbitrum directly. Many leading cryptocurrency exchanges, including Binance, now support this feature.
