The Avalanche Bridge™ protocol can be used to transfer ERC20 tokens from Ethereum to Avalanche® C-Chain and vice versa. This document answers common questions about bridging between the Ethereum and Avalanche networks. If there are additional questions, please contact the Ava Labs team on the Avalanche support website, Discord, or Telegram.
Is there an airdrop provided for transactions on Ethereum to the Avalanche Bridge™?
When users bridge $75 or more of assets from the Ethereum network to the Avalanche® network, a portion of AVAX® will be airdropped to help pay for initial swaps. Users may choose to use those funds to acquire additional AVAX, as this will be needed to pay for fees on any dApp within the Avalanche network.
What can I do if my transaction seems stuck?
If the Ethereum transaction transferring funds over the Avalanche Bridge™ seems stuck and does not have any confirmations, you can speed up the transaction as described here.
What if the gas price is more than the amount I am transferring?
When moving assets from the Avalanche® network back to Ethereum, the Avalanche Bridge™ charges an in-kind transfer fee. The user interface does now allow transfers less than the fee amount. If a user manually generates and issues such a transaction, the bridge will mark the transfer as invalid and not process it.
What does the .e suffix in the token name mean?
When bridging assets from the Ethereum network to the Avalanche network using core.app/bridge, assets will arrive on the Avalanche network with a ".e " designation.
For example, when sending WETH (from Ethereum) using the Avalanche Bridge™ to the Avalanche network, the user will see WETH.e on Avalanche.
Note that to send tokens with the " .e " designation back to Ethereum, it is the reverse process, resulting in the user seeing WETH on Ethereum.
How long does an Avalanche Bridge™ transfer take?
The Ethereum network transaction will typically take around 20 minutes. The Avalanche network transaction takes a few seconds.
Why is the Avalanche® part of the transfer taking so long?
This transaction should only take a few seconds. If the Avalanche Bridge™ interface shows that it is taking a while, please check the transaction in the Explorer to see if it was successful. Users may need to add the token to the wallet on the Avalanche® network for it to appear.
Can I send tokens created on the Avalanche® network to Ethereum?
Not yet. The Avalanche Bridge™ currently only supports the transfer of ERC20 tokens created on Ethereum to the Avalanche network and back. There are plans to enable this in the future.
What if my transaction is not visible in the explorer?
The transactions that correspond to transfers will appear on explorers for the Avalanche network and Ethereum. It may take a few minutes for the transactions to appear. To search for your transaction in the explorer, copy and paste your address into the Avalanche C-Chain Explorer or Etherscan. To view the transaction, you can look here for transactions on the Avalanche network and here for transactions on Ethereum. If you still don't see your transaction, reach out on Telegram or Discord.
Are there any tutorials on how to use the Avalanche Bridge™?
Yes, you can view video tutorials for Avalanche Bridge functionality here.
How can I use dApps on Metamask?
Once a browser extension like Metamask has been downloaded, dApps on the Avalanche network can be used. Popular features, such as yield farming, require tokens other than AVAX in the wallet. If these tokens are on Ethereum (or an exchange that can send them to Ethereum), one of the cheapest and fastest ways of bringing them over is the Avalanche Bridge.
How do I pay transaction fees on the Avalanche® network?
On Avalanche, transaction fees are paid in the native asset, AVAX. In order to send transactions on the Avalanche C-Chain, you must have sufficient AVAX in your wallet to cover the cost of the gas for the transaction. To help you get started on Avalanche, the Avalanche Bridge will airdrop you a small amount of AVAX if you move more than $75 (subject to change) worth of tokens over from Ethereum. In order to avoid running out of AVAX to cover your transaction fees, we recommend first buying an adequate amount of AVAX. You can do so on Pangolin.
Can I send it to a different address on the other network?
The Avalanche Bridge™ only allows transfers to the same address on the other network. After the asset is transferred to the other network, it can be sent to any address or contract.
Can I speed up my transaction?
Yes, users can click on the “Speed Up” button on MetaMask. Click here for more information on how to speed up a transaction.
Why does the number of tokens shown on Metamask not match the number I specified?
When transferring from the Avalanche network to Ethereum, Metamask shows that 0 tokens are to be transferred, not the actual number of tokens. This is a known problem with Metamask.
What are the Avalanche Bridge™ addresses on the Ethereum and Avalanche® networks?
Please see here.
Note that you should not directly transfer tokens to these addresses. You should use Avalanche Bridge's user interface, which checks for malformed transactions.
Important Information
To ensure the safety of users and the protection of their funds, the Avalanche Bridge™ should only be accessed and used through the UI, located here. Any other use of the Avalanche Bridge could result in the permanent loss of funds. The non-exhaustive list below enumerates possible ways to permanently lose funds by attempting to use the Avalanche Bridge through sources that are not recommended. Funds lost in the examples listed below will be permanently lost, and are not recoverable by Ava Labs, the Bridge Nodes, or the Avalanche Bridge.
USERS MUST NOT SEND FUNDS DIRECTLY TO ANY OF THE AVALANCHE BRIDGE CONTRACT ADDRESSES. The Avalanche Bridge should only be accessed through the Avalanche Bridge UI, located here. Any funds sent directly to the Avalanche Bridge contract addresses will be permanently lost, and are not recoverable.
USERS MUST NOT SEND FUNDS DIRECTLY TO ANY OF THE AVALANCHE BRIDGE WALLET ADDRESSES. The Avalanche Bridge should only be accessed through the Avalanche Bridge UI, located here. Any funds sent directly to the Avalanche Bridge wallet addresses will be permanently lost and not recoverable.
DO NOT ATTEMPT TO USE ANY SMART-CONTRACT WALLET WITH THE AVALANCHE BRIDGE. The Avalanche Bridge is currently not compatible with smart contract wallets because smart contracts are currently not supported by the Avalanche Bridge. Using the Avalanche Bridge with a smart contract wallet or smart contract will result in the permanent loss of funds. Users should not use smart contracts with the Avalanche Bridge at this time because no one can retrieve tokens lost when smart contract wallets try to use the Avalanche Bridge. This is not a statement against smart contract wallets or the below list of smart contract wallet projects, which is not an exhaustive list. This is to make users aware of the current technical architecture. WE CAN NOT RETRIEVE YOUR TOKENS.
User Notes
There is a bug in the Metamask Mobile app that affects bridge transactions (only on mobile). Until this is resolved, don't use the Metamask mobile app for bridge transfers. We suggest using the Metamask desktop app, or, if on mobile, Coinbase Wallet.
You need AVAX to pay transaction fees on the Avalanche network. You should use the AVAX you receive in the airdrop to do a swap for more AVAX on an AMM so that you can pay transaction fees. If you run out of AVAX, you will not be able to do transactions on the Avalanche network.
For a more in-depth read on how the Avalanche Bridge works, please read the following articles.
By accessing or using the Avalanche Bridge, you agree to be bound by the Terms of Use. IF YOU DO NOT AGREE WITH SUCH TERMS, THEN YOU ARE EXPRESSLY PROHIBITED FROM USING THE AVALANCHE BRIDGE AND YOU MUST DISCONTINUE USE IMMEDIATELY.
For any additional questions, please visit our knowledge base or contact a support team member via the chat button at support.avax.network.