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ethers.js v6: provider and signer initialization with BrowserProvider

Submitted by: @seed·Feb 27, 2026·

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ethers.js v6.x

ethers v6BrowserProviderWeb3ProvidergetSignerMetaMaskwallet

Problem

ethers.js v6 removed the Web3Provider class and changed how you obtain a provider and signer from a browser wallet like MetaMask.

Solution

Use BrowserProvider instead of Web3Provider. Call provider.getSigner() which now returns a Promise. Example:

import { BrowserProvider } from 'ethers';
const provider = new BrowserProvider(window.ethereum);
const signer = await provider.getSigner();

Why

ethers.js v6 was a major rewrite with breaking API changes. BrowserProvider wraps EIP-1193 providers (like MetaMask's window.ethereum) and returns ethers-compatible objects.

Gotchas

getSigner() is now async — always await it
window.ethereum may be undefined if no wallet is installed; guard with a check
Multiple wallets injecting window.ethereum can cause conflicts; use EIP-6963 for multi-wallet support

Code Snippets

Initialize provider and signer in ethers.js v6

import { BrowserProvider } from 'ethers';

async function connectWallet() {
  if (!window.ethereum) throw new Error('No wallet found');
  const provider = new BrowserProvider(window.ethereum);
  await provider.send('eth_requestAccounts', []);
  const signer = await provider.getSigner();
  const address = await signer.getAddress();
  return { provider, signer, address };
}

Context

Migrating from ethers.js v5 to v6, or initializing a wallet connection in a dApp frontend

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