The invention relates to a method for the hot dip coating of a metal strip (1), in particular a steel strip, according to which the metal strip (1) is fed vertically through a container (3) that holds the molten coating metal (2) and a guide channel (4) that is connected upstream. According to the invention, to retain the coating metal (2) in the container (3) in the vicinity of the guide channel (4), an electromagnetic field is generated by means of at least two inductors (5) that are situated on either side of the metal strip (1) and to stabilise the metal strip (1) in a central position in the guide channel (4), the electromagnetic excitation of the inductors (5) is modified and/or an electromagnetic field that overlaps the electromagnetic field of the inductors (5) is generated by means of at least two correction coils (6) that are situated on either side of the metal strip (1). The aim of the invention is to control the centring of the metal strip in a manner that is not susceptible to interference. To achieve this, the stabilisation of the central position of the metal strip (1) in the guide channel (4) takes place in a closed-loop control circuit by the sequence of the following steps: a) measurement of the force (FH) that acts in a horizontal direction and that the metal strip (1) exerts on a force measuring element (7) when it leaves the central position; b) the induction current (II) in the inductors (5) and/or on the induction current (II) in the correction coils (6) is influenced in accordance with the measured force (FH), in order to hold the metal strip (1) in a central position in the guide channel (4). The invention also relates to a device for the hot dip coating of a metal strip.