How to handle a stuck transaction

You send a transaction. It shows as "pending."

You wait a few seconds. Then a few minutes. Nothing happens.

That moment is unsettling. You do not know if the money is gone, stuck, or about to disappear. You are not sure if you should wait, act, or start over.

In most cases, a pending transaction does not mean your funds are lost. It means the transaction has not been confirmed yet. A stuck transaction is usually not a bug. It is a normal situation that happens when your transaction is not attractive enough to be processed quickly.

What matters is knowing what is happening, and what you can do about it.

What this guide covers

This guide focuses on Bitcoin and Ethereum-style networks, where transactions can remain pending because of fee competition. It only applies while the transaction is still pending. Once confirmed, a transaction cannot be sped up, cancelled, or replaced.

If you are on Solana or a similar network, the logic is different. Transactions on Solana are tied to a blockhash that expires quickly. They do not stay pending in the same way. If the transaction expires, it usually needs to be rebuilt and sent again, not sped up or cancelled.

Before you start: If some concepts feel unfamiliar, these articles will help:
→ Crypto transactions: how they work
→ How to send and receive crypto safely

Step 1. Check what is actually happening

Before doing anything, open the transaction in the correct block explorer and check its real status.

Wallets sometimes continue to show a transaction as pending after it has already confirmed, been dropped, or been replaced. The block explorer is the more reliable source.

→ How to read a transaction on Etherscan
→ Bitcoin mempool status: mempool.space

What you see in the explorer determines your next step.

• The transaction is already confirmed : Nothing to do. It went through.
• The transaction has been dropped or is no longer visible : Your funds are not lost. The transaction never happened. You can send it again with a higher fee.
• The transaction is still pending : Continue to Step 2.

Step 2. Understand why it is stuck

A transaction stays pending when the fee is too low compared to current network activity.

On Bitcoin and Ethereum-style networks, transactions do not go directly into the blockchain. They enter a waiting area called the mempool, where they compete with each other. Transactions offering higher fees are processed first. Yours is waiting because others are being prioritised.

Example: you sent the transaction when fees were reasonable, but network activity increased shortly after. Your transaction is still valid, but others are now offering more and are being processed first.

The exact cause does not matter much. What matters is that your transaction is not being picked up, and you need to decide what to do next.

Step 3. Decide: wait or act

Wait if the transaction is not urgent. Network activity fluctuates. Your transaction may be picked up later when fees drop. This can take minutes, hours, or sometimes longer.

→ If you choose to wait, skip to Step 8 to know what to expect.

Act if timing matters.  For example if you are sending funds to complete a trade, need funds on another platform, or expect conditions to change.

→ If you choose to act, continue to Step 4.

Step 4. Check if your wallet has a built-in option

Open your wallet, find and select the pending transaction.

Does your wallet show a "Speed up," "Bump fee," "Replace," or "Accelerate" option?

Yes → Go to Step 5.

No → Go to Step 6.

Step 5. Use the built-in speed up option

This is the safest and easiest method.

Click the speed up option. Your wallet will suggest a higher fee. Review it and confirm.

What happens: your wallet resends the same transaction with a higher fee. The new version replaces the old one in the mempool. Because it offers a higher fee, it is more likely to be picked up quickly.

Do you want to speed up or cancel?

Speed up → you are done after confirming. Monitor the transaction in the explorer.

Cancel → your wallet may offer a Cancel button next to the Speed up option. If it does, use it. It sends a neutral transaction with the same identifier that replaces the original. Your funds stay in your wallet. Note that network fees are still consumed.

If your wallet does not offer a Cancel button, continue to Step 7 for the manual method.

Step 6. What not to do before trying the manual method

If the built-in options are not available and you are about to proceed manually, stop and read this first.

Sending a second transaction with a new nonce creates a second pending transaction instead of fixing the first. You will then have two independent pending transactions to monitor and resolve separately.

Lowering the fee further increases the delay. It does the opposite of what you need.

Taking multiple actions at once, trying to speed up, cancel, and resend at the same time, creates confusion in your wallet state that is harder to untangle than a single stuck transaction.

One stuck transaction is manageable. Multiple ones are harder to resolve. Act once, clearly, and wait for the result before trying anything else.

Step 7. Replace or cancel manually (advanced)

Use this step only if your wallet has no built-in option, or if you need to cancel and your wallet does not offer a Cancel button.

The method differs depending on your network.

On Ethereum and EVM-compatible networks (Polygon, Arbitrum, etc.)

Each transaction has a nonce, a number that defines its order. The network accepts only one transaction per nonce. Sending a new transaction with the same nonce and a higher fee replaces the original.

If you have multiple pending transactions, fix the one with the lowest nonce first. The others will remain stuck until it resolves.

The exact screens differ from one wallet to another. MetaMask is one common example.

How to do it in MetaMask:

1. Open MetaMask, go to your activity tab, and click on the pending transaction.
2. Note the nonce. If it is not visible, go to Settings → Advanced → enable "Customize transaction nonce."

3. Initiate a new transaction.

   • To speed up: send a small amount to your own address.
   • To cancel: send 0 ETH to your own address.
4. Before confirming, enter the same nonce as the stuck transaction.
5. Set the gas fee clearly higher than the original. If needed, check current conditions on the Etherscan Gas Tracker first.
6. Confirm.

The new transaction replaces the original. If you sent to your own address, the original never executes and your funds remain in your wallet. Network fees are still consumed either way.

On Bitcoin

Bitcoin uses Replace-By-Fee (RBF), but it must have been enabled when the transaction was first sent.

If RBF was enabled, most wallets such as Sparrow, Electrum, or BlueWallet will show a "Bump fee" or "Replace" option in the transaction details. 

• To speed up, bump the fee.
• To cancel, replace the transaction and set your own address as the recipient.

If RBF was not enabled, and cancellation are not possible through standard means. Waiting for the transaction to be dropped is the most practical option.

⚠️ If you are not confident with these steps, use your wallet's built-in tools or wait. Using the wrong nonce can create additional stuck transactions that are harder to resolve.

Step 8. What to expect if you wait

If you chose to wait, two things can happen over time.

The network becomes less congested and your transaction gets confirmed. Check the explorer periodically to follow its status.

The transaction is dropped from the mempool and disappears. This can happen after an extended period of low priority. If it is dropped, your funds are not lost. The transaction simply never happened. You can send it again with a proper fee.