Why is my Ethereum transaction pending?

Start with the transaction record

This guide covers Ethereum mainnet transactions sent from your own wallet. Open the transaction in your wallet and follow its block explorer link. Check that the network, sender and transaction hash match. A wallet label alone does not tell you whether a transaction was included in a block. [1]

• Pending: the transaction has not yet been included. Review its fees and any earlier pending transaction from the same account.
• Success: do not send it again just because the receiving app has not updated. Check the recipient and token transfer record, then the receiving service's deposit requirements.
• Failed: inspect the error before retrying. A failed on-chain transaction can still consume gas. A retry is a new transaction.
• Not found: verify the network and hash, then refresh your wallet. One explorer failing to find a hash is not proof that a new payment is safe.

Two common reasons for waiting

A fee offer can become uncompetitive as demand changes. Ethereum transactions have a maximum fee and a priority fee; if your maximum fee cannot cover the current base fee, the transaction cannot be included at that price. Raising a gas limit does not solve an inadequate fee offer. [2]

Transactions from an ordinary Ethereum account use a sequence number called a nonce. A later transaction cannot skip an earlier unresolved nonce. If several transfers are waiting, inspect the oldest pending one first. [1]

Choose a next step

If the payment is not urgent, you can wait for conditions to change. There is no guaranteed completion time. If you need to act, reopen the wallet first to rule out an outdated display. [3]

• Speed up: use the wallet's built-in option on the pending transaction. Review the higher fee and recipient before approving. It attempts a replacement with the same nonce.
• Cancel: use the wallet's cancellation option only while the original remains pending. Cancellation is itself a replacement transaction, can cost gas, and may lose the race to the original.
• Already confirmed: neither speed-up nor cancellation can reverse the completed transfer. Do not pay someone claiming they can unlock or reverse it.

Check the result before trying again

Record the original and replacement hashes, then check which transaction was included. A same-nonce replacement does not mean both versions execute. Wallet controls vary by version; follow the linked MetaMask instructions for the current interface. If the status remains unclear, contact the wallet or receiving service through its official help channel with the public transaction hash. Never provide a recovery phrase or private key. [3]

This page explains transaction troubleshooting; it does not connect to your wallet, sign transactions or promise recovery of funds.

Sources

• Ethereum.org — Transactions and nonce ordering
• Ethereum.org — Gas and fees
• MetaMask — Speed up or cancel a pending transaction