β³ How to Cancel a Pending Ethereum Transaction Cancel a Pending Ethereum Transaction
Your transaction is stuck on βpendingβ? You can replace it with a new one that either voids it or pushes it through. Here is how, step by step.
A transaction goes βpendingβ when your wallet has sent it to the network but no block has picked it up yet, usually because the gas fee you set was too low for how busy Ethereum is right now. You cannot delete a transaction that is already out there. What you can do is send a new one that takes its place.
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1Understand the limit: you can replace, not delete
There is no βundoβ button for a broadcast transaction. The trick is to replace it: send a new transaction with the same nonce and a higher fee. Validators only confirm one transaction per nonce, so they pick the richer one and drop the other.
Once a transaction is confirmed in a block it is final. Replacing only works while it is still pending.
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2Try the easy path: Speed up or Cancel in MetaMask
Open the Activity tab in your wallet, find the pending transaction, and tap Speed up (push it through faster) or Cancel (try to void it). Confirm, and the wallet reuses the same nonce for you. The new attempt still costs a fee, but you are not paying gas twice for the original.
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3If the buttons are missing, find the stuck nonce
If those buttons are greyed out, look up the stuck transaction's nonce (its position number, starting at 0) in your wallet or on a block explorer like Etherscan. If several are pending, start with the oldest one (lowest nonce) first, because the network must clear nonce 9 before nonce 10.
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4Turn on manual nonce control
In MetaMask go to Settings > Advanced and turn on Customize transaction nonce, and temporarily switch off Smart Transactions. Wallets like MyEtherWallet and MyCrypto have similar advanced settings. This lets you type the nonce yourself in the next step.
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5Build a replacement transaction with the same nonce
To cancel, send 0 ETH to your own address (a do-nothing transaction that overwrites the stuck one). To speed up, re-send to the original recipient instead. Either way, set the same nonce as the stuck transaction.
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6Raise the fee meaningfully
The whole point is to make validators prefer the new transaction, so a small bump will not do. MetaMask's guidance is a priority fee about 10% higher and a max fee at least about 30% higher than the original. Too low and your replacement just sits there too, adding another stuck transaction.
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7Submit and wait for the replacement to confirm
Send it and wait. When the replacement confirms, the original pending transaction with that nonce is dropped. Afterwards you can turn Smart Transactions back on.
β οΈ Common mistakes & staying safe
- πΈ Fee too low: a weak bump leaves the replacement pending too, so you now have two stuck transactions instead of one.
- π’ Wrong or skipped nonce: use the exact nonce of the stuck transaction, and clear the oldest first or nothing moves.
- π² No guarantee: if the original gets mined first, the replacement does not cancel it. Once confirmed, it is final.
- π‘οΈ Scam alert: no support agent, direct message, or βfix stuck transactionβ site can unstick it. Never share your seed phrase or βsyncβ your wallet on a third-party site.
β FAQ
- Can I get my ETH back if the transaction already confirmed?
- No. Cancelling only works while a transaction is still pending. Once it is confirmed in a block it is final and cannot be reversed.
- Does cancelling cost gas?
- Yes. The replacement is a real transaction, so you pay a fee for it. You do not pay twice for the original, because the wallet reuses the same nonce and only one transaction per nonce can confirm.
- A support agent or website offered to unstick my transaction. Should I let them?
- No. A pending transaction is normal and no agent, direct message, or 'fix stuck transaction' site can release it for you. Anyone asking for your seed phrase or to 'sync' your wallet is trying to steal it.
The same nonce-and-fee trick works for ERC-20 token transfers too, so it covers stablecoins like USDC and DAI, not just plain ETH.
π Related
Information only, not advice to use any particular wallet or to invest.