MetaMask Transaction Stuck Pending

Understanding a Stuck MetaMask Transaction

A pending or stuck transaction in MetaMask can be frustrating. It means your transaction hasn't been confirmed on the blockchain, preventing further actions. This commonly occurs during periods of high network congestion on Ethereum or other blockchains, leading to increased gas prices.

When you initiate a transaction, MetaMask suggests a gas price (the fee you pay to miners to process your transaction). If this gas price is too low compared to the current network demand, miners are less incentivized to include your transaction in a block, causing it to remain pending indefinitely. Remember, gas is measured in Gwei, and 1 Gwei equals 0.000000001 ETH (10^-9 ETH).

Resolving a Pending MetaMask Transaction

Here are several methods to resolve a stuck MetaMask transaction:

1. Speed Up the Transaction (If Available)

MetaMask often provides a "Speed Up" option. This essentially resubmits your transaction with a higher gas price. To do this:

2. Open MetaMask and locate the pending transaction.
3. Click on the transaction to view its details.
4. If available, click the "Speed Up" button.
5. MetaMask will suggest a higher gas price. Review it and confirm.

2. Cancel the Transaction (If Possible)

If "Speed Up" isn't available or doesn't work, you can try to cancel the transaction. This involves sending another transaction to yourself with the same nonce (a unique transaction number). This new transaction effectively replaces the pending one.

1. Find the Nonce: Open MetaMask, find the pending transaction, and note its nonce. It's usually displayed in hexadecimal format (e.g., 0x5A). Convert this to decimal.
2. Send a Transaction to Yourself: Send 0 ETH to your own account.
3. Set the Nonce Manually: Before confirming, click "Edit" next to the gas fee. Choose "Advanced Options". Enter the decimal nonce from step 1 in the "Nonce" field.
4. Set a High Gas Fee: Use a gas price significantly higher than the current network average. Check Etherscan's Gas Tracker for current prices.
5. Confirm: Review all details carefully and confirm the transaction.

Important Considerations:

• Ensure you are using the correct network (e.g., Ethereum Mainnet, Polygon).
• Be extremely careful when manually setting the nonce. An incorrect nonce can lead to further issues.
• If both "Speed Up" and "Cancel" fail, you may need to wait for the transaction to eventually be dropped from the mempool (the network's holding area for pending transactions). This can take several hours or even days depending on the gas price initially set.