Why Your Monero Transaction Is Stuck Pending and How to Fix It

24 September 2026

A Monero transaction can appear stuck pending for several common reasons, most of which you can diagnose and resolve yourself. The primary causes are an insufficient fee, a low priority setting, a remote node that is slow or out of sync, or a wallet that has not fully synchronized. Here is how to identify the specific problem and what to do about it.

How monero transactions work and why they can stall

Unlike Bitcoin, Monero does not have a public mempool where you can see your transaction waiting. The privacy features - ring signatures, stealth addresses, and the 10-block unlock time (already covered on this site) - mean your wallet must rely on the network's consensus rules and your chosen node to confirm a transaction. A transaction is "pending" when it has been broadcast but not yet included in a block.

Monero blocks are targeted every two minutes. Under normal conditions, a transaction with an adequate fee should confirm within 2 - 10 minutes. If it does not, something is wrong.

Step 1: check your wallet sync status

Before anything else, confirm your wallet has fully synchronized with the network. If it is still scanning old blocks, it cannot see whether your transaction has confirmed.

• In the Monero GUI, look for the green sync bar at the bottom. It should read "Wallet is synchronized" and show the current block height matching the network (check a block explorer like moneroblocks.info for the latest height).
• In Cake Wallet, go to the settings menu and tap "Show current block height." Compare it to the network height.
• If your wallet is behind by more than a few blocks, wait for it to finish syncing. Do not resend or cancel the transaction until sync is complete.

Step 2: Verify the Transaction Fee and Priority

Monero uses a dynamic fee system based on recent network load. If you set a fee too low (or chose a low priority), the transaction may not be picked up by miners in a timely manner.

• In the GUI, you can see the fee you paid under the transaction details. Compare it to the current "default" fee shown on the "Send" page.
• If you used the "low" or "very low" priority setting, the fee may be insufficient during periods of higher traffic. Monero's dynamic fee algorithm adjusts, but a very low fee can still be ignored for hours.
• No fixed fee amount or rate is guaranteed. Check the current median fee on a site like monerohash.com or xmrchain.net.

If the fee was too low, you have options (see step 4).

Step 3: check your node connection

Your wallet connects to a node to broadcast the transaction. If that node is slow, overloaded, or out of sync, your transaction may not propagate properly.

• If you use a remote node (common in Cake Wallet or when you do not run your own full node), try switching to a different one. Cake Wallet lets you change the node under Settings > Node. The GUI has a node list under Settings > Node.
• If you run your own full node, ensure it is fully synchronized (the daemon shows "SYNCHRONIZED OK").
• A remote node can also be deliberately blocking transactions with very low fees. Switching nodes often resolves this.

Step 4: How to Fix a Stuck Transaction

If the transaction has been pending for more than an hour after you have confirmed sync and node health, you have two practical paths:

Option A: wait (often works)

Many Monero transactions that appear stuck eventually confirm. The network's dynamic fee algorithm will raise the effective fee if needed, and miners will include it once the fee market clears. This can take several hours or even a day during periods of high congestion. There is no penalty for waiting.

Option B: Resend with a Higher Fee (Using the "Replace-by-Fee" Feature)

Monero supports a form of fee bumping for unconfirmed transactions. Here is how to do it in the GUI:

1. Open your wallet and go to the "History" tab.
2. Find the stuck transaction. Right-click it and select "Resend."
3. Choose a higher priority (e.g., "High" or "Medium") to increase the fee.
4. Confirm the resend. This broadcasts a new version of the transaction with a higher fee.

In Cake Wallet, the process is similar: tap the pending transaction, then tap "Resend" and adjust the fee setting.

Important: Do not try to "cancel" a Monero transaction by sending the same outputs back to yourself. Monero's privacy features mean the network cannot distinguish a double-spend attempt from a legitimate transaction. Resending with a higher fee is the standard method.

When to Ask for Help

If none of the above works after 48 hours, your transaction may have been broadcast to a node that is not properly connected to the network. Consider:

• Exporting your wallet seed and restoring it in a different wallet app (e.g., moving from Cake Wallet to the Monero GUI).
• Checking the transaction hash on a block explorer. If it shows no confirmations and no mempool entry, it may have been dropped entirely. In that case, the funds remain in your wallet and you can simply send a new transaction with proper settings.

What not to do

• Do not panic and repeatedly resend the same transaction. This can create multiple pending versions, all competing for inclusion.
• Do not pay anyone who asks for a "release fee" or "priority unlock." There is no such thing. Anyone claiming to speed up your transaction for a fee is a scammer.

Monero's privacy features mean stuck transactions are rarer than on transparent blockchains, but they do happen. Following these steps should resolve the vast majority of cases.

Back to privacy coins