Ledger Wallet Support

How to Speed Up or Replace a Pending Transaction in Ledger Live

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Speeding up or replacing a pending transaction in Ledger Live is a valuable skill when your cryptocurrency transfer is stuck due to low fees or network congestion. Ledger Live supports mechanisms like Replace-By-Fee (RBF) for Bitcoin and nonce-based replacement for Ethereum, allowing you to either increase the fee to expedite confirmation or overwrite the transaction entirely. 

How to Speed Up or Replace a Pending Transaction in Ledger Live

Below, I’ll explain how to handle a pending transaction for Bitcoin (BTC) and Ethereum (ETH)—the most common cases in Ledger Live.

Please download the last update of Ledger Live Application:

1. Ledger Live for Windows 10/11

2. Ledger Live for MAC

3. Ledger Live for Android

Why Transactions Get Stuck

A transaction remains “pending” when it’s broadcast to the network but not yet confirmed in a block. Common reasons:

  • Low Fees: Miners (BTC) or validators (ETH) prioritize higher-fee transactions, leaving yours in the mempool.
  • Network Congestion: High traffic (e.g., a BTC price surge or ETH NFT drop) fills the mempool, delaying low-fee transactions.
  • Ledger Live Sync: Rarely, the app’s view lags, showing “pending” even if confirmed.

Step 1: Check the Transaction Status

  • In Ledger Live:
    • Go to the “Accounts” tab, select your account (e.g., “Bitcoin – Main” or “Ethereum 1”).
    • Find the transaction in the history—look for “Pending” or a clock icon.
    • Note the transaction ID (TXID) if available.
  • On a Block Explorer:
    • BTC: Paste the TXID into mempool.space.
    • ETH: Use etherscan.io.
    • Look for “Unconfirmed” status and its position in the mempool (e.g., fee too low compared to current rates).

Speeding Up or Replacing: Bitcoin (BTC)

Bitcoin supports Replace-By-Fee (RBF), which lets you bump the fee of an unconfirmed transaction if it was flagged as RBF-enabled when sent. Ledger Live enables RBF by default for BTC transactions since version 2.31 (2021).

Option 1: Speed Up with RBF

  • Steps in Ledger Live:
    1. Open Ledger Live (desktop recommended—mobile lacks advanced options).
    2. Go to “Accounts,” select your BTC account.
    3. Find the pending transaction in the history.
    4. If RBF is available, you’ll see an “Increase Fee” or “Edit” option (varies by version—click the transaction for details).
    5. Adjust the fee:
      • Choose a higher rate (e.g., 20 sat/byte if 5 sat/byte failed—check mempool.space for current rates).
      • Ledger Live recalculates the total fee based on transaction size (e.g., 200 bytes × 20 sat/byte = 0.00004 BTC).
    6. Connect and unlock your Ledger, open the Bitcoin app.
    7. Confirm the new fee on your device (verify amount and address remain unchanged).
    8. Broadcast the updated transaction.
  • Result: The higher-fee version replaces the original, speeding confirmation (e.g., next block, ~10 minutes).

Option 2: Wait It Out

  • If RBF isn’t enabled (older transaction or manual disable):
    • Wait for the mempool to clear (hours to days) or for it to drop (typically 2-14 days, returning funds).
    • No action needed unless urgent.

Option 3: Replace with External Tool

  • If Ledger Live doesn’t show RBF or fails:
    • Use Electrum with your Ledger:
      1. Connect Ledger to Electrum, import your BTC account.
      2. Find the pending TX in “History,” right-click, select “Increase Fee.”
      3. Set a higher fee, sign with Ledger, broadcast.
    • Same TXID is reused with a higher fee.

Speeding Up or Replacing: Ethereum (ETH)

Ethereum uses a nonce (transaction sequence number) system. To speed up or replace a pending transaction, you overwrite it with a new one using the same nonce but a higher gas price.

Option 1: Speed Up in Ledger Live

  • Steps:
    1. Go to “Accounts,” select your ETH account.
    2. Find the pending transaction—note its nonce (visible in history or error details, e.g., “Nonce: 5”).
    3. Start a new “Send”:
      • Recipient: Same address as the stuck transaction (or your own address to “cancel”).
      • Amount: Same or tiny (e.g., 0.001 ETH).
    4. Click “Advanced” or “Edit Fees”:
      • Set the same nonce (manually enter, e.g., 5).
      • Increase gas price (e.g., 50 Gwei if 20 Gwei failed—check ethgasstation.info).
      • Keep gas limit similar or higher (e.g., 21,000 for simple sends, more for contracts).
    5. Connect your Ledger, open the Ethereum app.
    6. Sign the transaction—ensure “Blind Signing” is enabled if needed (Settings on device).
    7. Broadcast—the new transaction replaces the old one.
  • Result: Higher gas gets it confirmed faster (e.g., 1-5 minutes).

Option 2: Cancel the Transaction

  • Steps:
    • Same as above, but send 0 ETH to your own Ledger address (a “self-send”).
    • Use the stuck transaction’s nonce and a higher gas price.
    • Sign and broadcast—cancels the original by overwriting it.
  • Result: Stops the pending send, keeping funds in place (minus gas spent).

Option 3: Use MetaMask with Ledger

  • If Ledger Live struggles:
    1. Connect your Ledger to MetaMask (Ethereum app open).
    2. In MetaMask, check the pending transaction’s nonce (Activity tab).
    3. Send a new transaction with the same nonce and higher gas (customize in MetaMask).
    4. Sign with Ledger via MetaMask.
  • Result: Replaces the stuck transaction seamlessly.

Key Tips

  • Check RBF (BTC): Not all wallets enable RBF—if your original transaction didn’t, you can’t bump it in Ledger Live.
  • Gas Limit (ETH): Too low a limit can fail smart contracts—match or exceed the original.
  • Monitor Progress: Use mempool.space (BTC) or etherscan.io (ETH) to confirm replacement.
  • Avoid Overlap: Don’t send new transactions with different nonces until the stuck one clears—causes nonce gaps.

Example Scenarios

  • BTC Stuck at 3 sat/byte:
    • Mempool shows 15 sat/byte for 1-hour confirmation.
    • Use RBF in Ledger Live, bump to 20 sat/byte, sign, confirm in ~20 minutes.
  • ETH Swap Stuck at 25 Gwei:
    • Nonce 10, pending on etherscan.io.
    • Send 0 ETH to yourself with nonce 10, 60 Gwei, confirms in 2 minutes, cancels the swap.

Why Ledger Live Works Well

  • RBF Support: Built-in for BTC, user-friendly fee bumps.
  • Nonce Control: Advanced ETH options let you replace transactions.
  • Security: Ledger device signs all changes, keeping keys offline.

What If It Fails?

  • Dropped Transactions: If fees are too low, BTC/ETH transactions may drop after days (funds return, minus ETH gas spent).
  • Support: Export logs (Settings > Help) and contact Ledger Support if stuck persistently.

Speeding up or replacing a pending transaction in Ledger Live is straightforward with RBF for BTC or nonce tricks for ETH. Check the network, adjust fees, and sign with your Ledger—it’s fixed in minutes.