> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://docs.leather.io/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://docs.leather.io/transactions/pending-transactions.md).

# Understand Pending Transactions

Why a Bitcoin or Stacks transaction stays pending in Leather, and what you can do about it.

A pending transaction has been broadcast but not yet confirmed. Leather shows it on the "Activity" tab until the network confirms it.

How long that takes depends on the network and the fee. A Bitcoin block comes about every 10 minutes on average, and miners pick the transactions with the highest fees first. When the network is busy, a low-fee transaction can wait hours. If it waits long enough, nodes can drop it. A dropped transaction never happened: the funds stay in your wallet.

## If a transaction stays pending

### Check the fee

The usual cause is a fee below what other transactions pay at that moment. Raise it: see [Increase Transaction Fee](/transactions/increase-fee.md). Make sure your balance covers the higher fee.

### Check your Stacks nonces

Each Stacks transaction from an account has a nonce, a number that sets its order. The first transaction has nonce 0, then 1, 2 and so on. The network confirms them in that order. A transaction cannot confirm while one with a lower nonce is missing or still pending.

If your nonces have a gap, for example 30 and then 32, the transaction with nonce 32 waits for one with nonce 31. Send a new transaction with nonce 31 to fill the gap. See [Configure Transaction Nonces](/transactions/configure-transaction-nonces.md). The [Stacks Explorer](https://explorer.hiro.so/?chain=mainnet) shows the nonces of your transactions.

A new transaction with the same nonce as a pending one and a higher fee replaces it. It can take a while for the replacement to reach the whole network.

## Related

* [Increase Transaction Fee](/transactions/increase-fee.md)
* [Configure Transaction Fees](/transactions/configure-transaction-fees.md)
* [Configure Transaction Nonces](/transactions/configure-transaction-nonces.md)