You need to double spend your bitcoin, create a new transaction to an address you own.
Attempting a Replace-By-Fee (RBF) double spend transactionWhat is an RBF transactionA Replace-By-Fee transaction is a transaction that is nearly identical to your stuck transaction but pays a higher transaction fee. Since the original transaction most likely does not use Opt-in RBF, the RBF transaction that we will be creating will be considered a double spend and marked as such. The transaction uses Full-RBF and thus may still take a little bit longer to confirm as it is technically a double spend.
The difference between the types of RBF transactionsReplace-By-Fee transactions have 3 different types, First-Seen-Safe(FSS) RBF, Full RBF, and Opt-in RBF. FSS RBF requires that the RBF transaction include the same outputs as the transaction it replaces and consumes the same inputs. Full RBF means that the transaction is simply a double spend of another transaction but pays a higher transaction fee than the one(s) it replaces. Opt-in RBF means that the RBF transaction can only replace a transaction that has Opted-in to allowing itself to be replaced. Opt-in RBF follows [urlhttps://github.com/bitcoin/bips/blob/master/bip-0125.mediawiki]BIP 125[/url].
The instructions given in this section will be for making Full RBF transactions. Opt-in RBF transactions will be described in the "Avoiding Stuck Transactions In The Future" section.
How to make a Full RBF transactionMaking a Full RBF transaction depends entirely on the wallet that you are using. Some wallet support the advanced functionality required to make a Full RBF transaction, others do not. The following will be guides for each wallet on how to make a Full RBF transaction with that wallet. In general the procedure is to remove the unconfirmed transaction from the wallet and then resend the Bitcoin but with a higher transaction fee.
When making a Full RBF transaction, the transaction should include the recommended fee rate at the time of creating the transaction. See the "Avoiding this issue in the future" section for help with that.
Bitcoin CoreBitcoin Core makes making Full RBF transactions very easy. Simply go to the transactions list, right click the transaction that is stuck, and choose the "Abandon Transaction" option.
If that option is greyed out, then you must restart Bitcoin Core with the
-walletbroadcast=0 option and then you should be able to use "Abandon Transaction".
If the above two options fail for some reason, then you can start Bitcoin Core with the
-zapwallettxes option to clear all unconfirmed transactions from your wallet.
Once the transaction is either Abandoned or cleared from the wallet, you can simply go to the Send tab and send the Bitcoin again but make sure that you include a sufficient transaction fee.
Bitcoin ArmoryBitcoin Armory also makes making Full RBF transactions very easy. Go to Help > Clear All Unconfirmed Transactions and restart Armory. This will clear all of the unconfirmed transactions from the wallet and thus allow you to create the Full RBF transaction. Once Armory has restarted, simply send the Bitcoin again as you normally would but be sure to include a sufficient transaction fee.
MultiBit HDMultiBit HD allows for making Full RBF transactions fairly easy as well. Go to Manage Wallet and click on Repair Wallet and follow the wizard. This process will clear all of the unconfirmed transactions from your wallet much like Bitcoin Core and Armory do. Once repair wallet has completed, simply send the Bitcoin again as you normally would.
Wallets that do not allow you to or ones that I don't know how to make Full RBF transactionsNot all wallets support the creation of Full RBF transactions. Many wallets do not allow clearing all unconfirmed transactions to allow for making Full RBF transactions. The following is a list of wallet software which do not support Full RBF transactions. If a wallet on this list does support FullRBF transactions, please let me know and provide instructions for that so I can add it above.
- Blockchain.info and web wallets in general
- Electrum (supports Opt-in RBF, but not Full RBF)
- Mycelium
- MultiBit Classic
- Bitcoin Wallet for Android
- Breadwallet
- Copay