Electrum. Transaction stuck in the pipe?

[Avery_39]

Hi folks,
I have the Electrum wallet, downloaded from ".org", so hopefully not the fake one.

I have over 0.047 BTC on there, and have decided to send all my bitcoins from this one wallet over to my new Trezor hardware wallet.

So, first I noted the Receive address (string of random letters & numbers) for my Wallet 1 on my Trezor.
I then entered this into the Send window of my Electrum wallet.

To test this first, I only sent 0.0002 BTC.

I clicked "Save".
Electrum asked me what type of transaction fee I wanted to pay. I chose from the three options, and managed to select a fee which was 0.00000719 BTC

Within about 10 mins my transaction went through, displaying this on both my Electrum and my Trezor.


Now that I could see that this process worked, I was confident that the Trezor Receive address was correct... so I entered the same address again into my Electrum wallet, but clicked the "Max" button next to the amount field.  When I did this, it auto-populated the field with a bitcoin number that looked like the remaining balance of my wallet, 0.047xxxxx.

I clicked "Save" but doing so seemed to send the transaction, without giving me an option to select a transaction fee.

A green check mark immediately appeared next to the transaction in the Send window, only it just says "max" instead of a value.
The other TEST transaction displaying the value of 0.0002 BTC appears next to it in the list, also with a green check mark.

However, looking at my Electrum wallet, the balance is still up at 0.047xxx... and my Trezor has not received any more funds since the initial TEST transaction for 0.0002 BTC.

It is now over 13 hours since this second transaction, and the bitcoin has not been sent, even though Electrum Send window says it has gone through (green check mark, on Max).

If I right click on the 2nd larger transaction "max", I have the option to delete it.
... What should I do?


I am now getting pretty concerned, so any help you could offer me would be greatly appreciated.

.. Thanks for reading


Bitcoin Client Software and Version Number: Electrum 4.0.2, Standard wallet, Legacy
Operating System: Mac OS 10.14.6
System Hardware Specs: Apple Macbook Air
Description of Problem: Transaction marked in Electrum 'send' window as Sent, but has not been sent.
Any Related Addresses: Is this safe to post?
Any Related Transaction IDs: Is this safe to post?
Screenshot of the problem: https://photos.app.[Suspicious link removed]/2ij8KjVgDz4Xkv2i6
Log Files from the Bitcoin Client: How do I find this and paste it without compromising security of wallet?

[1715275898]

1715275898

[1715275898]

1715275898

[LoyceV]

I don't think you broadcasted the transaction when you clicked "Save".
Since the funds are still on Electrum: can you just try again?

even though Electrum Send window says it has gone through (green check mark, on Max).

I don't often use Electrum so I don't remember all details by heart, but as far as I know the "Send" tab shouldn't show the details anymore after sending it.

[Avery_39]

I don't think you broadcasted the transaction when you clicked "Save".
Since the funds are still on Electrum: can you just try again?

even though Electrum Send window says it has gone through (green check mark, on Max).

I don't often use Electrum so I don't remember all details by heart, but as far as I know the "Send" tab shouldn't show the details anymore after sending it.

Thanks for replying.

I only clicked Save for the first (small) transaction, and that went through.  This was the first time I have used Electrum to send bitcoin.  I have never sent bitcoin before.

I was expecting all the info of the proposed transaction to be saved into some type of draft, but when I did this for the first (small) transaction, it just seemed to go through after a few minutes.

As for sending the second transaction again, I am very concerned about the possibility of this causing some type of glitch that erases my bitcoin forever. Can this happen?

I have just looked for a transaction ID for the second transaction, but I cannot find one.  The second transaction doesn't seem to be listed in the "History" or "Coins" windows.
.. if not in either of these two windows, does anyone know where I might find this on Electrum?

PS: I tried to add the URL to my screenshot in my original post, but it was removed. Can an Admin allow me to post it please?

[Charles-Tim]

I don't think you broadcasted the transaction when you clicked "Save".
Since the funds are still on Electrum: can you just try again?

even though Electrum Send window says it has gone through (green check mark, on Max).

I don't often use Electrum so I don't remember all details by heart, but as far as I know the "Send" tab shouldn't show the details anymore after sending it.

You are right. On electrum wallet, the first transaction after wallet download will display the fee before sending bitcoin. After making the first transaction, it will not display the fee anymore while sending bitcoin. But, for every transaction, the fee can still be edited. Unlike some other wallet that will always display the fee before sending.

[LoyceV]

As for sending the second transaction again, I am very concerned about the possibility of this causing some type of glitch that erases my bitcoin forever. Can this happen?

No. The Bitcoin protocol won't allow to send it twice.
Bitcoins can't be "erased". You can still lose them by sending them to the wrong address though.

I have just looked for a transaction ID for the second transaction, but I cannot find one.  The second transaction doesn't seem to be listed in the "History" or "Coins" windows.
.. if not in either of these two windows, does anyone know where I might find this on Electrum?

History tab > right mouse button > Details
If it's not there, you probably didn't send it.

PS: I tried to add the URL to my screenshot in my original post, but it was removed. Can an Admin allow me to post it please?

Unfortunately for you, spam-protection is in place for Newbies because of spam in the past. It'll go away when your Activity goes up.

[ranochigo]

I'm almost 100% certain that you're just confused and nothing is lost so no worries there.

Saving the transaction doesn't actually do anything and it just creates an invoice for internal tracking. No Bitcoin is sent and no transaction is made. What you're looking for is to press "Pay". You'll be able to adjust your fee and view the final transaction before pressing "Sign" and "Broadcast".

[AB de Royse777]

The latest version of Electrum is a bit complicated to me than the previous version. So let's assume that you have your funds in your Electrum wallet. Please follow me here.



Send tab
Pay to: Paste the address to send the coins
Hit Max button, this will bring all the coins you have in the Amount field
Click Pay button.



Check the output address is correct, double check it. This will be the address you are about to send the coins.
Adjust target fees if you want to. A less is good, I do not think you really need to pay that high fees. If you are doing it now then 5 will be enough instead of 96.1
Hit Finalize button.



Click sign



Click Broadcast

And you are good!

Just in case, not sure. You may need to have Advance Preview enable.

[khaled0111]

ranochigo is right, the transaction hasn't been broadcasted at all. This is why you can see the delete button because it's just an invoice.
Electrum saved the transaction but didn't sign it or broadcast it yet.

This is not the first time a newbie complains about this and it's really understandable.
When you click save or don't set the transaction's fee, the transaction will be automatically saved. The invoice is a bit confusing as it's displayed exactly like how broadcasted transactions wete used to be displayed on prior versions of Electrum.

Besides, it doesn't make sense to set the fee after you set the amount to be sent! Devs must fix these issues with the next release.

[Avery_39]

I'm almost 100% certain that you're just confused and nothing is lost so no worries there.

Saving the transaction doesn't actually do anything and it just creates an invoice for internal tracking. No Bitcoin is sent and no transaction is made. What you're looking for is to press "Pay". You'll be able to adjust your fee and view the final transaction before pressing "Sign" and "Broadcast".

Thanks for replying.  I didn't click "Pay" when I sent my first (test) transaction (0.0002 BTC).  At least, I can only recall clicking "Save".. and this one went though.

Now that the two transactions appear in the Send window, when I right click on one of them I can't see an option to 'show fees' or 'pay / send' or 'broadcast'.
In fact, I've never seen the Broadcast button on my version.  Your screenshots look different to mine, I am on a Mac.

I have just tried to open Electrum again on my Mac to test, but now it won't open properly. And the clock thinks it's 2018. 

[ranochigo]

Thanks for replying.  I didn't click "Pay" when I sent my first (test) transaction (0.0002 BTC).  At least, I can only recall clicking "Save".. and this one went though.

That's weird.

Now that the two transactions appear in the Send window, when I right click on one of them I can't see an option to 'show fees' or 'pay / send' or 'broadcast'.
In fact, I've never seen the Broadcast button on my version.  Your screenshots look different to mine, I am on a Mac.

I have just tried to open Electrum again on my Mac to test, but now it won't open properly. And the clock thinks it's 2018. 

Try sending the transaction again. Now, instead of pressing "Save", press "Pay".

You don't have to worry about the invoices displayed at the Send tab.

[AB de Royse777]

Your screenshots look different to mine, I am on a Mac.

In a mac the layout must be different. Unfortunately I am not a mac user, so I am very limited to help you further. Take the concept from here and try on mac. Unless you see the Broadcast button and hit it, your coins are not going anywhere. So you can feel safe doing anything except hitting a Broadcast button.

[tranthidung]

I have the Electrum wallet, downloaded from ".org", so hopefully not the fake one.

No need to hope for anything because you can control what you are doing and verifying wallet before you install it and use it. You might feel the verification process is challenging when you do it for your first time but as the life is, the more repetitions you do the more familiar and comfortable it will be.
How to Safely Download and Verify Electrum

[Avery_39]

Thanks again guys for all of your suggestions.

... Try sending the transaction again. Now, instead of pressing "Save", press "Pay".

You don't have to worry about the invoices displayed at the Send tab.

... if these are just invoices and not a history of 'sent' funds, I wish Electrum would call this section 'Invoices'



I have just been reading this thread:

All about "stuck" transactions and what you can do to fix them
https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=1802212.0

The second para says:

Stuck transactions are typically caused by low transaction fee rates. However other things can cause stuck transactions such as spending from an unconfirmed transaction, having dust outputs in the transaction, or being a double spend of another transaction. If a transaction has a double spending transaction and the double spend confirms, then the transaction will be "stuck" forever as it can never confirm.

These "double spend" and "low fee" warnings are causing me concern about the idea of trying to send the second transaction again. I don't want my money to be stuck in some kind of void of never completed transactions. As I didn't get to see the transaction fee, what if this was Zero!?

Toward the bottom of the main post there is a small Electrum section. The last para says:
To increase the fee of a transaction that uses Opt-In RBF, right click the transaction in the history list and choose the "Increase Fee" option.

... This is where I am certain that I can't see the second transaction, not in History anyway.  I can see what looks like the first one though.

[khaled0111]

These "double spend" and "low fee" warnings are causing me concern about the idea of trying to send the second transaction again. I don't want my money to be stuck in some kind of void of never completed transactions. As I didn't get to see the transaction fee, what if this was Zero!?

AFAIK, Electrum doesn't allow double spending. You can't use the same UTXOs that have been used in a previous transaction unless your transaction has the RBF flag and even then you will have to click the bump fee button.
Also, you can't send a zero-fee transaction on Electrum. The minimum fee rate is 1sat/byte.

... This is where I am certain that I can't see the second transaction, not in History anyway.  I can see what looks like the first one though.

if the second transaction doesn't appear in the history tab, then it hasn't been broadcasted.
Just delete the invoice and start over.

[Avery_39]

ranochigo is right, the transaction hasn't been broadcasted at all. This is why you can see the delete button because it's just an invoice.
Electrum saved the transaction but didn't sign it or broadcast it yet.

... Just delete the invoice and start over.

Unfortunately, in the Send window - if I right click on the first (test) transaction (0.0002 btc) , and I have the option to Delete this also.

Now I am so confused :/

[Upgrade00]

These "double spend" and "low fee" warnings are causing me concern about the idea of trying to send the second transaction again. I don't want my money to be stuck in some kind of void of never completed transactions. As I didn't get to see the transaction fee, what if this was Zero!?

There is no such void, transactions go to the mempool when broadcasted before it is added to a block. It would remain here for approximately two weeks before it is dropped, if not picked up for confirmation, after which it returns to your wallet, although it technically never left.
So long as the address you entered initially was correct, you can try again and ensure you click on pay to sign the transaction.

Toward the bottom of the main post there is a small Electrum section. The last para says:
To increase the fee of a transaction that uses Opt-In RBF, right click the transaction in the history list and choose the "Increase Fee" option.

... This is where I am certain that I can't see the second transaction, not in History anyway.  I can see what looks like the first one though.

If it's not in your history, then it wasn't sent. You can confirm by checking your address on a block explorer (like blockchair) to see all recent transactions. Electrum allows you to bump transactions after broadcasting, if the fee set turned out to be too low, but you need to have set the bump option before signing the transaction.

[khaled0111]

Unfortunately, in the Send window - if I right click on the first (test) transaction (0.0002 btc) , and I have the option to Delete this also.

Now I am so confused :/

don't be,
What you see on the Send tab under Outgoing payments are just invoices. You can delete them or leave them there as I believe they will be automatically removed anyway.
Probably, you saved a copy of the first transaction before you broadcast it!

You can see the broadcasted transactions under the History tab.

You have two options, either to remove the invoice to avoid any confusion and create the transaction from scratch or right click the invoice and choose Pay, set the fee rate then click Send.

[Avery_39]

... If it's not in your history, then it wasn't sent. You can confirm by checking your address on a block explorer (like blockchair) to see all recent transactions. Electrum allows you to bump transactions after broadcasting, if the fee set turned out to be too low, but you need to have set the bump option before signing the transaction.

Thank you for advising.

Please excuse my complete lack on knowledge on this subject, but when you say "address" for checking on a block explorer, where do I find this please?

Is "bumping" a transaction a prompt to the blockchain to get it broadcasted, and if it isn't broadcasted does that mean that it wasn't sent? ... I can't see an option for this in Electrum in the Windows or top menu.

[khaled0111]

Please excuse my complete lack on knowledge on this subject, but when you say "address" for checking on a block explorer, where do I find this please?

If your wallet is fully synchronized then there is really no need to use a block explorer as your wallet will show all the info related to your addresses and using a block explorer may complicate things if you don'k know which address you used as input. So better keep it simple.

You can use blockchair.com or blockchain.com if you like.

Is "bumping" a transaction a prompt to the blockchain to get it broadcasted, and if it isn't broadcasted does that mean that it wasn't sent? ... I can't see an option for this in Electrum in the Windows or top menu.

If your transaction stays unconfirmed for a long time because of low fees and it was flagged as rbf, on Electrum, right click on the unconfirmed transaction and select Increase Fee then set higher fee rate for the new transaction.

[o_e_l_e_o]

There is a lot of irrelevant information and suggestions being offered to OP here, when he has already said this:

However, looking at my Electrum wallet, the balance is still up at 0.047xxx...

The second transaction doesn't seem to be listed in the "History" or "Coins" windows.

If the second transaction does not show up in the "History" tab, then it has not been broadcast. Trying to look it up on a block explorer, trying to bump the fee, etc. are all impossible and will only serve to confuse OP even more.

OP - the screenshot you shared in your initial post is of your "Send" tab. Transactions which show up there are simply local saves of what you have entered. They say nothing about whether or not the transaction has been broadcast to the network. If your transaction is not in your "History" tab, then it has not been sent.

The solution to this is simple: Make the transaction again from scratch, and make sure you broadcast it this time.

[BitMaxz]

~snip~

The method shared above by Royse777 is an advanced method.
To make it easy for you and to avoid confuse check this guide as shown below.



1. Paste the BTC address.
2. Set the amount of BTC you want
3. Click Pay
4 Set the mining fee - You can use the recommended fee from here https://bitcoinfees.21.co/
5. Type the password
6. Then click Send.

Now it should be broadcasted to the network unless if your wallet is offline as the image shown below.



If your wallet shows red the same as my image above it means you are not connected. The transaction will only save in local as the image shows below.


Or if your wallet shows "Syncing" like this


The transaction is not yet broadcasted and it should show something unconfirmed transaction in the history tab(it means it's not broadcasted yet to the network/ it's stuck on the local transaction due to syncing/internet issue.)

If that's the case you must fix it first before the transaction can be broadcasted to the network.

[Avery_39]

Thanks, you've all convinced me to try again.

Firstly, my second (failed) transaction used the same Receive code (address) as my first (successful) transaction.  Is this ok, or is it better to generate a new Receive address to send the bitcoins to?

 (Reminder, I own the hardware wallet I am sending the bitcoins to, hence I can generate a receive address on the hardware device.)

[LoyceV]

Firstly, my second (failed) transaction used the same Receive code (address) as my first (successful) transaction.  Is this ok, or is it better to generate a new Receive address to send the bitcoins to?

You can re-use the same Bitcoin address, but in general it's better for privacy to use a new address each time. In this case, it doesn't really matter.

[o_e_l_e_o]

It is generally good practice to generate a new address every time you want to receive coins, mostly because it improves your privacy. You can read about why reusing addresses is not advised here: https://en.bitcoin.it/wiki/Address_reuse

Having said that, there is nothing stopping you from reusing an address you have already used, and if you made the transaction to the same address as your first successful transaction, you would still receive the coins normally. If you are generating a new address with your hardware wallet, make sure the address on your screen matches the address on your wallet, and always double check it after you copy and paste it to any new window or software.

[Easteregg69]

Your BTC will be returned from mempool if you go to low on fee. Can take many month.

Consider your coins locked till then.

[o_e_l_e_o]

Your BTC will be returned from mempool if you go to low on fee. Can take many month.

Consider your coins locked till then.

That's not accurate.

The default mempool expiry is 336 hours, which is two weeks - https://github.com/bitcoin/bitcoin/blob/ad2952d17a2af419a04256b10b53c7377f826a27/src/validation.h#L65

Far more likely is that long before we reach two weeks, the mempool will empty and even the lowest fee transactions will be confirmed. Even if that doesn't happen, the coins are not locked and can always be spent by using CPFP, or potentially have the fee bumped by using RBF if the transaction has been flagged as such.

[Avery_39]

... The method shared above by Royse777 is an advanced method.
To make it easy for you and to avoid confuse check this guide as shown below. ... [see top of page]

I've just sent another very small sum following your guide. It went through without a hitch.
I also generated a new 'receive' address first.

Thank you so much BitMaxz!! .. and thanks to all who pitched in to help me on this thread 

.. it's a shame they only started me off with 8 merit points to give out