How to Cancel a Pending Transaction Before Bridging

You can usually cancel a bridge-bound transaction only while its source-chain transaction is still pending, by replacing it with another transaction using the same nonce and a higher fee. Once the bridge transaction is confirmed, the wallet’s cancellation option no longer reverses the transfer.

How do you cancel a pending transaction?

Open the pending transaction in your wallet and use its cancel or replacement option, if available. MetaMask says cancellation works by submitting a new transaction from the same address with the same nonce and a higher fee; some wallets handle those settings for you.

A nonce is the sequence number that orders transactions from an account. Ethereum transactions with the same sender and nonce compete: only one can be included. The replacement is often a zero-value transfer back to your own address, so it replaces the action without repeating the bridge call. It still needs to pay a network fee if it is confirmed.

For a fuller walkthrough of moving assets from a self-custody wallet, see the Polygon Bridge guide. Check the wallet’s transaction details first: confirm the sending address, network and nonce, then review the replacement fee before signing.

Why does the same nonce matter?

Using the same nonce makes the new transaction a candidate to replace the pending one; using a later nonce does not clear the earlier transaction. PolygonScan explains that transactions from an address are processed in nonce order, so a stuck earlier transaction can hold up later ones.

The replacement fee must be high enough for the wallet and network to accept it. MetaMask advises paying more gas to make the cancellation more likely to be picked up before the original, but fee thresholds can vary. If the replacement is rejected or remains pending, the original may still be included.

• Check the transaction status on the source network’s block explorer.
• Use the original sender address and nonce for the replacement.
• Review the new fee and recipient before approving it.
• Wait for confirmation, then check whether the original was replaced.

Can you cancel a bridge after its transaction confirms?

No wallet-level replacement can undo a bridge transaction once it has been confirmed on the source chain. At that point, the bridge contract has acted on the transaction, and the transfer follows the bridge’s own steps.

Polygon Support says a Polygon-to-Ethereum withdrawal cannot be cancelled after it is initiated on Polygon and the tokens are burned. A pending step on the destination side is therefore different from a pending wallet transaction: it may require the bridge’s completion process, not a nonce replacement.

The practical rule is to resolve any stuck wallet transaction before starting a bridge. If the bridge call is already confirmed, check its status through the bridge’s official interface and follow the instructions for that transfer; do not send a second bridge transaction to try to reverse the first.