# Boost transaction speed (RBF)

In this guide, you’ll learn how to accelerate a pending Bitcoin transaction in the Electrum wallet using Replace-by-Fee (RBF) — a mechanism that allows you to resend a transaction with a higher fee so miners confirm it faster.

### 📖 What you will learn

* understand how Replace-by-Fee (RBF) works in Electrum
* learn how to increase the transaction fee for an unconfirmed Bitcoin transaction
* practice sending a higher-fee replacement transaction to speed up confirmation

### 📚 Before we begin

Make sure you have:

* [**Electrum wallet**](https://tgbtc.gitbook.io/docs/user-guides/signet-in-btc-for-pc) installed
* a Bitcoin transaction that is still unconfirmed
* RBF enabled in your Electrum settings (Electrum enables it by default for new transactions)

## 📘 Theoretical part: Understanding RBF

Replace-by-Fee (RBF) allows a sender to rebroadcast a new version of a Bitcoin transaction with a higher fee, replacing the previous one in the mempool.

**Step 1: Identify an unconfirmed transaction**

If the fee was too low, miners may not pick it up. Such a transaction will remain pending.

**Step 2: Create a replacement with a higher fee**

Electrum allows you to resend the same transaction but with a higher fee rate.

**Step 3: Miners confirm the new transaction**

Once the new transaction enters the mempool, miners will usually choose it over the older, cheaper version.

## 🦄 Practical part: Speed up an unconfirmed transaction (RBF)

**Step 1: Find the unconfirmed transaction**

1. Open Electrum and go to the History tab.
2. Locate the transaction you want to accelerate.
   * It will not have a green checkmark.
   * Its status will be “Unconfirmed” or “Broadcasting”.

<figure><img src="/files/Gy2hAxk5gcszk5vrtPe1" alt=""><figcaption></figcaption></figure>

**Step 2: Start the “Increase Fee” process**

1. Right-click the unconfirmed transaction.
2. From the context menu, select Increase fee.

<figure><img src="/files/2nIVY8CLVNiciVePiAdV" alt=""><figcaption></figcaption></figure>

**Step 3: Set a new, higher fee**

A window titled “Confirm cancel an unconfirmed transaction…” will appear.

1. Check the current fee rate (e.g., 1 sat/vbyte).
2. In the New fee rate field, enter a higher value.
   * Important rule: the new fee must be higher than the previous one
   * Example: increase 1 sat/vbyte → 2 sat/vbyte
3. Make sure the new value is correctly shown before proceeding.

<figure><img src="/files/uv2O7bJ7smX5s9xt7Mv3" alt=""><figcaption></figcaption></figure>

**Step 4: Confirm the acceleration**

1. Click OK.
2. Electrum will prompt you to enter your wallet password.
3. Enter your password and confirm the action.

<figure><img src="/files/R7YDPu83zcD60tRldKql" alt=""><figcaption></figcaption></figure>

**Step 5: Verify the new fee**

1. After Electrum broadcasts the replacement transaction, right-click it again in History.
2. Select Details.
3. In the information window, check the Fee field — it should now show the updated, higher fee rate (e.g., 2 sat/vbyte).&#x20;

* This confirms that the RBF replacement transaction was successfully sent.

<figure><img src="/files/6x6OgTNqTce1buHLEKuT" alt=""><figcaption></figcaption></figure>

## 🥳 What's next?

You’ve successfully accelerated a Bitcoin transaction using RBF!

Now you can:

* experiment with different fee rates
* explore Electrum’s advanced fee controls
* monitor how fee changes affect confirmation time


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