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Bridge transfer stuck or not arrived: what to do
Most transfers that look stuck are just waiting for confirmations or arrived as a token your wallet does not show. Here is how to find out where your money is and get it moving.
First, do not panic and do not resend
A transfer that has not arrived after a few minutes is usually still in progress. Sending the same amount again does not speed it up. It only doubles what is waiting.
Write down three things: the transaction hash on the source chain, the bridge you used and the address you sent to. You will need them for every step below.
Check the source transaction
Open the hash in the explorer of the source chain, for example Etherscan, Solscan or Tronscan. If it shows failed or pending, the money never left. A failed transaction returns your tokens minus the network fee. A pending one usually needs a higher fee or more time.
If it shows success, the bridge has your funds and the rest happens on its side.
Check the bridge explorer
Most bridges have a status page or explorer where you paste the hash. LayerZero Scan, Wormholescan, Axelarscan and the deBridge and Across apps all show which step a transfer is at.
Some routes take longer by design. Withdrawals from Optimistic Rollups through the official bridge take about 7 days. Bitcoin routes wait for several confirmations. Polygon PoS withdrawals wait for a checkpoint.
- Delivered: the funds are on the destination chain, see the next section.
- Waiting or in flight: give it the time the bridge quoted.
- Needs claim or ready to prove: you must finish it yourself, see below.
- Refunded: check your source wallet.
It says delivered but your wallet is empty
Check the destination address in the explorer of the destination chain, not just in your wallet. Wallets often hide new tokens.
If the token is there, add it to your wallet using the contract address from the bridge or the official token list. Also check that your wallet is on the right network. Many bridges pay a different token than you sent, for example USDC.e instead of USDC or WETH instead of ETH.
Manual claims and finishing a withdrawal
Official rollup bridges and some message bridges do not finish by themselves. After the waiting period you open the bridge again, connect the same wallet and press Claim, Prove or Finalize. You pay gas on the destination chain for this, so keep some there.
Until you claim, the funds are safe in the bridge contract. They do not expire.
When to contact support, and who not to trust
If the bridge explorer shows an error or nothing after the quoted time plus a margin, contact support only through the link on the official site or its official Discord.
Nobody legitimate will message you first. Anyone who offers to recover your funds and asks for your seed phrase, a signature or a payment is a scammer.
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