Short answer: Monero targets a ~2 minute block time. Your payment is usually seen within seconds–a minute, gets its first confirmation in about ~2 minutes, and becomes fully spendable after roughly 10 confirmations (~20 minutes) depending on your wallet or the receiver’s policy. Some merchants/exchanges ask for more confirmations, which can extend the wait.
Quick Timelines
- Broadcast / mempool: seconds to a couple minutes (appears as “pending/unconfirmed”).
- 1 confirmation: ~2 minutes on average (first block including your tx).
- Common “unlocked” default: ~10 confirmations ≈ ~20 minutes (many wallets/merchants).
- Exchanges / high-value payments: often 10–30 confirmations (≈ 20–60 minutes) — varies by platform.
- Mined (coinbase) rewards: unlock after ~60 blocks (≈ ~120 minutes) before spendable.
What is a “confirmation”? Each block that includes (or builds on a block with) your transaction counts as one confirmation. More confirmations = stronger finality and lower double-spend risk.
What Affects How Fast a Monero Transfer Completes?
- Block time & network load: Monero aims for ~2 min blocks and uses a dynamic block size. If blocks are comfortably handling traffic, most normal-fee transactions confirm on the next block or two.
- Fee priority you choose: Wallets let you pick priority (e.g., slow/normal/fast). Normal or Fast prioritizes quicker inclusion. Extremely low fees can be delayed if blocks are full.
- Receiver’s policy: Some vendors release goods at 1–2 confirmations for small orders, others require ~10+. Exchanges often use 10–30.
- Your wallet/node sync state: If your wallet or the node it connects to isn’t fully synced, display of the payment can lag even if it’s already on-chain.
- Restore height / scanning: Using a far-past restore height slows scanning. Set a sensible restore (start) height to speed up detection.
Typical Scenarios
| Scenario | When it shows up | When it’s “good enough” |
|---|---|---|
| P2P / trusted trade, small amount | Seconds–1 min (pending) | Often 1–2 confirmations (~2–4 min) |
| Online store using a gateway | Instant pending + QR invoice | Commonly 1–10 confirmations (~2–20 min) |
| Exchange deposit | Pending within minutes | Platform policy: ~10–30 confirmations (~20–60 min) |
| Spending freshly mined XMR (coinbase) | Visible after mined | Spendable after ~60 confirmations (~120 min) |
Why Is My Monero Transfer “Stuck” or Slow?
- Low fee priority: If you chose a very low fee, it may miss the next block when blocks are busy. Resending with higher priority can help (if your wallet supports fee bump or you can cancel/retry).
- Wallet/node not synced: Ensure your wallet and the node are fully synced with the chain tip.
- Receiver requires more confirmations: If they want 10–30, your funds are fine—they just won’t mark “paid” yet.
- Wrong restore height (receiver side): If a merchant/rest API watches from the wrong height, detection may lag until it scans past your block.
- Payment ID / address mismatch (legacy flows): Rare today, but if using older tooling, ensure the address and any payment details are correct.
Tips to Get the Fastest Reasonable Confirmation
- Use a Normal/Fast fee priority for time-sensitive payments.
- Send during a time your wallet is fully synced to a reliable node (your own or a reputable remote node).
- Ask the recipient their confirmation policy before paying (1–2 vs 10+).
- For merchants, consider watch-only (view-key) detection and a clear confirmations policy by order value.
FAQ
Can Monero transfers be instantaneous?
You can see a broadcast almost instantly, but finality still relies on block confirmations. For small, low-risk sales, some accept 0–1 conf at their own risk; most require at least one block (~2 minutes).
How many confirmations do I need?
Every receiver decides. Common defaults: wallets treat funds as “unlocked” after ~10 confirmations (~20 minutes). Exchanges often ask for 10–30 confirmations. High-value trades may ask for more.
Does network congestion affect Monero like other coins?
Monero’s dynamic block size helps absorb bursts, but if many users set ultra-low fees simultaneously, some transactions can wait for subsequent blocks. Using a normal/fast fee mitigates this.
Why did my wallet show “pending” for a long time?
Most commonly: node not fully synced, incorrect restore height, or the receiver waiting for more confirmations. Less commonly: extremely low fees or a stuck broadcast from a flaky node/connection.
Bottom line: Expect ~2 minutes per confirmation. Most routine payments feel complete in ~2–20 minutes, depending on how many confirmations the receiver requires. For mined rewards, expect about ~2 hours before spendable.
