Table of Contents
A Bitcoin transaction usually takes 10-30 minutes to receive its first confirmation. In some cases, it can take 60 minutes or longer depending on network congestion and the transaction fee.
Key Takeaways
Bitcoin confirmation speed does not depend on the amount sent, but on the transaction fee and network congestion.
A higher Bitcoin transaction fee increases the chance of faster inclusion in a block.
With a self-custody wallet, you can choose the fee yourself and control how quickly your transaction is confirmed.
To better understand Bitcoin transaction confirmation time, below are the main points we will cover in this article:
- What a Bitcoin Transaction Is
- How a Bitcoin Transaction Works
- How Long It Takes for Bitcoin to Be Confirmed
- What Affects Bitcoin Transaction Confirmation Time
- Why Transactions from a Wallet Are Often Faster than from an Exchange
What Is a Bitcoin Transaction?
A Bitcoin transaction is a transfer of BTC from one user to another that is recorded on the blockchain and receives a unique identifier called a TxID (transaction hash). Using this TxID, you can easily check whether the transfer was completed, what its current status is, and how many confirmations it has received.
How Does a Bitcoin Transaction Work?
The process of sending Bitcoin on the network usually looks like this:
- A wallet or exchange creates the transaction and signs it with a private key.
- The completed transaction is broadcast to the network and verified by nodes.
- It receives the status unconfirmed transaction and enters the waiting queue called the mempool.
- Miners select transactions from the mempool, usually prioritizing those with higher fees.
- The selected transactions are added to a new block, which is created approximately every 10 minutes.
- Once the transaction is included in a block, it receives its first confirmation, and the confirmation time begins.
How does a Bitcoin transaction work.
What Is the Bitcoin Mempool?
The Bitcoin mempool is a queue of all unconfirmed transactions in the Bitcoin network. After a transaction is sent, it first enters the mempool and waits to be included in a new block. While a transaction is in the mempool, it is not considered confirmed. If there are many transactions on the network, the queue grows, and transactions with lower fees may take longer to be processed.
How Long Does Bitcoin Take to Confirm?
A Bitcoin transaction usually takes 10-30 minutes to receive its first confirmation and about 60 minutes to be fully confirmed, depending on the fee and network congestion.
First Confirmation: Usually 10-30 minutes for standard fees, as Bitcoin blocks are mined approximately every 10 minutes.
Full Confirmation: Most services consider 6 confirmations (about 60 minutes) as fully confirmed.
Low-Fee Transactions: Can take several hours or even days during high network congestion.
High-Priority Transactions: Often confirmed in the next block (10-15 minutes).
To make it easier to understand, we put together a simple table showing Bitcoin transaction confirmation times.
Bitcoin Transaction Confirmation Time
| Transaction Type | First Confirmation | Full Confirmation |
|---|---|---|
| Standard Fee | 10-30 minutes | ~60 minutes |
| Low-Fee Transaction | Several hours or more | Several hours to days |
| High-Priority Transaction | 10-15 minutes | 30-60 minutes |
What Affects Bitcoin Transaction Time?
Bitcoin transaction confirmation time can vary depending on current network conditions and the parameters of the transfer. The same transaction may confirm quickly one day and take longer on another, depending on overall network activity.
Factors that affect Bitcoin transaction speed:
Network Congestion: The more transactions waiting in the mempool, the longer the queue.
Transaction Fee: A higher fee increases the priority of the transfer.
Peak Hours: During peak hours, waiting times usually increase.
Why Bitcoin Wallet Transactions Are Often Faster than Exchange Transfers
When you send BTC from a wallet, the transaction is broadcast to the Bitcoin network immediately, without additional delays. On exchanges, Bitcoin withdrawals often go through internal queues, batching (combining multiple transfers into one transaction), and security checks before the transaction is actually broadcast to the network. Because of this, a Bitcoin withdrawal initiated on an exchange may take longer, even if the Bitcoin network is working normally.
With a self-custody wallet such as Gem Wallet, the user has direct control over the Bitcoin transaction. You can choose the fee and confirmation priority yourself, without relying on the service’s decisions. In the Bitcoin Wallet, it is easy to track the transaction status in real time and manage the transfer speed. If a Bitcoin transaction is stuck, our support team helps resolve the issue without bots - real specialists respond.
Sending BTC in Gem Wallet: the user can choose how fast the Bitcoin transaction is confirmed.
How To Check Bitcoin Transaction Status
You can check the status of a BTC transfer using its identifier - TxID. To do this, simply open any blockchain explorer, such as Blockchair, and enter the code in the search field.
You will usually see:
- Current transaction status
- Number of confirmations
- Transaction fee amount
- Time the transaction was included in a block
