How long is the unlock time for newly mined Monero?

Newly mined Monero is locked for 60 blocks, which takes roughly 2 hours at Monero’s average block time of 2 minutes. That is an estimate, not a countdown: your mining reward becomes spendable when enough blocks have been added to the blockchain.

Why the wait is measured in blocks

A block is a batch of transactions added to Monero’s shared transaction record, called the blockchain. Monero aims to produce one block about every 2 minutes, but individual blocks can arrive sooner or later.

For a newly mined reward, the rough calculation is:

• 60 blocks × 2 minutes = 120 minutes
• 120 minutes = about 2 hours

Your actual wait can be shorter or longer. Leaving your wallet open, restarting your miner, or changing your wallet settings cannot speed it up. The unlock rule is enforced by the Monero network, not by your wallet or mining website.

The waiting period also gives the network time to settle on its accepted chain of blocks before a new mining reward can move.

When your unlock period starts

The wait begins with the block that creates the mining reward. It does not begin when you start mining, reach a website’s withdrawal threshold, or open your wallet.

If you mine directly and find an accepted block, its reward must mature through the 60-block waiting period. While it is locked, your wallet may show the reward in your total balance without including it in your unlocked or available balance.

Those labels matter:

• Total balance can include coins you cannot spend yet.
• Unlocked balance is the amount available to send.

Mining rewards unlock separately. If you receive several direct mining rewards at different times, each has its own waiting period. You do not need to stop mining for earlier rewards to unlock.

Why a pool payout may be different

If you mine through a pool or browser-mining service, you may not receive a newly created mining reward directly. Instead, the operator may send you an ordinary payment from its wallet.

That difference changes which waiting period applies:

• Direct mining reward: The 60-block maturity rule applies.
• Ordinary pool or service payment: Normal received funds generally need 10 confirmations, or roughly 20 minutes, before becoming spendable in your wallet. A confirmation means a transaction has been included in a block and the chain has continued to grow.
• P2Pool payout: P2Pool, a decentralized mining pool, pays you directly through the mining reward, so the 60-block rule applies.

A service may also have a minimum payout amount or a payment schedule. Those are separate delays, not part of Monero’s mining-reward unlock time. A balance displayed on a website is not necessarily a payment already sent to your wallet.

The bottom line

For newly mined Monero received directly as a mining reward, expect a 60-block wait—about 2 hours—before you can spend or send it. Check your wallet’s unlocked balance rather than relying only on elapsed time.

If you are waiting for a browser-mining or pool payout, first check whether the service has actually sent it and whether it is a direct mining reward or an ordinary transfer. No legitimate service can bypass Monero’s unlock rule by charging you an extra “unlock fee.”