How to Convert Bitcoin to Monero (BTC to XMR): Step-by-Step Guide

To convert Bitcoin to Monero, open a BTC to XMR order, paste a Monero address from a wallet you control, choose a fixed or floating rate, and send BTC to the one-time deposit address shown for your order. Most exchanges take 5–30 minutes, and the XMR you receive becomes spendable after 10 confirmations, roughly 20 minutes. No account or sign-up is required.

The steps are simple, but a few details decide whether the swap goes smoothly: the Monero address you paste, the Bitcoin fee you set, and the rate type you pick. This guide covers each one, plus the mistakes that most often delay a BTC to XMR swap.

What you need before you convert Bitcoin to Monero

Have these ready before you open the order form, especially if you plan to use a fixed rate with a countdown.

• BTC in a wallet you can send from. A personal wallet gives you full control over the amount and the fee. If you withdraw from a platform account instead, note any withdrawal fee it deducts.
• A Monero wallet with its seed backed up. The official GUI and CLI wallets are listed on the getmonero.org downloads page, together with hashes you can use to verify the files.
• A fresh Monero subaddress. Step 1 explains why and how.
• Enough BTC for the network fee. Your wallet's fee for the deposit is paid on top of the amount you swap.

Step 1: Prepare your Monero wallet and a subaddress

Monero addresses look nothing like Bitcoin addresses. Standard Monero addresses start with 4 and subaddresses start with 8, and both are 95 characters long, so never type them by hand.

A subaddress is an extra receiving address generated from the same wallet and seed. Funds sent to any subaddress appear in the same balance, but an outside observer cannot tell that two subaddresses belong to one wallet. Using a new one for each swap keeps incoming payments separate and makes it easy to see which payment came from which order.

Before you continue:

1. Create a new subaddress on your wallet's receive screen and give it a label, such as "BTC swap".
2. Make sure the wallet has finished syncing, so it can detect the incoming XMR.
3. Check that your seed phrase is written down offline. If the device fails, the seed is the only way back to your funds.

For background on the network itself, see our Monero coin page.

Step 2: Choose a fixed or floating rate

You can pick one of two rate types for BTC to XMR. The choice matters more than usual here, because a Bitcoin deposit can take a while to confirm.

• Fixed rate: locks the amount while the countdown runs, if you send exactly the quoted amount on the quoted network. Useful when you want to know the XMR amount in advance.
• Floating rate: the final amount is set when your deposit is confirmed. The estimate can move up or down while you wait.

Bitcoin blocks arrive roughly every ten minutes on average, and the gap between blocks varies. A deposit sent with a low fee may also wait several blocks for its first confirmation, and the market keeps moving in the meantime.

If the exact XMR amount matters to you, a fixed rate removes that uncertainty, provided your transaction is detected before the countdown ends. Our guide to floating vs fixed rate explains the trade-off in more detail.

Step 3: Create your BTC to XMR order

1. Open the BTC to XMR swap page.
2. Enter the amount of BTC you want to send and review the XMR estimate.
3. Select a fixed or floating rate.
4. Paste your Monero subaddress into the payout field, then compare the first and last several characters with your wallet.
5. Add a Bitcoin refund address if the form asks for one, so any refund goes back to a wallet you control.
6. Confirm the order. You receive a one-time deposit address for this order only.

As for costs, the XMR estimate already accounts for them: our service fee is up to 0.4% and already included in the rate, and there are no additional fees. The payout network fee is included in the estimate, while your own wallet's network fee for the Bitcoin deposit is extra.

Step 4: Send BTC to the deposit address

Copy the deposit address from the order page and paste it into your wallet. Bitcoin addresses usually start with bc1, 1 or 3. Before you approve the transaction, check that the address on your wallet's confirmation screen matches the order page.

A few Bitcoin-specific points:

• Set a normal fee or higher. A very low fee can leave the transaction unconfirmed for a long time. On a fixed-rate order, the countdown may end before the deposit is detected.
• Send the full amount in one transaction. Split deposits are harder to match and break a fixed quote.
• Add the fee on top, do not deduct it. Some wallets and platforms subtract the fee from the amount you enter, so fewer BTC arrive than quoted.
• Use an on-chain transaction. The deposit address is a regular Bitcoin address, so send from the on-chain part of your wallet rather than as a Lightning payment.

More about the network is on our Bitcoin coin page.

Step 5: Track the order and wait for your XMR

After you send, the order moves through a sequence of statuses: waiting for the deposit, confirming, exchanging and sending. The order statuses guide explains each one. Most exchanges take 5–30 minutes in total, and the Bitcoin confirmation is usually the longest part.

Bitcoin transactions do not become irreversible immediately. As the Bitcoin project explains in its notes for new users, each additional confirmation makes a transaction harder to reverse, which is why the deposit has to confirm before the swap can proceed.

When the XMR is sent, your wallet usually shows the incoming amount as locked. Received XMR becomes spendable after 10 confirmations, around 20 minutes, because Monero produces a block roughly every two minutes. The lock is a protocol rule that applies to every incoming Monero transfer, not a hold placed by the exchange.

Keep your order ID and your Bitcoin transaction hash until the XMR is spendable. Support needs both to locate the order quickly if anything looks stuck.

Standard swap or Private Swap for BTC to XMR

BTC to XMR is available both as a standard swap and as a Private Swap.

• Standard swap: one liquidity partner processes the order from BTC deposit to XMR payout. It is faster and has a lower minimum.
• Private Swap: the order is routed through two independent exchanges with an intermediate asset, so neither exchange receives both your Bitcoin deposit address and your Monero payout address. Funds are never pooled, and it is not a mixer.

A Private Swap does not change what the Bitcoin blockchain records: your BTC deposit is public like any other Bitcoin transaction. It also takes longer and has a higher minimum.

On either route, KYC is not required for most swaps, but our liquidity partners may request verification, for example if a deposit is flagged by risk screening or for residents of certain jurisdictions.

Common BTC to XMR swap mistakes

• Pasting a Bitcoin address into the payout field. The payout must go to a Monero address starting with 4 or 8.
• Setting a low Bitcoin fee on a fixed rate. If the deposit is not detected before the countdown ends, the fixed quote may no longer apply.
• Letting the wallet deduct the fee. Fewer BTC arrive than quoted, which breaks a fixed-rate lock.
• Paying out to a platform account. If the XMR goes to an account on another service, you depend on that service crediting it correctly. A wallet you control is simpler.
• Reusing an old deposit address. Each order has its own one-time deposit address. For a second swap, create a new order.
• Assuming locked XMR is missing. Funds shown as locked during the first 10 confirmations are normal, so allow about 20 minutes before contacting support.

FAQ

How long does it take to convert Bitcoin to Monero?

Most exchanges take 5–30 minutes, depending mainly on how quickly the Bitcoin deposit confirms. Once the XMR arrives, it becomes spendable after 10 confirmations, roughly 20 minutes. A Private Swap takes longer.

Can I use a Monero subaddress to receive XMR?

Yes. Subaddresses start with 8 and receive XMR into the same wallet as your standard address. Using a new subaddress for each swap is a good habit.

What fees apply to a BTC to XMR swap?

Our service fee is up to 0.4% and already included in the rate, with no additional fees. The payout network fee is included in the estimate, while your wallet's Bitcoin network fee for the deposit is extra. The fees page has the full breakdown.

Do I need an account to swap BTC to XMR?

No account or sign-up is required. You enter your Monero address, send BTC to the one-time deposit address, and the XMR is paid straight to your wallet.

What if my Bitcoin deposit stays unconfirmed?

Keep the transaction hash and watch the order status. If your wallet supports raising the fee (Replace-By-Fee), that can help the transaction confirm sooner. Do not send BTC a second time; if the fixed-rate countdown has ended, contact support with your order ID.

Conclusion

Converting Bitcoin to Monero comes down to three checks: a fresh subaddress from a Monero wallet you control, a Bitcoin fee high enough to confirm promptly, and the rate type that fits your situation. When you are ready, open the BTC to XMR swap page and review the estimate before you send.