<p>The points mentioned in <a href="https://bitcoin.stackexchange.com/a/2800/575">this answer</a> apply here. The key points are:</p>

<ol>
<li><p>End users won't be expected to run full nodes such as bitcoin-qt, but rather lightweight clients such as Multibit or Electrum.</p></li>
<li><p>Not all Bitcoin <em>payments</em> need to take the form of Bitcoin <em>transactions</em>; most will probably take some form of <a href="https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=91732.0" rel="nofollow noreferrer">trustless, instant, off-the-chain Bitcoin payments</a></p></li>
</ol>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2013-07-12T10:31:15.497Z
2013-07-12T10:31:15.497Z
2017-04-13T12:47:34.187Z
Meni Rosenfeld
<p>I'm using Bitcoin-qt on Mac and it's been a few weeks since I last fired it up, so it's doing a sync. I've waited a few hours now, despite being on powerful hardware and a fibre connection to the web.</p>

<p>If I understand it correctly, the sync involves some processing for every Bitcoin transaction performed globally. In the bright future of Bitcoin, when people are buying Mars bars with them, won't the sync be prohibitively slow due to sheer volume?</p>

<p>Or are we hoping Moore's law will offset this growth?</p>

<bitcoin-core><synchronization>
Will my bitcoin wallet take prohibitively long to sync as daily transaction volumes grow?
Chris Beach
# Will my bitcoin wallet take prohibitively long to sync as daily transaction volumes grow?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2013-07-12)

I'm using Bitcoin-qt on Mac and it's been a few weeks since I last fired it up, so it's doing a sync. I've waited a few hours now, despite being on powerful hardware and a fibre connection to the web.

If I understand it correctly, the sync involves some processing for every Bitcoin transaction performed globally. In the bright future of Bitcoin, when people are buying Mars bars with them, won't the sync be prohibitively slow due to sheer volume?

Or are we hoping Moore's law will offset this growth?

**Tags:** bitcoin-core, synchronization


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## 1 answers

### Answer by username_1 on 2013-07-12. Score: 3 | Accepted answer

The points mentioned in [this answer](https://bitcoin.stackexchange.com/a/2800/575) apply here. The key points are:

1. End users won't be expected to run full nodes such as bitcoin-qt, but rather lightweight clients such as Multibit or Electrum.
2. Not all Bitcoin *payments* need to take the form of Bitcoin *transactions*; most will probably take some form of [trustless, instant, off-the-chain Bitcoin payments](https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=91732.0)


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