Bitcoin mining difficulty falls 9.13%, the largest cut since June
The cut at block 975,744 was bigger than the 8.2% estimate a day earlier and undoes most of October's two increases.
Bitcoin's mining difficulty fell 9.13% at block 975,744, mined at 05:02 UTC on November 14, according to mempool.space. That was 12:02 a.m. ET on Saturday. Difficulty dropped from 148.36 trillion to 134.82 trillion.
Difficulty sets how hard it is to find a new block. The network resets it every 2,016 blocks, roughly every two weeks, so that blocks keep arriving about every 10 minutes. When computing power leaves the network, blocks slow down and the next reset makes mining easier.
Bigger than expected
On the morning of November 13, mempool.space estimated a cut of about 8.2%, as Orange Wire reported. The final figure grew because the last blocks before the reset also came in slowly. Bloomingbit, citing the Chinese outlet Odaily, reported the same 9.13% fall to 134.82 trillion.
It is the largest cut since June 14, 2026, when difficulty fell about 10.1%. That June cut and an 11.2% drop on February 7 are the only bigger ones this year, according to mempool.space's adjustment history.
October's rises mostly reversed
Difficulty rose 5.92% on October 16 and 5.54% on October 29, mempool.space data shows. The new level is a little above the 132.72 trillion set on October 3. It is 13.6% below the record of 155.97 trillion set on October 29, 2025.
The cut follows a fall in bitcoin's price. Bitstamp's daily close dropped from $73,698 on November 10 to $68,226 on November 13. On November 14, bitcoin touched $66,397 on Bitstamp, its lowest price since August 19. Miners earn new bitcoin and fees for each block, so a lower price cuts their income. The least efficient machines are usually switched off first.
What comes next
At 12:04 UTC on November 14, mempool.space estimated another cut of about 5.8% at block 977,760, expected around November 29. With 1,971 blocks still to go, that early estimate can change a lot.
The reset was also the planned start of a new test network. Bitcoin developer Anthony Towns planned to begin testnet5 once the main network reached block 975,744, Bitcoin Optech reported.
Difficulty is how bitcoin keeps its 10-minute rhythm when miners come and go. A cut this size means a lot of computing power has left, which usually happens when miners' income falls. For miners still running, the same machines now earn about 10% more bitcoin each day, and blocks should return closer to every 10 minutes.
Sources (7)
- mempool.space: Difficulty adjustments (API)
- mempool.space: Next difficulty adjustment estimate (API)
- mempool.space: Hashrate and difficulty chart
- Bloomingbit: Bitcoin Mining Difficulty Falls 9.13%, Biggest Drop Since June
- Bitstamp: BTC/USD daily OHLC data
- Bitcoin Optech Newsletter #431, November 13, 2026
- Orange Wire: Bitcoin mining difficulty is set for an 8% cut, the largest since June
Not financial advice. How we report and check stories.
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