<p>As nmat said, plus you can be sure you have the entire block chain loaded by checking <a href="http://bitcoinwatch.com/" rel="nofollow">Bitcoin Watch</a> and confirming that you have the same number of blocks it shows as the current block count.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2011-09-03T00:17:48.510Z
2011-09-03T00:17:48.510Z
Joshua Kolden
<p>There are a few things that you should check:</p>

<ul>
<li>Your client is connected (it shows <code>N connections</code> in the status bar). If it doesn't, you have <a href="https://bitcoin.stackexchange.com/questions/464/why-cant-i-get-over-8-connections-on-my-client">connectivity problems</a>.</li>
<li>You have downloaded the whole blockchain (the <code>N blocks</code> in the status bar is not increasing rapidly). You need to wait until you have downloaded all blocks.</li>
<li>Blockexplorer can tell you if the payment has been sent to your address. Just type your address in the <a href="http://blockexplorer.com/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">search box</a>. If it doesn't show up in there, it's because it wasn't sent yet.</li>
</ul>

<p>These websites give very small amounts of money for free so they usually group transactions (instead of making many small ones). You probably need to wait a while before the payment is sent.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2011-09-03T00:12:06.317Z
How do I know all blocks are downloaded?
bastabob
CC BY-SA 3.0
2011-09-03T00:39:26.800Z
@bastabob If you downloaded the whole chain, the number only increases 1 unit every 10 minutes or so. If it is increasing every few seconds, it means that the blockchain isn't fully downloaded yet. You can also go to [blockexplorer](http://blockexplorer.com/) and see if the number of the last block matches the number of downloaded blocks.
nmat
CC BY-SA 3.0
2011-09-02T23:37:43.563Z
2011-09-02T23:37:43.563Z
2017-04-13T12:47:36.707Z
nmat
<p>I've just installed the official bitcoin client for the first time on my PC and have visited a website that gives free bitcoins. I've been waiting for more than an hour, but the amount given to me is still not showing in my bitcoin client. Have I missed anything in setting up and configuring the client software?</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2011-09-02T23:37:44.717Z
This was the first problem I encountered when I was new to bitcoin. I believe it's a pretty common problem for first-time users of the bitcoin client.
bastabob
CC BY-SA 3.0
2011-09-03T00:33:08.997Z
This is the most common question, incidentally. [Answered here](https://en.bitcoin.it/wiki/FAQ#I_sent_some_bitcoins_and_they_haven.27t_arrived_yet.21_Where_are_they.3F).
Stephen Gornick
<client><installation>
Why is my client software not receiving bitcoins?
bastabob
# Why is my client software not receiving bitcoins?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2011-09-02)

I've just installed the official bitcoin client for the first time on my PC and have visited a website that gives free bitcoins. I've been waiting for more than an hour, but the amount given to me is still not showing in my bitcoin client. Have I missed anything in setting up and configuring the client software?

**Tags:** client, installation

> **Comments:**
> **username_0**: This was the first problem I encountered when I was new to bitcoin. I believe it's a pretty common problem for first-time users of the bitcoin client.  
> **username_1**: This is the most common question, incidentally. [Answered here](https://en.bitcoin.it/wiki/FAQ#I_sent_some_bitcoins_and_they_haven.27t_arrived_yet.21_Where_are_they.3F).  

---

## 2 answers

### Answer by username_3 on 2011-09-02. Score: 11 | Accepted answer

There are a few things that you should check:

* Your client is connected (it shows `N connections` in the status bar). If it doesn't, you have [connectivity problems](https://bitcoin.stackexchange.com/questions/464/why-cant-i-get-over-8-connections-on-my-client).
* You have downloaded the whole blockchain (the `N blocks` in the status bar is not increasing rapidly). You need to wait until you have downloaded all blocks.
* Blockexplorer can tell you if the payment has been sent to your address. Just type your address in the [search box](http://blockexplorer.com/). If it doesn't show up in there, it's because it wasn't sent yet.

These websites give very small amounts of money for free so they usually group transactions (instead of making many small ones). You probably need to wait a while before the payment is sent.

> **Comments:**
> **username_0**: How do I know all blocks are downloaded?  
> **username_3**: @username_0 If you downloaded the whole chain, the number only increases 1 unit every 10 minutes or so. If it is increasing every few seconds, it means that the blockchain isn't fully downloaded yet. You can also go to [blockexplorer](http://blockexplorer.com/) and see if the number of the last block matches the number of downloaded blocks.  

---

### Answer by username_2 on 2011-09-03. Score: 0

As username_3 said, plus you can be sure you have the entire block chain loaded by checking [Bitcoin Watch](http://bitcoinwatch.com/) and confirming that you have the same number of blocks it shows as the current block count.


---

