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Bitcoin glossary

UTXO

Unspent Transaction Output — the actual form bitcoin takes on the blockchain.

A UTXO (Unspent Transaction Output) is how bitcoin actually exists on-chain: not as account balances, but as discrete outputs of past transactions that have not yet been spent. Your wallet balance is the sum of the UTXOs your keys can unlock; sending bitcoin consumes UTXOs and creates new ones, like paying with bills and receiving change.

The model matters practically: many small UTXOs cost more in fees to spend later, which is why experienced users consolidate them when fees are low.

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