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Mercury Retrograde in 2026

Mercury is moving direct right now The next retrograde period begins in 2 months – at and will run for 20 days. Now in Cancer, 29°45′

Mercury runs deadlines, words and travel. When it moves backward, all of it needs a second pass: re-read it, ask again, leave yourself extra time. On average a period lasts 22 days, happens roughly 3,2 times a year.

Retrograde periods Mercury: 2021–2031

Eastern Time, to the minute. "Shadow before" is when the planet first crossed the degree of the coming station; "shadow after" is when it returned direct to where the retrograde began.

2021 the year in detail →

Turns retrograde Turns direct Lasts Signs and shadow Chart of the Sky
26°29′ Aquarius 11°01′ Aquarius 21 days The whole period in Aquarius Shadow: from to
24°43′ Gemini 16°07′ Gemini 24 days The whole period in Gemini Shadow: from to
25°28′ Libra 10°07′ Libra 21 days The whole period in Libra Shadow: from to

2022 the year in detail →

Turns retrograde Turns direct Lasts Signs and shadow Chart of the Sky
10°20′ Aquarius 24°22′ Capricorn 21 days Returns from Aquarius to Capricorn Shadow: from to
4°51′ Gemini 26°05′ Taurus 24 days Returns from Gemini to Taurus Shadow: from to
8°55′ Libra 24°11′ Virgo 22 days Returns from Libra to Virgo Shadow: from to
24°21′ Capricorn 8°08′ Capricorn 20 days The whole period in Capricorn Shadow: from to

2023 the year in detail →

Turns retrograde Turns direct Lasts Signs and shadow Chart of the Sky
15°37′ Taurus 5°50′ Taurus 24 days The whole period in Taurus Shadow: from to
21°51′ Virgo 8°00′ Virgo 23 days The whole period in Virgo Shadow: from to
8°29′ Capricorn 22°10′ Sagittarius 20 days Returns from Capricorn to Sagittarius Shadow: from to

2024 the year in detail →

Turns retrograde Turns direct Lasts Signs and shadow Chart of the Sky
27°13′ Aries 15°58′ Aries 24 days The whole period in Aries Shadow: from to
4°06′ Virgo 21°24′ Leo 24 days Returns from Virgo to Leo Shadow: from to
22°40′ Sagittarius 6°23′ Sagittarius 20 days The whole period in Sagittarius Shadow: from to

2025 the year in detail →

Turns retrograde Turns direct Lasts Signs and shadow Chart of the Sky
9°35′ Aries 26°49′ Pisces 23 days Returns from Aries to Pisces Shadow: from to
15°34′ Leo 4°14′ Leo 24 days The whole period in Leo Shadow: from to
6°51′ Sagittarius 20°42′ Scorpio 20 days Returns from Sagittarius to Scorpio Shadow: from to

2026 the year in detail →

Turns retrograde Turns direct Lasts Signs and shadow Chart of the Sky
22°33′ Pisces 8°29′ Pisces 23 days The whole period in Pisces Shadow: from to
26°15′ Cancer 16°18′ Cancer 24 days The whole period in Cancer Shadow: from to
20°58′ Scorpio 5°02′ Scorpio 20 days The whole period in Scorpio Shadow: from to

2027 the year in detail →

Turns retrograde Turns direct Lasts Signs and shadow Chart of the Sky
5°58′ Pisces 20°55′ Aquarius 22 days Returns from Pisces to Aquarius Shadow: from to
6°21′ Cancer 27°28′ Gemini 24 days Returns from Cancer to Gemini Shadow: from to
4°55′ Scorpio 19°18′ Libra 21 days Returns from Scorpio to Libra Shadow: from to

2028 the year in detail →

Turns retrograde Turns direct Lasts Signs and shadow Chart of the Sky
19°41′ Aquarius 3°59′ Aquarius 21 days The whole period in Aquarius Shadow: from to
16°18′ Gemini 7°45′ Gemini 24 days The whole period in Gemini Shadow: from to
18°35′ Libra 3°28′ Libra 22 days The whole period in Libra Shadow: from to

2029 the year in detail →

Turns retrograde Turns direct Lasts Signs and shadow Chart of the Sky
3°38′ Aquarius 17°32′ Capricorn 20 days Returns from Aquarius to Capricorn Shadow: from to
26°40′ Taurus 17°33′ Taurus 24 days The whole period in Taurus Shadow: from to
1°49′ Libra 17°26′ Virgo 23 days Returns from Libra to Virgo Shadow: from to
17°42′ Capricorn 1°26′ Capricorn 20 days The whole period in Capricorn Shadow: from to

2030 the year in detail →

Turns retrograde Turns direct Lasts Signs and shadow Chart of the Sky
7°47′ Taurus 27°26′ Aries 24 days Returns from Taurus to Aries Shadow: from to
14°29′ Virgo 1°06′ Virgo 23 days The whole period in Virgo Shadow: from to
1°51′ Capricorn 15°33′ Sagittarius 20 days Returns from Capricorn to Sagittarius Shadow: from to

2031 the year in detail →

Turns retrograde Turns direct Lasts Signs and shadow Chart of the Sky
19°44′ Aries 7°50′ Aries 23 days The whole period in Aries Shadow: from to
26°25′ Leo 14°17′ Leo 24 days The whole period in Leo Shadow: from to
16°03′ Sagittarius 29°48′ Scorpio 20 days Returns from Sagittarius to Scorpio Shadow: from to

What to watch for during Mercury retrograde

What tends to help

  • Finish what stalled: drafts, reports, the inbox backlog
  • Go back to the conversation you put off and actually finish it
  • Re-read the contract you signed in a hurry
  • Repair devices and make backups
  • Pick up old contacts – they tend to resurface on their own

Where to leave yourself margin

  • Signing anything important without reading it: re-read even familiar wording
  • Buying electronics you cannot return
  • Assuming your message arrives and lands correctly the first time
  • Planning travel with no slack in the schedule

These are not prohibitions. A retrograde does not cancel your life – it shows you where the wind is behind you and where it is in your face. If something cannot be moved, it can be done with margin: re-read it, ask again, leave an extra day.

Other retrograde planets

Venus is direct now Mars is direct now Jupiter is direct now Saturn ℞ now Uranus is direct now Neptune ℞ now Pluto ℞ now Chiron ℞ now

Mercury Retrograde by year

2020 3 periods 2021 3 periods 2022 4 periods 2023 3 periods 2024 3 periods 2025 3 periods 2026 3 periods 2027 3 periods 2028 3 periods 2029 4 periods
All years Mercury: 1900–2050
1900s
1910s
1920s
1930s
1940s
1950s
1960s
1970s
1980s
1990s
2000s
2010s
2020s
2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 2026 2027 2028 2029
2030s
2030 2031
2040s
2050s

How this is calculated. Our numbers come from the Moira 6.1.0 engine running on NASA JPL DE440 ephemerides, tropical zodiac, Eastern Time, data updated Aug 8, 2026. More on our method →

This section is written by , astrologer at 1001 Horoscopes. Downloading and reuse: astronomical data usage terms.