when is mercury retrograde 2026

Mercury retrograde in 2026 occurs three times, a pattern rooted in astrology where the planet appears to reverse course, often linked to communication glitches, travel delays, and rethinking decisions.

Key Dates

These periods span water signs—Pisces, Cancer, and Scorpio—amplifying emotional and intuitive themes, as multiple sources confirm.

Period| Retrograde Start| Retrograde Ends| Zodiac Sign| Notes
---|---|---|---|---
1st| February 26| March 20| Pisces| Pre-shadow from ~Feb 7-11; post-shadow to early April 137
2nd| June 29| July 24 (or 23 in some calcs)| Cancer| Pre-shadow late June; post-shadow early August; echoes 2020/2014 cycles 159
3rd| October 24| November 13| Scorpio| Pre-shadow early Oct; post-shadow late Nov; final retrograde of the year 135

What It Means

Astrologers like those at Vogue and Jessica Adams describe these as times for "re" activities—review, revise, revisit—rather than launching new ventures, with real-world echoes like IT outages (e.g., CrowdStrike in past retrogrades). Communication mix-ups rise, contracts need double-checks, and exes might resurface, but it's ideal for reflection or fixing old projects.

In Pisces (Feb-Mar), intuition heightens but fogs logic; Cancer (Jun-Jul) stirs family/home drama; Scorpio (Oct-Nov) probes secrets and power dynamics. Forums buzz with prep tips: back up data, avoid big buys.

Trending Context

As of early 2026, discussions on sites like Times of India highlight zodiacs like Pisces, Cancer, Scorpio needing extra caution, tying into broader retrograde survival guides. No major discrepancies across sources, though exact minutes vary by timezone (e.g., EST/UT).

TL;DR: Mark Feb 26-Mar 20, Jun 29-Jul 24, Oct 24-Nov 13—plan to pause, reflect, and retry.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.