The length of a papal conclave varies widely, with no formal time limit set. The conclave lasts until a candidate receives a two-thirds-plus-one majority of votes from the cardinal electors. Typical Duration Today:

• Modern conclaves usually last between two to three days.
• For example, the election of Pope Francis in 2013 took two days and five ballots.
• The last three popes were elected within two or three days, with multiple ballots per day after the first day

Historical Extremes:

• The shortest conclave on record lasted about 10 hours in 1503.
• The longest conclave in history took nearly three years (1,006 days) from 1268 to 1271 to elect Pope Gregory X. This marathon conclave gave the name "conclave," meaning "under lock and key," because the cardinals were literally locked in by local authorities to force a decision

Other Notable Points:

• The last conclave to last more than five days was in 1831, which lasted 54 days.
• If no pope is elected after three days of voting, the process may pause for a day to allow prayer and discussion before resuming

In summary, while modern conclaves typically last a few days, the process can theoretically continue indefinitely until a new pope is chosen. Historically, conclaves have ranged from hours to years in length.