How to Mine Monero: A Practical Guide That Doesn't Waste Your Time

Here's exactly what you need to know to get started. No hype, no noise.

Why Monero?

Private by default
ASIC-resistant via RandomX algorithm
Mineable with regular CPUs
Active development and real use cases

If you want a coin with staying power that doesn't rely on specialized gear or centralized mining pools, XMR is one of the few options left.

Step 1: Get a Monero Wallet

Before you start mining, you need a wallet to receive payouts. You have two solid options:

Monero GUI Wallet (Official) — Full node, full control
Feather Wallet — Lightweight and beginner-friendly

Download, set it up, and copy your XMR receiving address. You'll need it in the next step.

Step 2: Choose Your Mining Software

You don't need a rig. A decent CPU will do. The most popular miner is:

XMRig — Open source, reliable, highly customizable

Download from: https://github.com/xmrig/xmrig/releases

Make sure you download from the official repo, not a sketchy fork. Choose the version for your OS (Windows, Linux, macOS).

Step 3: Join a Mining Pool

You can solo mine, but unless you have industrial-level CPU resources, you'll never see a payout. Join a pool instead:

Popular options:

Pick one with low latency near your location. Pools let you get steady, smaller payouts instead of waiting months.

Step 4: Configure XMRig

Once you unzip XMRig, you'll need to configure the config.json file or use the wizard:

Run xmrig.exe --help (or use their config wizard)
Enter:
- Pool URL (from step 3)
- Your XMR wallet address
- Worker name (optional)
Save the config and launch the miner

You should now see hashrate, accepted shares, and a connection to the pool.

Step 5: Monitor and Optimize

Watch CPU temps — don't fry your machine
Use --threads and --cpu-priority flags to fine-tune usage
Background mining is possible, but don't expect major profits unless you scale

Mining Monero isn't going to make you rich overnight. But it's one of the most accessible ways to support a privacy-focused network — and earn passive XMR with hardware you already have.

Quick Checklist

✅ Wallet set up
✅ XMRig downloaded and configured
✅ Connected to a reliable pool
✅ Mining started
✅ Monitoring hashrate and payouts