Start Mining Monero (XMR) on Windows, Mac, and Linux

Monero (XMR) is a decentralized, private, and secure cryptocurrency that aims to protect the privacy and anonymity of its users. Unlike many other cryptocurrencies, Monero transactions are not traceable by anyone, thanks to its advanced cryptographic techniques. Monero also has a dynamic block size and fee system, which makes it more scalable and adaptable to changing market conditions.

If you are interested in mining Monero, you will need a few things: a computer with a CPU or GPU, an internet connection, and a Monero wallet. In this post, we will guide you through the steps of setting up a Monero Miner on Windows, Mac, and Linux platforms.

Start Mining Monero (XMR)

Step 1: Download a Monero Wallet

Before you start mining, you will need a Monero wallet to store your earned coins. There are several options available, but we recommend using the official GUI or CLI wallet from the Monero website. You can also use a web-based or mobile wallet, but be aware of the security and privacy risks involved.

To download the official wallet, go to https://www.getmonero.org/downloads/ and choose the version that matches your operating system. Follow the instructions on the website to install and run the wallet. You will need to create a new account and write down your mnemonic seed phrase, which is a set of 25 words that can restore your wallet if you lose access to it. You will also need to sync your wallet with the Monero network, which may take some time depending on your internet speed.

Step 2: Choose a Mining Software

Next, you will need a mining software that can connect your computer to the Monero network and use its resources to solve complex mathematical problems. There are many mining software available for different platforms and hardware, but we will list some of the most popular ones below:

• XMRig: This is an open-source and cross-platform miner that supports CPU, GPU, and even FPGA mining. It has a high performance and supports various mining algorithms and protocols. You can download it from https://github.com/xmrig/xmrig/releases.
• XMR-Stak: This is another open-source and cross-platform miner that supports CPU and GPU mining. It has a simple interface and allows you to easily configure your mining settings. You can download it from https://github.com/fireice-uk/xmr-stak/releases.
• SRBMiner-Multi: This is a Windows-only miner that supports CPU and GPU mining. It has a user-friendly interface and supports multiple coins and algorithms. You can download it from https://www.srbminer.com/download.html.

Step 3: Choose a Mining Pool

Mining Monero solo is not recommended, as it requires a lot of computing power and luck to find a block. Instead, you can join a mining pool, which is a group of miners who share their resources and rewards. By joining a pool, you can increase your chances of earning consistent and regular payouts.

There are many mining pools available for Monero, but you should choose one that has low fees, high uptime, good support, and fair payment schemes. Some of the most popular ones are:

• MoneroOcean: This is one of the largest and oldest Monero pools, with over 10% of the network hash rate. It supports multiple mining algorithms and pays you in XMR based on your weighted average performance. It has a 0% fee and a minimum payout of 0.003 XMR. You can join it at https://moneroocean.stream/.
• MineXMR: This is another large and reliable Monero pool, with over 9% of the network hash rate. It supports only the RandomX algorithm and pays you in XMR based on your proportional share of the pool’s work. It has a 1% fee and a minimum payout of 0.004 XMR. You can join it at https://minexmr.com/.
• SupportXMR: This is a medium-sized and community-driven Monero pool, with over 5% of the network hash rate. It supports only the RandomX algorithm and pays you in XMR based on your proportional share of the pool’s work. It has a 0.6% fee and a minimum payout of 0.001 XMR. You can join it at https://supportxmr.com/.

Step 4: Configure Your Miner

Once you have chosen your mining software and pool, you will need to configure your miner to connect to them.

The config file is a JSON file that contains various settings for XMR Miner, such as pool address, wallet address, mining intensity, hardware configuration and more. You can edit the config file with any text editor, such as Notepad or Nano. The config file is usually located in the same folder as the XMR Miner executable file, and has a name like config.json or config.txt.

To configure XMR Miner config file, you need to follow these steps:

1. Open the config file with your text editor of choice.
2. Find the “pool_list” section and enter the pool address and port number that you want to mine on. You can use one of the official pools or any other pool that supports Monero mining. For example:

"pool_list" : [
{"pool_address" : "pool.supportxmr.com:3333", "wallet_address" : "YOUR_WALLET_ADDRESS", "rig_id" : "", "pool_password" : "x", "use_nicehash" : false, "use_tls" : false, "tls_fingerprint" : "", "pool_weight" : 1 },
],

3. Replace YOUR_WALLET_ADDRESS with your Monero wallet address. You can use any Monero wallet that supports receiving payments from mining pools, such as the official GUI wallet or a web wallet like MyMonero. Make sure you use a valid address that belongs to you and not someone else’s.
4. Optionally, you can change the “rig_id” and “pool_password” fields to identify your miner and set a password for your pool account. You can also enable “use_nicehash” and “use_tls” if your pool supports them. For more details on these options, please refer to the XMR Miner documentation.
5. Find the “currency” section and set it to “monero”. This tells XMR Miner to use the CryptoNight algorithm for Monero mining. For example:

"currency" : "monero",

6. Find the “cpu_threads_conf” section and enter the number of CPU threads that you want to use for mining. You can use the auto-configuration option by setting it to null, or manually specify the number of threads and their affinity. For example:

"cpu_threads_conf" : null,

or

"cpu_threads_conf" : [
{ "low_power_mode" : false, "no_prefetch" : true, "affine_to_cpu" : 0 },
{ "low_power_mode" : false, "no_prefetch" : true, "affine_to_cpu" : 1 },
],

7. If you have a GPU and want to use it for mining, find the “opencl_device_list” section and enter the index of your GPU device. You can use the auto-configuration option by setting it to null, or manually specify the device index. For example:

"opencl_device_list" : null,

or

"opencl_device_list" : [0],

8. Save the config file and close your text editor.
9. Run XMR Miner by double-clicking on the executable file or using a command line.

Step 5: Monitor Miner Status

XMRig Dashboard is a web-based interface that displays various statistics about your XMRig miner, such as hashrate, temperature, power consumption, shares, and errors. You can also control your miner remotely by changing the configuration or stopping and restarting the mining process.

To use XMRig Dashboard, you need to have XMRig installed and running on your computer or server. You also need to enable the API option in the XMRig config file or command line. The API option allows XMRig Dashboard to communicate with your miner and access the data.

Once you have enabled the API option, you can visit the XMRig Dashboard website and enter your miner’s IP address and port number. You will then see a dashboard with various charts and tables that show your miner’s status and performance. You can also use the buttons on the top right corner to control your miner.

XMRig Dashboard is a handy tool for monitoring your XMR miner status and performance. It can help you optimize your mining settings and troubleshoot any issues that might arise. You can also use it to manage multiple miners from one place. If you are interested in trying out XMRig Dashboard, you can visit their GitHub page for more information and instructions.

Step 6: Check Mining Result

Visit the mining pool website and enter your XMR wallet address in the search box. You will see your mining result, such as your hashrate, balance, and payments.

If you are mining Monero (XMR) with the SupportXMR pool, you might want to check your mining result from time to time. Here is a simple example of how to do that.

1. Need to know your wallet address and your worker name. You can find them in your miner configuration file or on the SupportXMR website.
2. Visit the SupportXMR dashboard and enter your wallet address in the search box. You will see a summary of your mining statistics, such as your current hashrate, balance, and payments.
3. Click on the “Workers” tab and find your worker name in the list. You will see more details about your worker performance, such as its difficulty, shares, and errors.

That’s it! Happy mining!