How to Mine Monero (XMR) in 2027: CPU Mining with XMRig and P2Pool

By the SecureShift Team · Updated November 12, 2026

Monero is one of the last big coins you can still mine on hardware you already own. Bitcoin mining moved to specialised ASIC machines years ago. Monero deliberately went the other way, and that choice is a big part of why its community still includes so many hobby miners.

How Monero mining works

Like Bitcoin, Monero uses proof of work. Miners race to find a valid block, and the winner collects the block reward plus fees. A new block arrives roughly every two minutes, and the reward is currently a fixed 0.6 XMR per block (the "tail emission", which continues indefinitely).

The difference is the algorithm. Since late 2019 Monero has used RandomX, which runs randomly generated programs that lean heavily on a CPU's cache and memory. General-purpose processors are good at that. GPUs and ASICs gain very little, so building specialised hardware isn't worth it. The result is a network where ordinary desktops still matter.

What hardware you need

• CPU: this does all the work. Modern AMD Ryzen chips do especially well thanks to large L3 caches. Ryzen 9 desktop chips can push well into the tens of thousands of hashes per second, while an older quad-core laptop might manage a couple of thousand.
• RAM: RandomX's fast mode needs a bit over 2 GB, plus about 2 MB of cache per mining thread. Running dual-channel memory makes a noticeable difference.
• GPU: not worth it for XMR. Leave it for gaming or mine something else with it.
• Cooling: mining runs your CPU at full load for hours. Good airflow keeps it from throttling and extends its life.

Mining on a laptop is possible but not ideal. They run hot and the battery suffers. If you try it, keep it plugged in and limit the thread count.

Step by step: mining with XMRig

1. Set up a wallet

You need a Monero address to receive rewards. Feather or the official GUI on desktop are good choices. Our list of the best Monero wallets covers the options, and this guide walks you through setup. For P2Pool you'll need your primary address (starts with 4), not a subaddress.

2. Download XMRig

Get it only from the official XMRig GitHub releases page or xmrig.com. Your antivirus will probably flag it. That's because criminals bundle miners into malware, not because XMRig itself is malicious. Add an exception for the folder rather than turning protection off entirely.

3. Pick a pool and configure

Open the config.json file (or use the command line) and set three things: the pool address, your Monero wallet address as the username, and optionally a worker name. Most pools have a config generator on their website that fills this in for you.

4. Enable huge pages

Run XMRig as administrator once on Windows, or set up huge pages on Linux. This alone can boost your hashrate by 20 to 30%. XMRig will tell you in its startup log whether it worked.

5. Start mining and check the dashboard

Launch XMRig. Within a minute you should see "accepted" shares in the log. Look up your address on the pool's website to track your hashrate and pending balance.

Solo, pool or P2Pool?

P2Pool is worth a special mention. It's a decentralised pool that runs alongside your own Monero node, so there's no operator holding your rewards and no one who can censor transactions. Payouts go straight from the block to your wallet. Small miners should use P2Pool "mini" or "nano" so they find shares often enough. The Monero GUI even has a built-in P2Pool option, and Gupax bundles everything into a simple app.

Why it matters: in August 2025 the Qubic project directed a large slice of hashrate at Monero and briefly caused chain reorganisations. The more hashrate sits with independent home miners on P2Pool, the harder that kind of event becomes. Mining Monero from home genuinely helps the network.

Is it profitable?

Do the maths before you leave a PC running 24/7. Plug your CPU's hashrate, its power draw in watts and your electricity price into a Monero mining calculator. As a rough guide, a modern desktop drawing 150 to 200 W runs up 100 to 150 kWh a month. At €0.30 per kWh that's €30 to €45 in electricity, which can easily exceed what you earn.

Mining tends to make sense when:

• your power is cheap, free or solar-powered,
• you'd be heating the room in winter anyway, or
• you value earning XMR without KYC more than the euro return.

If the numbers don't work, swapping is often cheaper than mining your way into Monero. You can convert BTC, ETH or USDT to XMR in minutes. See how to buy Monero without KYC.

Tips from people who've done it

• Leave one or two threads free if you use the PC while mining. You lose a bit of hashrate but the machine stays usable.
• Check CPU temperatures in the first hour. Anything consistently above 85 to 90°C is worth fixing.
• Never install a "Monero miner" from a random link or Telegram group. Fake miners that send rewards to someone else are common.
• Write down the date you started. Mining income is taxable in many countries.

FAQ

Can I mine Monero on my phone?

Technically yes, but the hashrate is tiny and it wears out the battery and heats the phone. Not recommended.

How much Monero can I mine a day?

It depends on your hashrate versus the whole network's. A typical home desktop earns a very small fraction of an XMR per day. Use a calculator with your exact CPU numbers.

Is Monero mining legal?

Mining on your own hardware is legal in most countries. Mining on hardware you don't own, such as an employer's computers, without permission is not.

Can I mine Monero with a GPU?

You can, but RandomX is CPU-optimised, so GPUs earn far less per watt. Most GPU owners mine other coins.

What is the best Monero mining software?

XMRig is the standard. Gupax is a beginner-friendly app that bundles XMRig with P2Pool and a Monero node.