Can I set the XMRig donate level to 0?

You cannot turn off donations by setting donate-level to 0 in a standard official XMRig build. Official builds enforce a minimum donation level of 1%; to remove it, you need to change the source code and compile your own version of the program.

What happens if you enter 0?

XMRig’s donation level controls the percentage of mining time it gives to the XMRig developers. In the standard official build, the default and minimum are both 1%.

You might try this in your configuration file:

"donate-level": 0

Or use this command-line option:

--donate-level=0

Neither overrides the official build’s minimum. A zero value does not switch donations off; the program still uses its built-in donation setting. The exact handling of an out-of-range value can depend on your version, so do not assume that an accepted configuration file means your requested value took effect.

At 1%, the donation amounts to roughly 36 seconds of mining time per hour on average. That is a time equivalent, not a promise about exactly when donation sessions run.

What the donation actually costs you

During donation periods, XMRig temporarily directs mining work toward supporting its developers rather than your usual mining destination.

It does not take 1% out of your wallet or withdraw coins you already hold. You do not need to give XMRig your wallet’s spending keys or recovery phrase.

Keep these separate:

• XMRig donation: A share of the program’s mining time.
• Pool fee: A charge from a mining pool, which combines miners’ work and distributes rewards.
• Electricity cost: What you pay to run your hardware.

Removing the XMRig donation would not remove your pool’s fee or your electricity bill. It also would not guarantee a precisely 1% increase in payouts, because mining results and pool payment methods vary.

How a genuine zero-donation build works

XMRig is open-source software, meaning you can inspect and modify its program code. Its license allows you to make your own modified build.

In the official source tree, donation defaults and minimums are defined in src/donate.h. To make a zero-donation build, you would generally:

• Get the official source code for your chosen release.
• Set the default and minimum donation constants to zero.
• Compile it—turn the source code into a runnable program—using that release’s build instructions.
• Check the resulting program’s startup output and behavior.

Follow the license requirements if you redistribute a modified version.

Be cautious with downloadable “no donation” builds from strangers. A small potential saving is not worth running a program that could steal data or secretly redirect your mining.

The bottom line

For an official, unmodified XMRig download, donate-level: 0 is not an off switch: the minimum is 1%. If you want zero donations, build a modified version from trusted source code rather than relying on a configuration trick or an unknown download.