What is a Monero wallet address and where do I find mine?

A Monero wallet address is the public receiving address you give someone so they can send you XMR, Monero’s currency. You also use it to receive mining payouts. You’ll usually find yours by opening your Monero wallet and choosing Receive, then copying the address shown there.

What your address does

Think of your wallet address as a delivery address for your XMR. It tells the sender where to pay you, but it does not give them control of your wallet.

Your address is a long string of letters and numbers. For ordinary Monero use, you’ll commonly see:

• A primary address: Your wallet’s main receiving address. It has 95 characters and starts with 4.
• A subaddress: An extra receiving address created inside the same wallet. It also has 95 characters, but starts with 8. You can make separate subaddresses for different people or services.

Both receive XMR into your wallet. Using a separate subaddress for mining helps you keep your incoming payments organized and avoids sharing the same address everywhere.

Monero also has longer integrated addresses, which include a payment identifier. These are less common. Don’t shorten or edit an address if your wallet or receiving service gives you one.

Where to find yours

If you already have a Monero wallet app:

1. Open the wallet and unlock it.
2. Select the account you want to receive funds into, if your wallet offers multiple accounts.
3. Open Receive. Some apps use a label such as Addresses instead.
4. Select your primary address or create a subaddress.
5. Use the Copy address button.

You may also see a QR code. This is a scannable version of your receiving details, useful when someone sends XMR from a phone.

If your XMR is held on an exchange, look under Deposit, choose Monero (XMR), and follow its instructions. An exchange deposit address belongs to a wallet the exchange controls, not one you control yourself. Check that XMR deposits are available before using it.

If you have never created a Monero wallet, you do not yet have a personal wallet address. You’ll need to set up a reputable Monero-compatible wallet first.

Which address to use for mining

For mining payouts, copy a receiving address from a wallet you control into the mining service’s payout address or wallet address field.

A mining pool—a service that combines miners’ work and shares rewards—may have specific address requirements. Check whether it accepts subaddresses before using one. Avoid sending mining payouts directly to an exchange unless the exchange explicitly supports them.

A mining website account is not necessarily a Monero wallet. A displayed mining balance may simply mean the service owes you XMR; it does not mean the coins have reached your wallet.

Keep the address separate from your secrets

You can share your receiving address to get paid. Someone who knows it cannot spend your XMR or simply look up your balance on Monero’s public blockchain.

However, never share your recovery phrase or private keys. Your recovery phrase is the set of secret words used to restore your wallet. A mining service needs your payout address, not those secrets.

After pasting an address, compare it with the original. Malicious software can replace copied addresses, and confirmed payments generally cannot be reversed.

The bottom line

Open your Monero wallet’s Receive screen and copy your address. Use that for payouts, check it carefully, and keep your wallet’s recovery words private.