v1.9
- Preface
- Welcome
- Create a Wallet
- Synchronization
- Monero Account
- Send Monero
- Receive Monero
- Transactions History
- Advanced Features
- Settings
- Binaries Verification
- About remote nodes
- Common issues and solutions
This guide is open source and maintained by ErCiccione, of the Monero community. If you have suggestions or wish to contribute to the development of this guide, feel free to open Pull Requests or Issues on the GitHub repository where this document is maintained: github.com/monero-ecosystem/monero-GUI-guide.
For the online version of this guide, click here
This document will be localized into several languages. You will find all available translations in the dedicated section on GitHub after the next version (1.6) of this guide will be released.
If you are on Windows:
- Make sure that your antivirus does not block the program.
A miner is included in the Monero GUI software and, as a result, most anti virus software flags the Monero GUI files as malware and subsequently quarantines them. Fortunately, however, there's a fairly trivial work around you can use. That is:
-
Create a new directory / folder.
-
Open your AV software.
-
Add an exception for the newly created directory / folder. Put differently, you have to whitelist the newly created directory / folder.
-
Extract the .zip file (in case of Windows) or the .tar.bz2 file (in case of Linux or Mac OS X) to the whitelisted directory / folder.
Note: if you're using Windows and did not install custom anti virus software, Windows Defender is, most likely, acting as active anti virus software.
-
The first time you start the wallet you must give permission to connect to the network via a pop-up. Check the appropriate boxes and click
Allow access.
Some shortcuts are available to make the user experience with the GUI easier:
On all operating systems:
Press Ctrl to view each page shortcut. Press ctrl+"shortcut" to go
to that page
On Linux/Windows:
ctrl + tab -> go to the next page
ctrl + shift + tab -> go to the previous page
On macOS:
cmd + tab -> go to the next page
cmd + shift + tab -> go to the previous page
Extract the package and click on monero-wallet-gui. The following
window should open:
Welcome to Monero GUI Wallet.
(1) Language: Click here to open a list of available languages.
Select your desired language from the list.
(2) Continue: Click here to continue to the next screen.
If Monero GUI isn't displaying graphics correctly, you can try starting
it in low graphics mode. If you're using Windows, please open
start-low-graphics-mode.bat file located in your Monero GUI folder.
You can find it in C:\Program Files\Monero GUI Wallet or you can find
a shortcut for it in Start Menu > Monero GUI Wallet > Utilities. If
you're using Linux, please try using the command
QMLSCENE_DEVICE=softwarecontext ./monero-wallet-gui. Most macOS users
shouldn't have graphic problems with Monero GUI, since it comes with
OpenGL installed.
You'll see a list of available languages, click on the one of your choice to change it and continue from the welcome screen. Note: You will be able to change the language later by clicking on the flag in the upper-left corner.
(1) Close: Cancel and return to the previous screen.
This page lets you choose the mode that best suits your accessibility
and privacy needs.
Note: Stagenet and Testnnet only supports Advanced mode.
(1) Simple mode: In this mode your wallet will display a simple
interface with easy access to basic functionality like sending,
receiving, transactions history, address book, accounts, and
merchant mode, as well as hardware wallet support. It will connect
to a third-party server (a remote node), and it will not start a
local node in your computer (the blockchain will not be downloaded).
Choose this option if you don't have enough space to store the
blockchain file (at least 90 GB), if you don't require maximum
privacy and you accept the privacy risks of using a remote node to
connect to the Monero network.
(2) Simple mode (bootstrap): In this mode your wallet will also
display a simple interface with easy access to basic functionality.
Additionaly it will start a local node in the background. This local
node will start the download of the blockchain file (at least 90
GB), which can take several hours or even days to complete. While
the blockchain file is being downloaded, your local node will
temporarily connect to a third-party server (a remote node known as
bootstrap node), which will allow you to start using Monero
immediately. After downloading and synchronizing the blockchain and
the wallet, your local node will only temporarily connect to the
bootstrap node when your blockchain is not updated. Be aware that
using a remote node (including a bootstrap node) to connect to the
Monero network may reduce your privacy.
(3) Advanced mode: In this mode your wallet will display all
advanced features available, like changing fees/transaction
priority, solo mining, message verification, transaction
proof/check, offline transaction signing, key images importing,
custom remote node (including .onion remote nodes), custom bootstrap
node, starting a local node without setting a bootstrap node
(maximum privacy), changing blockchain location, and daemon log. In
this mode you can choose if you want to connect to the Monero
network via a remote node or a local node. If you decide to run a
local node, the blockchain file will be downloaded. If you want to
start using Monero immediately, you can also set a bootstrap node
(remote node) in the Settings > Node page. To achieve maximum
privacy in your connection to the Monero network, it's recommended
to avoid using a remote/bootstrap node and instead use advanced mode
to start a local node without setting a bootstrap node.
(4) Change language: This will let you choose the language from the
startup page (again).
Upon choosing simple mode or bootstrap mode, an acknowledgement page
will be shown, explaining the features, behavior, and privacy
constraints of the mode.
Please carefully read those informations before accepting the
implications of this mode and proceed to the next step.
You must understand the inherent risks of using a remote node for your
privacy, and you should avoid using it with large amounts of money. If
you connect to a malicious remote node, it could track your IP
address, your "restore height" and associated block request data, and
send you inaccurate information to learn more about transactions you
make.
(1) Region: Choose a region to pick up the remote nodes from. The
closer the node is, the better the wallet performance will be.
(2) Acknowledgement: Check This box if you have fully understood
the privacy implications of a remote node and agree to weaken your
privacy by using it.
On this page you can create a new wallet, open an existing wallet, change wallet mode or change choose how to connect to the wallet and to the network:
(1) Create a new wallet: Start the procedure to create a new wallet
file. Choose this option if this is your first time using Monero.
(2) Create new wallet from hardware: Create a new wallet file from a
hardware wallet device (e.g., Ledger or Trezor).
(3) Open a wallet from file: Choose this option to select a
pre-existing wallet file from your computer (with the extension
.keys).
(4) Restore wallet from keys or mnemonic seed: Click here if you
want to recover a pre-existing wallet using the mnemonic seed or the
private keys, creating a new wallet file.
(5) Change wallet mode: Click here to switch between simple, simple
(bootstrap), and advanced modes.
Advanced options (requires wallet in advanced mode):
(6) Mainnet: Select this from the dropdown list to use the main
Monero network
(7) Testnet: Select this option if you would like to use a
development network instead of the main network. Testnet is designed
to let developers test new features that are not available on
Mainnet or Stagenet.
(8) Stagenet: Select this option if you would like to use a network
for staging instead of the main network. Stagenet mimics the
features of Mainnet and is designed to let end users test Monero
without the risk of losing funds.
(9) Number of KDF rounds: Adjust the number of Key Derivation
Function rounds in order to enhance the overall security of the
generated keys. Any random large number will increase the security.
Here you can create a new wallet file:
(1) Wallet name: Give a name for your wallet (in this example
testname is used).
(2) Mnemonic seed: Write down your mnemonic
seed
and keep it safe. Your seed is the master key of your wallet, you
can use it to recover your funds.
(3) Wallet location: Select the destination folder of the wallet.
Add a strong password to protect your wallet. If you lose your password, then only your mnemonic seed can recover your wallet.
This page will open if your wallet is in advanced mode. Here you can choose if you are going to start a local node or connect to a remote node:
(1) Start node in background: Check this box to start a local node
(full node) in the background and download the blockchain.
(2) Blockchain location (optional): To store the blockchain
somewhere other than default, enter that location here.
(3) Bootstrap node: Here you can enter the host/IP address and port
of a bootstrap node (remote node). Your local node will temporarily
connect to this third-party remote node while the blockchain is
being downloaded, allowing you to use your wallet immediately. For a
list of available remote nodes and info about them, check the About
remote nodes section of this guide.
(4) Connect to a remote node: Check this box if you just want to use
a remote node without downloading the blockchain. Enter the host/IP
address and port of the remote node after checking the box.
If you have selected to start a local node, every time you open your wallet you will see this pop up window:
It has a countdown that allows you to change some settings before your wallet connects to the local node. If you don't want to change any setting, just let the countdown finish and your local node will be started automatically.
Monero GUI currently supports the hardware wallet models Ledger Nano S/X and Trezor Model T.
- The main function of your hardware wallet is to store your recovery seed in a device that never connects to the internet.
- Your device has a single recovery seed, which is used to create Bitcoin and altcoins wallets, like Monero.
- The recovery seed stored in your device will be used to generate two Monero private keys: a view key and a spend key.
- Your private view key is exported from your hardware wallet device to the Monero GUI wallet.
- Your private spend key never leaves your hardware wallet device. It is required to sign transactions.
- How it works: 1) Monero GUI creates an unsigned transaction; 2) The unsigned transaction is sent to your hardware wallet device; 3) Your device asks if you want to confirm the transaction (sign the transaction with your private spend key); 4) After confirmed, the signed transaction is sent back to Monero GUI; 5) Monero GUI transmits the signed transaction to the Monero network
If you are using a Ledger Nano S/X, please make sure: + Your device is plugged in and unlocked + Your device has already been initialized before (your device already has a recovery seed) + Your device has the most recent firmware version (available in Manager section of Ledger Live desktop app) (see instructions for Nano S/Nano X)
- Your device has the Monero app installed (available in Ledger Live desktop app) + Your device is running the Monero app + Your computer has no other cryptocurrency wallet running in the background, like Ledger Live
If you are using a Trezor Model T, please make sure: + Your device is plugged in and unlocked + Your device has already been initialized before (your device already has a recovery seed) + Your device has the most recent firmware version (available in Trezor Wallet) (see instructions) + Your computer has no other cryptocurrency wallet running in the background, like Trezor Wallet
On this page you can create a new Monero wallet file from your hardware wallet device. This wallet file will be stored in your computer and, every time you open it, Monero GUI will ask you to connect and unlock your hardware wallet. If your device is using a passphrase, your passphrase will also be requested.
(1) Wallet name: Give a name for your wallet file (in this example
ledger-test is used).
(2) Wallet location: Select the destination folder of the wallet
file.
(3) Create a new wallet from device: Select this option if this is
the first time you use a hardware wallet.
(4) Restore a wallet from device: Choose this option if you already
had a hardware wallet and want to restore it.
Creation Date or Restore height (optional): Restore only: If
you know the date or block height that your wallet was created at,
you can specify it here so the wallet doesn't have to scan the
entire blockchain looking for your funds. For example, if your first
transaction was included on 2017-07-08 in block 1350000, you
should put the previous day date (e.g. 2017-07-06) or a slightly
lower height (e.g. 1330000) so the wallet will start scanning from
there, saving you some time. More information about restore height
on
StackExchange.
(5) Subaddress lookahead (optional): pregenerate a number of
accounts with a number of subaddresses each.
(6) Device name: Select the hardware wallet you want to use. Monero
GUI currently supports the hardware wallet models Ledger Nano S/X
and Trezor Model T.
- If you can't connect to your Ledger, try restarting your computer, using a different USB cable, changing the USB port, or connecting to a different computer. Avoid using USB hubs.
- If your Monero GUI wallet is slow while using Ledger, make sure you're allowing your Ledger device to export the private view key to your computer. You should only export the private view key when using official Monero software.
- Step by step guide for all operating systems (StackExchange): How do I generate a Ledger Monero wallet with the GUI (monero-wallet-gui)?
- If you can't connect to your Trezor, try restarting your computer, using a different USB cable, changing the USB port, or connecting to a different computer. Avoid using USB hubs.
- If you still can't connect, try installing Trezor Bridge. It's usually not necessary to install Trezor Bridge, but some systems may require it to communicate with Trezor.
- Step by step guide for all operating systems (StackExchange): How do I generate a Trezor Monero wallet with the GUI (monero-wallet-gui)?
Add a strong password to protect your wallet file. If you forget the password of a wallet created from your hardware wallet, you will be able to create another wallet from your hardware device.
Here you can choose if you are going to run a full node or use a remote one:
(1) Start node in background: Check this box to run a full node and
begin blockchain sync.
(2) Blockchain location (optional): To store the blockchain
somewhere other than default, enter that location here.
(3) Bootstrap node: To use a bootstrap node enter the host and port.
A bootstrap node allows you to use your wallet while you are
downloading the blockchain by connecting to a remote node. For a
list of available remote nodes and info about them, check the About
remote nodes section of this guide.
(4) Connect to a remote node: Check this box if you want to use only
a remote node without downloading the blockchain. You will need to
put the host and port of the remote node after checking the box.
If you have selected to start a local node, every time you open your wallet you will see this pop up window:
It has a countdown that allows you to change some settings before your wallet connects to the local node. If you don't want to change any setting, just let the countdown finish and your local node will be started automatically.
When using Monero GUI with a hardware wallet, every time you click on the send button, you will first have to confirm your transaction in your hardware wallet device, and then you will have to confirm it a second time in Monero GUI.
Sometimes you will also have to confirm in your device that you accept exporting the private view key (Ledger and Trezor) and key images (Trezor).
When using a hardware wallet, Monero GUI Receive page will display an additional "Show on device" button. By clicking this button, the address being displayed in Monero GUI should be displayed in your device. If both addresses match, you can be sure that the receiving address being displayed in Monero GUI was indeed created by your hardware wallet, and that it has not been changed by a virus infecting your computer.
Restoring from your mnemonic seed is the easiest way to recover your wallet. You need to put the following information:
(1) Wallet name: Give a name for your wallet (in this example
testname is used).
(2) Mnemonic seed: Paste your seed made of 25 (or 24) words.
(3) Creation Date or Restore height (optional): If you know the date
or block height that your wallet was created at, you can specify it
here so the wallet doesn't have to scan the entire blockchain
looking for your funds. For example, if your first transaction was
included on 2017-07-08 in block 1350000, you should put the
previous day date (e.g. 2017-07-06) or a slightly lower height
(e.g. 1330000) so the wallet will start scanning from there,
saving you some time. More information about restore height on
StackExchange.
(4) Wallet location: Select the destination folder of the wallet.
A detailed guide is available on getmonero.org: 'How to restore your account'
Restoring from keys is quite easy and can be extremely useful, especially if you are moving your wallet from an online service like MyMonero. You need to put the following information:
(1) Wallet name: Give a name for your wallet (in this example
testname is used).
(2) Account address: The address of the wallet you are recovering.
(3) View key: Your private view key (needed to be able to check your
funds).
(4) Spend key: Your private spend key (needed to spend your funds).
(5) Creation Date or Restore height (optional): If you know the date
or block height that your wallet was created at, you can specify it
here so the wallet doesn't have to scan the entire blockchain
looking for your funds. For example, if your first transaction was
included on 2017-07-08 in block 1350000, you should put the
previous day date (e.g. 2017-07-06) or a slightly lower height
(e.g. 1330000) so the wallet will start scanning from there,
saving you some time. More information about restore height on
StackExchange.
(6) Wallet location: Select the destination folder of the wallet.
When everything is ready click the right arrow and then the Use Monero
button.
A detailed guide is available on getmonero.org: 'Restoring wallet from
keys'
After clicking this option a window will pop up. Navigate to your file
with the extension .keys, select it and click the right arrow.
After creating and opening a wallet file, Monero GUI will start synchronizing. This process is required to know your balance, receive and send transactions.
Monero GUI's synchronization is composed of two parts: 1) Daemon synchronization 2) Wallet synchronization
Monero GUI wallet uses a daemon (monerod), which is a program running in the background that synchronizes with the Monero network to scan for incoming transactions and to send new transactions.
Your daemon must have access to the Monero blockchain, which is a very large file (more than 100 GB) which contains all transactions that have been made since the beginning of Monero in 2014. The blockchain file can be stored in your computer (if your daemon run a local node) or in a computer of another person (if your daemon connect to a third-party remote node). If you decide to run a local node, you can run it as a full node, that has the whole blockchain file (more than 100 GB) or as a prunned node, that has a light version of the blockchain file (1/3 of the size, aproximatedly 35 GB).
The best way to contribute to Monero's security and decentralization is running a local node as a full node. Even though local nodes running as pruned nodes also contribute to Monero's security and decentralization, they are still less comprehensive than full nodes. However, pruned nodes are better for your privacy and to the Monero network than connecting to someone else's remote node.
If you run a local node as a full node (requires wallet in "advanced mode" with local node selected in Setings > Node), your wallet daemon will download the blockchain file into your computer. Since it's a very large file (more than 100 GB), this can take a long time, even days, depending on your internet speed and storage unit (HDD or SSD).
If you run a local node as a full node with a bootstrap node (requires wallet in "simple mode (bootstrap)"), your wallet daemon will also download the blockchain file into your computer, but it will connect to a remote node (a bootstrap node) while the download is not finished, allowing you to immediately send/receive a transaction.
If you want to run a local node as a pruned node, see this guide.
If you want to connect to a remote node (requires wallet in "simple mode" or in "advanced mode" with remote node selected in Settings > Node), your daemon will use the blockchain of a third party remote note. Since it will not have to download the whole blockchain file, your synchronization will be faster.
After your daemon and your wallet are synchronized, your daemon progress bar will display "Daemon is synchronized (number)", see below:
This number between parenthesis is the current block height, which is the latest block received by your daemon. In average, this number wil increase +1 every 2 minutes, when a new block is found by a miner.
After synchronizing the daemon, your wallet will scan the blockchain file, searching for past transactions. Once a previous transaction is detected and retrieved by your wallet, your balance and your transaction history will be updated.
Since all transactions are encrypted in Monero, your wallet will have to decrypt a lot of transactions. This process places very high demands on your computer's resources, including CPU processing and many readings and writings in your hard disk. Depending on your system configuration, this can take a long time, even days, so please be patient. Be aware that the synchronization speed is not always constant. Some blocks can have more transactions and/or use different technologies, therefore they may take longer to verify.
The wallet restore height is the block number (block height) where your wallet will start searching for transactions. This number should be a block height before the block that included your first incoming transaction. For example, if your wallet received Monero for the first time in 2020-09-20, your wallet restore height must be a block number before the block height of this date. Monero wallets usually ask you to write down your wallet restore height together with your restore seed when you are creating a wallet. You should never set your wallet restore height to 0, otherwise your wallet will scan all transactions in the whole blockchain (since 2014), which takes a lot of time.
In order to see the correct balance, your wallet must be fully synchronized AND using a correct restore height. If your wallet is fully synchronized but your balance is still wrong, you're probably using a wallet restore height that is higher than the block height of your first incoming transaction. To solve this, you have to set a new wallet restore height. Go to Settings > Info page, Wallet restore height and click on "(Change)".
Next, enter a new restore height or an estimate date before your first incoming transaction, and then click on "Ok".
Your wallet will now rescan the blockchain starting from the new restore height.
Some factors that can increase the speed of your initial synchronization are: * Broadband internet connection * Using a SSD (solid state disk drive) instead of an HDD (hard disk drive) * Having a faster CPU * Connecting to a remote node will avoid downloading the blockchain.
The Account tab provides tool to handle your different Monero accounts
within your wallet. Each wallet can have multiple accounts, and each
account has its own balance. Also, each account can have multiple
subaddresses associated with it. For convenience sake, the account
address is considered the first address (or subaddress) generated for an
account. Since accounts and subaddresses are deterministically derived
from the mnemonic seed, you only need to know the seed in order to
restore the account/subaddress structure when restoring a wallet
(although any labels you assign to the accounts/subaddresses will need
to be added again, since they are stored in your wallet file, and not in
your mnemonic seed, neither on the blockchain).
(1) Balance All: Let you see the sum of all your accounts balances,
unlocked or not.
(2) Accounts: This is the list of all accounts already generated on
your wallet and their corresponding account addresses.
(3) Create new account: Click on this button to create a new account
and set its optional label.
You can change the current account by simply clicking on it on the
list.
Each of your accounts are filled with their own informations:
(4) Label: A name or description of the account for convenience.
(5) Account Address: This is the public address you should give to
the sender when you want to receive money in this account. In
account #0, it starts with 4 and corresponds to the wallet's
primary address. In the remaining accounts it corresponds to the
account's first subaddress and therefore starts with 8.
(6) Balance: The account total balance. It cumulates the main
address and all subaddresses for this account. Note: Subaddresses
are managed in the Receive screen
(7) Edit Label: Click on this button to edit this account label.
(8) Copy Address to Clipboard: Click on this button to copy this
account address to the clipboard.
The Send tab provides tools for creating outgoing transactions.
(1) Address: This is where you enter the destination address of the
transaction. You can either enter a Monero address (a primary
address starting with 4... or a subadress starting with 8...) or an
OpenAlias address (see this
page
for more information about OpenAlias). Best practice is to copy and
paste the address to prevent errors. Since there are malwares that
may replace the address of your clipboard with an address associated
with hackers, you should always verify the destination address after
pasting it. Click on the Address book button on the right side to
import an address from the address book of your wallet.
(2) Amount: This is how much Monero (XMR) you want to send. Click on
the All button on the right side to create a transaction spending
all the spendable (unlocked) balance available in your selected
account. If you have enabled the option to display the balance in
other currencies in Settings > Interface, your wallet will also
display the amount converted in fiat currency.
(3) Transaction priority (requires wallet in advanced mode): This is
the priority level your transaction will receive in the pool of
transactions waiting to be confirmed. The higher the transaction
priority, the faster your transaction will be confirmed (included in
a block), but the higher you will pay in transaction fee.
Currently staying with the default or the slow option is likely to
get you into the next block.
(4) Description (optional): Here you can add some information
regarding your transaction for future reference. This function is
for your record keeping only. The description text will be stored in
your wallet file and only you will be able to see it. It will not be
be sent to the receiver, nor stored on the blockchain.
Advanced options (requires wallet in advanced mode)
(5) Key images: This section allows you to export the key images
from your cold wallet into a file, as well as to import this key
images file into your view-only wallet. When your view-only wallet
has the key images for all outputs, it can display the true balance.
In order to import the key images into your view-only wallet, you
must use a local node or be connected to a trusted remote node (you
can set a trusted remote node in "Settings" > "Node" page). Click
on the question mark icon to see step-by-step instructions.
(6) Offline transaction signing: This feature refers to the practice
of keeping the private keys in a cold wallet, which is a wallet
installed in an offline ("cold") device. Since the offline wallet
never gets connected to the internet, its stored private keys remain
secure. The cold wallet is only used to sign individual
transactions, which are later sent to the Monero network using a
view-only wallet. Click on the question mark icon to see
step-by-step instructions.
(7) Sweep unmixable: This allows you to get rid of outputs which
have strange amounts like 0.000006839355 and can't be spent
without combining them with another output.
Most users will never need to use this feature.
The Address book tab lets you save the name and Monero address of
contacts that you frequently transact with. This is a convenient place
to copy addresses from when creating transactions.
The Receive tab provides tools for generating subaddresses.
(1) Addresses: This list includes your wallet's primary address
(starting with 4...) and all its subaddresses (starting with 8...).
(2) Create new address: This button allows you to create as many new
subaddresses as you wish. Since Monero is private, you don't need to
create a new subaddress every time you receive a transaction.
However, to avoid off-chain linking, it's recommended that you
create a new subaddress for every person, company or exchange you
will receive Monero from. Learn more about
subaddresses.
(3) Set Label: Click on this button to set this subaddress label.
You can use this label to store the person, company or exchange you
gave this subaddress.
(4) QR code: This is a QR code that has your selected address
embedded into it. It can be used as a way to give others your Monero
address by scanning the code.
(5) Save: Click here to save the QR code as a png image.
(6) Copy: Click here to copy the QR code corresponding URL formated
as *monero:
-
The Merchant mode offers vendors a simple Point of Sale (PoS) to
receive Monero (XMR). It allows you to manually generate payment
requests, and to monitor incoming transactions (unconfirmed and
confirmed transactions).
(1) QR code: This is a QR code that contains your currently selected
address, and, optionally, the amount to receive. Display this QR
code to your customers, so they can scan it and pay using their
mobile wallets.
(2) Amount to receive (XMR): This is used to create a payment
request. Enter the amount of Monero (XMR) you would like to receive,
and the QR code will be updated.
(3) Payment URL: This is the URL corresponding to the address and
amount you have chosen. It could be copied by clicking on it and
sent to a customer.
(4) Enable sales tracker: If you tick this box, you'll see a list of
incoming transactions. By enabling sales tracker, the merchant page
will automatically scan the blockchain and the tx pool for incoming
transactions using the QR code. It's up to you whether to accept
unconfirmed transactions or not. It is likely they'll be confirmed
in short order, but there is still a possibility they might not, so
for larger values you may want to wait for one or more
confirmation(s).
(5) Sales: Those are the transactions currently seen on the
blockchain and the transaction pool, with associated confirmations.
The Transactions tab let you walk through the transactions sent and
received on the currently selected account of your Monero wallet.
(1) Search: Quickly filter out transactions from the list searching
by transaction ID, destination address, description, amount or
blockheight (number of the block in which the transaction was
mined).
(2) Sort & Filter: Here you can filter out transactions between
specific dates, or sort them by blockheight, date or amount.
(3) Transaction list: This area displays the sent and received
transactions of the currently selected account.
For incoming transactions you will see: Transaction type
(Received), Amount, In (your wallet's address which received
this transaction and its label), and Date. Because of Monero's
privacy-preserving technology, it's not possible to know the
sender's address. Therefore, in order to know from who you are
receiving each transaction, you should always remember to create and
give a new subaddress for every person you will receive Monero
from.
For outgoing transactions you will see: Transaction type (Sent),
Amount, To (the destination address or its Address Book name),
and Date.
By clicking on a transaction, you will see the following additional
information: Fee (outgoing transactions), Confirmations,
Description (optional), Transaction ID, Transaction key, and
Blockheight. The transaction ID, the transaction key and the
destination address can be used to prove that a payment was done in
case of a dispute. The transaction keys and the descriptions (notes)
are stored in the cache of your local wallet, therefore they cannot
be recovered from the blockchain.
(4) Details: Clicking here will show you the following transaction
details, when available: Transaction ID, Date, Amount,
Address, Payment ID, Integrated address, Transaction key,
Description (note), Destinations and Rings.
(5) Prove payment (P): Clicking here will generate a payment proof,
which you can use, in case of a dispute, to prove that you made a
payment. More details on proving payments can be found
here
(6) Set description: Click on this icon to set a new description or
edit an existing one.
(7) Advanced options: Lets you choose in which format the date
should be displayed.
The Mining tab provides a one click CPU miner that is embedded into the GUI.
(1) CPU threads: Number of CPU threads to use for mining.
(2) threads auto-configuration: Set automatically the number of
threads either to the recommended number, or to the max number.
(3) Background mining: Check this box to enable experimental
background mining. This should allow you to use your computer
normally while mining.
(4) Start mining: Start the miner.
(5) Stop mining: Stop the miner.
(6) Status: Indicates the mining state and hashrate.
The Prove/check tab provides tools for proving a payment or validating
proof of a payment. This is necessary with Monero because these details
are not available on the blockchain.
This will generate a proof that you made a payment to a certain address. You need to put the following information:
(1) Transaction ID: This is the ID of the payment you are creating
proof for. You can find the transaction details by selecting the
History tab from the left menu.
(2) Address: This is the address you are proving payment to.
(3) Message (optional): This an optional message that will be signed
with the transaction details. If you choose to include a message
then the other party must also include the exact same message in
order to verify your proof.
(4) Generate: Click here once you've entered all the details to
generate your proof.
A detailed guide is available on getmonero.org: 'How to prove payment'
This will verify that a payment was made. You need to put the following information:
(1) Transaction ID: This is the ID of the payment you are attempting
to verify.
(2) Address: This is the receiving address of the payment you are
attempting to verify.
(3) Message (optional): This is the optional message that may have
been included with the proof.
(4) Signature: This is the signature generated to prove payment.
(5) Check: Click here once you've entered all the details to check
that the transaction proof is valid.
This is an advanced tool that can be used to improve the privacy of ring signatures. The outputs used in ring signatures can be adapted to mitigate the privacy loss when using a key-reusing fork or to avoid outputs that could not be spent in this transaction.
(1) Mark as spent filename: This tool will mark outputs that are
known to be spent. After running
monero-blockchain-mark-spent-outputs, import the resulting file to
avoid using these outputs as decoys in constructed ring signatures.
This file is stored in the .shared-ringdb folder by default.
(2) Mark as spent output: This will mark or unmark as spent a chosen
single output. Outputs are represented by 64-character strings. The
outputs added in this field will not be used as decoys in
constructed ring signatures. Unmarked outputs may (but will not
necessarily) by used as decoys.
(3) Key image input: Add the key image that was used on the
key-reusing fork.
(4) Get ring: Press the "Get Ring" button to get the ring members
for the given key image in 3.
(5) Set ring: Press the "Set Ring" button to set the ring members
for a transaction. Copy the ring members from 4 to get those for the
key image, or manually type in your own.
(6) Intent to spend: Select this if you are certain that you will
spend Monero on a key-reusing fork. This will aggressively modify
the input selection algorithm to give you the greatest plausible
deniability.
(7) Possibility to spend: Select this if you may spend Monero on a
key-reusing fork. This will modify the input selection algorithm.
Uncheck this only if you are certain you will not use a key-reusing
fork.
(8) Relative: When selected, the offsets are encoded relative to the
previous, as opposed to absolute (transactions use relative
offsets).
(9) Segregation height: The block height at which the key-reusing
fork splits.
The Sign/verify tab provides tools for signing a message or file with
your private key or verifying the authenticity of a singed message or
file.
(1) Message: This is where you can enter a message to be signed.
(2) Signature: This is where your unique signature will appear once
you click the Sign button. This is linked to your private key and
the message you entered. It will be given as proof along with the
message which was signed.
(3) Verify message: This is where you will put a message that has
been signed.
(4) Address: This is where you will enter the public Monero address
of the signer.
(5) Signature: This is where you will enter the signature you are
verifying. Once all the required information has been entered click
the Verify button. A pop-up will tell you if the signature is valid.
The Sign/verify tab provides tools for signing a message or file with
your private key or verifying the authenticity of a singed message or
file.
(1) File: This is where you can choose a file to be signed. Click
Browse to navigate the file system.
(2) Signature: This is where your unique signature will appear once
you click the Sign button. This is linked to your private key and
the file you entered. It will be given as proof along with the file
which was signed.
(3) File: This is where you enter the path to a file that has been
signed. Click Browse to navigate the file system.
(4) Address: This is where you will enter the public Monero address
of the signer.
(5) Signature: This is where you will enter the signature you are
verifying. Once all the required information has been entered click
the Verify button. A pop-up will tell you if the signature is valid.
The Settings tab provides tools for customizing configuration options.
(1) Close this wallet: Click here to safely close the current wallet
and open the main menu.
(2) Create a view-only wallet: Click here to generate a view-only
(or audit) wallet file, which is capable to see all incoming
transactions. In order to display the real balance, you must also
import the key images from your normal wallet into your view-only
wallet. The view-only wallet will be created with the same password
as the current wallet. See this
user-guide
for more information.
(3) Show seed & keys: This button will redirect you to the Seed and
keys tab.
(4) Rescan wallet balance: Click here to rescan all spent outputs
from your wallet, updating your wallet balance. If your balance is
still incorrect, you probably will have to resync your wallet after
changing the wallet restore height to a restore height before the
height of the first transaction to your wallet. To do this, go to
the Settings > Info page, Wallet restore height, and click on the
(Change) link.
(5) Change wallet password: Click here to change the password of
your wallet file.
(6) Enter merchant mode: Click here to open Monero GUI's
business-friendly mode.
The Interface tab is where you can adjust appearance and security
settings of the GUI wallet. The options are:
(1) Custom decorations: Switch custom window decorations.
(2) Check for updates periodically: Enable this option if you want
your wallet to periodically check if a new version is available.
(3) Hide balance: Will display your balance as ?.?? in the balance
card. It is a useful privacy feature if you are running your wallet
in a public place, as a point of sales system, or if you have to
take a screenshot or record your screen to someone.
(4) Light theme: Switch between light and dark themes.
(5) Ask for password before sending a transaction: Disable this
option if you don't want to type your password every time a
transaction is sent. This option is enabled by default.
(6) Autosave: When enabled, your wallet file will be saved
automatically, every 10 minutes (default) or at an interval of your
choice. This option is enabled by default.
(7) Lock wallet on inactivity: Set this to automatically lock your
wallet after N minutes of inactivity. This ensures no one is able to
use your wallet while you are away from keyboard.
(8) Enable displaying balance in other currencies: Gives you the
possibility to also display your balance, the transaction amount and
transaction fee in other currencies. You can select the price source
and the currency you prefer (currently only USD and EUR are
supported).
(1) Start/Stop Local Node: Depending on its current state, either
start or stop the local node.
(2) Blockchain location: Manually enter a non-default path to the
blockchain, or click change to choose a new path.
(3) Startup flags: When using a local node, this will be where you
enter additional command line options.
(4) Bootstrap Address: Enter the hostname or IP address of the
bootstrap remote node. See section Bootstrap
nodes for a brief explanation of what a bootstrap
node is.
(5) Bootstrap Port: Enter the port of the bootstrap remote node.
Use a remote node, do not download the blockchain. Check the 'About remote nodes' section of this guide.
(1) Address: Enter the hostname or IP address of the remote node.
(2) Port: Enter the port of the remote node.
(3) Daemon Username: Enter a username in case authentication to the
remote node is required.
(4) Daemon Password: Enter a password in case authentication to the
remote node is required.
(5) Trusted Daemon: By default, data requests to remote nodes are
obfuscated, and this process requires more resources. If your remote
node is under your control (i.e. a dedicated server of your own) you
can mark it trusted so that data requests will not be obfuscated
anymore (just like a local node).
(1) Log level: Change the verbosity of the debug logs.
(2) Log categories: Add specific categories to the debug logs.
(3) Daemon log: Real time output of the log.
(4) Command line: Interact with the daemon.
(1) GUI Version: Version of the GUI wallet installed.
(2) Embedded Monero Version: Version of the embedded daemon in use.
(3) Wallet path: Where the wallet is located on your computer.
(4) Wallet restore height: Your wallet synchronization starts at the
block defined in wallet restore height. Therefore, you must set the
restore height before the height of the first incoming transaction
of your wallet. If you click on the (Change) link, you can set a
blockheight or a date. After changing it, your wallet will rescan
the blockchain starting from the blockheight you set. Note: when
you change your wallet's restore height, you will lose all
information that is stored in the wallet software and cannot be
recovered from the blockchain, which includes destination addresses,
transaction keys, and descriptions (notes).
(5) Wallet log path: Where the logs for this wallet will be saved.
(6) Wallet mode: Display the wallet mode chosen in the
wizard.
(7) Graphics mode: Display the graphics mode.
(8) Copy to clipboard: Copy all information to clipboard.
The Seeds & Keys tab displays your wallets mnemonic seed as well as
your secret view key, public view key, secret spend key, and public
spend key.
(1) Mnemonic seed: DO NOT share your mnemonic seed with anyone. Store
a copy securely. The mnemonic seed is a 25 word phrase that
contains all the information needed to view and spend funds. Learn
more about mnemonic
seeds.
(2) Wallet restore height. This is the blockheight of the first
incoming transaction of your wallet. This information is useful when
you restore your wallet, because you will only have to synchronize
the blockchain for the period that is needed.
(3) Primary address: This is the main address of your wallet and
starts with 4. All other addresses from your wallet are
subaddresses, and start with 8.
(4) Secret view key: Secret (private) view keys allows the holder to
view your wallets incoming transactions, but not outgoing. It is
sometimes useful for auditing purposes to give your secret view key
to a third party.
(5) Public view key: The public view key is used for stealth address
creation. Learn more about view
keys.
(6) Secret spend key: DO NOT share your secret spend key with anyone.
The secret (private) spend key is used to sign transactions and
should be regarded with the same security as your mnemonic seed.
(7) Public spend key: The public spend key is used by the network to
verify the signature of the key image you generate when you make a
transaction. This is what prevents double-spends as the network
enforces the rule that a key image can be spent only once. Learn
more about spend
keys.
(8) Export Spendable Wallet: DO NOT share your spendable wallet QR
code with anyone. This can be used like a mnemonic seed for
recovering your wallet. This creates a qrcode that contains all of
your keys.
(9) Export View Only Wallet: This creates a QR code that contains
only the keys for viewing the transactions that this wallet sends or
receives, but cannot create transactions.
Verify that the files you downloaded match the official ones. You can use this step-by-step guide with pictures (easy, for Windows user).
Remote nodes are useful if you are not able/don't want to download the whole blockchain, but be advised that malicious remote nodes could compromise some privacy. They may track your IP address, track your "restore height" and associated block request data, and send you inaccurate information to learn more about transactions you make. Please make sure to use a node you trust (hopefully your own) and remain aware of these limitations. Users who prioritize privacy should use the wallet in advanced mode and start a local node without setting a bootstrap node. A number of public remode nodes are listed at moneroworld.com and node-o-matic
Remote nodes can also be useful if you are running a local node and want to use Monero before the blockchain download has finished. In this situation, the remote node is known as a bootstrap node. Your local node will temporarily connect to it while the blockchain is still being downloaded. When the blockchain is synced locally, your local node will disconnect from the bootstrap node. It is a reasonable trade-off for most people who care about privacy but also want the convenience of an automatic fallback option. Be aware that when using remote nodes (including a local node with a bootstrap node), nodes may track your IP address, your "restore height", and associated block request data, as well as send you inaccurate information to learn more about transactions you make. Please make sure to use a remote node you trust (hopefully your own) and remain aware of these limitations. Keep the Monero full node software operating on your computer even when you are not using the wallet to reduce the amount of leaked data. More information at https://getmonero.org/resources/moneropedia/bootstrap-node.html
The following are only some of the most common issues. For a more extensive list visit the FAQ page on getmonero.org.
- How to change Wallet restore height / Wrong or zero balance after synchronizing?
- How do I generate a Ledger Monero wallet with the GUI?
- I am missing (not seeing) a transaction to (in) the GUI (zero balance)
- I am using the GUI and my daemon doesn't start anymore
- Transaction stuck as "pending" in the GUI
- My GUI feels buggy / freezes all the time
- My name contains a special (non-ASCII) character (e.g. é, ø, â, Ö) and I can't create a wallet with the GUI
- The GUI uses all my bandwidth and I can't browse anymore or use another application that requires internet connection
- How do I move the blockchain (data.mdb) to a different directory during (or after) the initial sync without losing the progress?
- How do I change the language of the 25 word mnemonic seed in the GUI or CLI?