The Monero GUI wallet is the official desktop wallet from the Monero project: a free, open-source program for Windows, macOS and Linux. People search for it as "Monero GUI" or "Monero desktop wallet". It can connect to someone else's node and work within minutes, or run your own copy of the Monero blockchain on your computer. It is Monero-only and has no phone app.
This guide covers the Monero GUI wallet download and how to verify it, the three wallet modes, the 25-word seed, restoring, and receiving and sending XMR. We run Superswap.cx, a swap service that pays out Monero, so the last part points to our own swap. Everything else comes from getmonero.org, the Monero documentation and the monero-gui GitHub repository.
Checked 19 October 2026: current version 0.18.5.4 "Fluorine Fermi".
| Item | Monero GUI wallet |
|---|---|
| Latest release | 0.18.5.4 "Fluorine Fermi", published on GitHub on October 17, 2026 (bug fixes) |
| Platforms | Windows 64-bit (installer or zip), macOS (Intel and ARM), Linux 64-bit, plus source code. No Android or iOS app |
| Cost | Free and open source, developed by the Monero community |
| Wallet modes | Simple (remote node), Simple (bootstrap) and Advanced |
| Seed | 25-word mnemonic seed |
| Hardware wallets | Ledger and Trezor (see the FAQ below for models) |
| Advanced-mode extras | Fee priority, solo mining, message signing, transaction proofs, offline transaction signing, custom and .onion remote nodes |
| Not included | Buying or swapping coins, other cryptocurrencies, a bundled Tor client |
Download the GUI only from getmonero.org/downloads or the monero-project/monero-gui releases page on GitHub. Type the address yourself rather than clicking a search ad, since look-alike wallet sites exist. The official files for 0.18.5.4 are:
monero-gui-install-win-x64-v0.18.5.4.exe (installer) or monero-gui-win-x64-v0.18.5.4.zipmonero-gui-mac-x64-v0.18.5.4.dmg (Intel) or monero-gui-mac-armv8-v0.18.5.4.dmg (Apple Silicon)monero-gui-linux-x64-v0.18.5.4.tar.bz2. The GUI README also lists distribution packages, and macOS users can install it with Homebrew (brew install --cask monero-wallet).If your antivirus flags the files, that is a known issue. The Monero FAQ says antivirus programs often flag the GUI because of its built-in miner. Verify the download first (next section). If it checks out, add an exception for the Monero folder rather than switching your antivirus off.
getmonero.org strongly advises checking every download. The canonical list of SHA256 hashes is getmonero.org/downloads/hashes.txt, signed with the GPG key of binaryFate, which is kept in the Monero source code.
binaryfate.asc from the Monero source repository (utils/gpg_keys).gpg --keyid-format long --with-fingerprint binaryfate.asc and check the fingerprint is 81AC 591F E9C4 B65C 5806 AFC3 F0AF 4D46 2A0B DF92. If it does not match, stop and delete the file.gpg --import binaryfate.asc.hashes.txt and run gpg --verify hashes.txt. You should see "Good signature from binaryFate".certUtil -hashfile <file> SHA256 on Windows, or shasum -a 256 <file> on macOS and Linux. The result must match the line for that file name in hashes.txt. If it doesn't, delete the file.getmonero.org has a step-by-step beginner guide for Windows and an advanced command-line guide (see Sources).
On first start, after choosing a language, the GUI asks you to pick a wallet mode. You can change it later with "Change wallet mode" on the start screen.
| Simple mode | Simple mode (bootstrap) | Advanced mode | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Blockchain on your computer | No | Yes, downloaded in the background | Your choice: local node or remote node |
| Who serves your wallet data | A remote node run by someone else | A remote "bootstrap" node until your own node has synced, then your node | Your own node, a remote node you choose, or both (bootstrap) |
| Ready to use | Straight away | Straight away, through the bootstrap node | After your node syncs, unless you set a bootstrap or remote node |
| Interface | Send, receive, history, address book, accounts, merchant mode, hardware wallets | Same as simple | Everything, including fee priority, mining and offline signing |
Local node vs remote node. A wallet needs a node to read the blockchain and broadcast transactions. With a remote node you trust its operator: the GUI warns that a malicious remote node could track your IP address and your restore height and send you misleading data. Your own local node removes that third party, at the cost of disk space and a long first sync. The Monero docs say this can take up to a few days.
How much disk space? The Monero documentation gives the current blockchain size as about 265 GiB for a full node and 105 GiB for a pruned node (as of October 5, 2026). Pruning keeps the full transaction history but stores about a third of the data. In the current GUI code, picking bootstrap or advanced mode turns pruning on by default. Simple mode stores no blockchain.
On the start screen, choose "Restore wallet from keys or mnemonic seed", enter your 25-word seed, and give the restored wallet a name and folder. Enter the wallet's creation date or a restore height if you know it. The GUI then starts scanning from that point instead of from 2014, which saves a lot of time. Pick a date a little before your first incoming payment.
If the balance looks wrong or zero after a full sync, the restore height is probably too late. Change it under Settings → Info → Wallet restore height and let the wallet rescan. Your accounts and subaddresses come back from the seed, but their labels do not. Labels live only in the wallet file.
Open the Receive tab. It lists your primary address, which starts with 4, and your subaddresses, which start with 8. A standard Monero address is 95 characters long, for example 4… (95 characters) or 8… (95 characters). Click Create new address to make a subaddress and give it a label, such as the name of who is paying you.
All subaddresses pay into the same wallet and the same seed backs them up. The GUI guide recommends a separate subaddress for each person, company or exchange you receive from, so the payments can't be linked to each other off-chain. You can also show the address as a QR code.
Incoming XMR becomes spendable after 10 blocks. With Monero's 2-minute block target, that is about 20 minutes. If you are moving a large amount for the first time, send a small test payment first.
Paste your GUI subaddress · Send BTC, ETH, USDT, LTC or SOL · Get XMR in 5–30 min · No account, no ID
Swap to XMR →The GUI is not the only option. Pick by what you need, not by which is "best":
| Monero GUI | Feather | Cake Wallet | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Devices | Windows, macOS, Linux | Windows, macOS, Linux, Tails | iOS and Android, plus desktop |
| Coins | Monero only | Monero only | Monero plus other coins |
| Own full node | Built in (starts the node for you) | Can connect to one you run | Can connect to one you run |
| Tor | Not bundled; SOCKS5 proxy setting | Bundled | Optional |
Our Monero wallet setup guide compares more wallets, including hardware options.
The Monero GUI has no buy button and no built-in swap, and most big exchanges no longer list Monero (see which ones still do). The usual ways to fund it:
For prices, routes and other Monero guides, see the Monero hub and the live XMR price.
The Monero GUI is free, open-source software from the Monero project. The main risk is a fake or tampered download, so get it only from getmonero.org or the monero-gui GitHub releases and check it against the GPG-signed hashes.txt before installing.
Version 0.18.5.4 "Fluorine Fermi", published on GitHub on October 17, 2026. It fixes reopening testnet and stagenet wallets plus minor bugs. This was checked on October 19, 2026.
In simple mode almost none, because the wallet uses a remote node. Running your own node needs room for the blockchain: about 265 GiB for a full node or 105 GiB pruned, according to the Monero documentation as of October 5, 2026.
The Monero FAQ says antivirus programs often flag the GUI because of its built-in miner. Check the download against the signed hashes first. If it matches, add an exception for the Monero folder instead of turning the antivirus off.
No. The GUI runs on Windows, macOS (Intel and ARM) and Linux. For a phone, getmonero.org lists mobile wallets such as Cake Wallet.
getmonero.org lists Ledger Nano S, Nano S Plus and Nano X and Trezor Model T, Safe 3 and Safe 5. GUI release notes also added Ledger Flex in 0.18.4.3 and Ledger Nano Gen5 in 0.18.4.5.
No. The GUI has no buy button or built-in swap. Create a subaddress in the Receive tab and use it as the payout address on a swap service such as Superswap.cx, a P2P market, or another wallet.
Monero locks incoming funds for 10 blocks. With a 2-minute block target that is about 20 minutes.
Checked 19 October 2026 (Monero GUI 0.18.5.4).