Monero is the only major cryptocurrency that's private by default — every transaction hides the sender, the receiver, and the amount. No opt-in, no special mode.
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1
Buy Bitcoin with dollars.
Coinbase and other exchanges sell Bitcoin for dollars.
Know this first: They will ask for your ID. This is the law. It is normal.
Sign up on an exchange. Buy Bitcoin first.
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2
Swap it for Monero.
Open our Buy XMR tool. It is free and needs no account.
Type how much Bitcoin you send. Click Continue. Paste your Monero address. Send the Bitcoin to the address shown. Monero arrives in your wallet.
Our tool swaps your Bitcoin for Monero.
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3
Keep it in your own wallet.
Important: If your coins stay on an exchange, the exchange controls them. Not your keys, not your coins.Install Cake Wallet on your phone. It is free.
Write down the 25 words it shows you. Keep them secret. Anyone with these words owns your money.
Install a wallet. Write down your 25 words.
Good to know: The exchange knows you bought crypto. Monero hides what happens after that. Keep your own records.
Free tools: Feather Wallet (desktop) or Cake Wallet (mobile). Both open source. No account, no ID, no email.
Back up your seed first
When you create a wallet you get a seed phrase (usually 25 words). Write it on paper. Never screenshot it, never store it in cloud notes, never share it. Anyone with your seed owns your money.
Receive
Share your address with the sender. For repeated payments, use a fresh subaddress per source if your wallet supports it — it keeps your transactions unlinkable to each other.
Send
- Paste the recipient's address — then double-check the first and last 6 characters. Crypto transactions don't reverse.
- For large amounts, send a small test first.
- Confirm and wait for confirmations. Done.
Staying private
- Don't tie addresses to your real name. Posting "my XMR address" on your public profile defeats the point.
- The chain is private; the on-ramps aren't. Most privacy leaks happen where fiat becomes crypto (exchange records), not on the Monero blockchain.
- Maximum mode: run your own node instead of trusting someone else's, and route your wallet traffic through Tor.
Informational only — not an endorsement, not medical or legal advice. Not financial advice either.