You are probably here because you’ve heard of bitcoin, maybe even bought some bitcoin, so now you want to get into mining bitcoin. But you have no idea how and don’t want to do anything too complicated, right? You’re wondering “how do I mine bitcoin?” and “I hope there is a dummy’s guide to mining bitcoin“.
Well, you’re in luck. I’m not that smart yet I’ve figured out how to mine bitcoin, and I can show you how to do it too. Just follow these simple steps and guide to start mining bitcoin today.
Getting started: what you need to start mining bitcoin
First up, you need a computer with a recent nVidia GPU. This can be in a basic gaming PC (such as with a GTX1050 GPU) up to more powerful gaming PCs with RTX2070s to RTX3090s. My setup has the nVidia 1660Ti in a notebook computer; so a not too fancy middle of the road gaming notebook.
If you’ve got a PC with a GTX1050 GPU or better, good for you and let’s go to the next step to start mining bitcoin today.
If not, you’re going to have a bad time. Older GPUs don’t have the power (or up-to-date drivers) and CPUs aren’t going to cut it either, even if it’s a recent Intel i7 CPU.
Step 2: sign-up to a mining pool
Mining pools make it easy for you to contribute your GPU mining power to a giant collection of people like you wanting to mine bitcoin. Mining pools make it easy to set up mining and you don’t have to mine a whole bitcoin to get paid. The mining pool below also includes Windows 10 mining software to make it even easier.
I use NiceHash. To get started, go to the NiceHash site, then select “GET STARTED” and then register your details (no I didn’t get any spam after signing up).
NiceHash is very simple, automatically mines the most rewarding crypto, and pays your only in Bitcoin. If you want to try mining and getting paid in other cryptocurrencies like Ethereum or Bitcoin Gold, then try MinerGate instead.
Once you have registered, it’s time to download and install your mining software.
Step 2: download and install your mining software
Go to the “TRY MINING NOW” page on NiceHash and install the NiceHash Quick Miner.
Once the QuickMiner file has downloaded, find it and install it on your PC (follow the prompts).
Once the QuickMiner is installed, open the QuickMiner software. You will need to link it to the NiceHash account you created above.
When NiceHash QuickMiner is started for the first time, it will ask you for your NiceHash Mining Address. There is a link and a picture how to get this address in the app. This is a very important step – this is how NiceHash QuickMiner gets linked with your NiceHash account, so it mines for you and not somebody else.
To do this, go to the “MINING” tab in your NiceHash account and click the “MINING ADDRESS” button.
This will show your mining wallet address (a long string of numbers and letters) which you can grab by pressing the “COPY” button.
Now go back to the QuickMiner software and paste your unique mining address into the app. Then you are good to go.
If you want a more detailed step-by-step guide, go to this “Starting NiceHash QuickMiner for the first time” wiki-page.
You can right-click on the Nicehash QuickMiner icon to stop and start the QuickMiner, and to access its basic settings.
You can also go to the online NiceHash Rig Manager to access more settings. Press the PLAY and STOP buttons to start and stop mining.
Pro-tips:
- keep the mining setting on “LITE” not “MEDIUM” or “HIGH” if you don’t want stability problems and a flashing screen
- only mine with your GPU and don’t turn on the CPU mining (it’s too slow and runs too hot).
That’s it! You’re now an advanced bitcoin mining magnate ready to make billions of dollars (or more realistically, enough to buy a case of beer once or twice a month).