Obtaining a Wallet

Before you can start to mine you need to create a wallet. Although Monero is an entirely digital asset, you still need a place to store them. This is done in a digital wallet. There are multiple methods to obtain a wallet which vary by ease of use and the security they provide.

Registering with an exchange

There are multiple digital currency exchanges you can register with. Registering with an exchange allows you to create a wallet on the exchange for every currency the exchange supports. Registering with an exchange is probably the most convenient way to obtain a wallet. Unfortunately it is also the least secure one. Exchanges have been hacked in the past!

Popular exchanges supporting Monero are: Bittrex, Poloniex, Kraken, Bitfinex and HitBTC.

MyMonero

Alternatively you can get a wallet by registering with MyMonero. This option is more secure that registering with an exchange.

Running a "full node"

If you are able to spare the bandwidth and disk space required to run a full node, doing so helps keep the network stable and robust, and also affords you the maximum privacy Monero has to offer.

Cold-storage wallets

For long-term storage of Monero you should create a cold wallet using MoneroAddress or similar. A cold-storage wallet is extremely secure if you guard your monero private key by storing it in a password vault such as KeePass or LastPass or printing it out and depositing the sheet in a real bank vault.