If you're looking to buy or sell Monero (XMR) without KYC, account creation, or surveillance, then Haveno is exactly what you need.

What is Haveno?

Haveno is a fully decentralized exchange that runs over the Tor network, enabling truly private peer-to-peer trading of Monero for fiat currencies. It uses:

• Multisig escrow to protect funds during trades
• No central authority or user accounts
• Human arbitrators to help if something goes wrong
• Built-in Tor routing for anonymous, censorship-resistant access

It’s also open-source, cross-platform, and under active development.

Step-by-Step Guide to Using Haveno

Step 1: Download Haveno

1. Go to the official app website: https://haveno.com
2. Choose your operating system: Windows, macOS, or Linux
3. Download the latest release and following the guides here depending on whether you are Installing Haveno on Desktop (Window, macOS or Linux) or Installing Installing Haveno on Mobile (Android or iOS)
4. Pause this guide here and ensure you follow the guides for installation above carefuly for the most optimal configuration for you.

📁 Haveno runs locally and doesn't require an account.

Step 2: Set a Secure Password

When you first open Haveno:

1. You'll be asked to create a strong password
2. This password encrypts your local data and keeps your payment info and keys secure

🧠 Make it something only you know — there’s no recovery option if you forget it.

Step 3: Add a Payment Account

Before trading, you'll need to add at least one payment method you support:

1. Open the Menu (☰ in the top-left)
2. Go to Payment Accounts
3. Click "+" button in the bottom left of that UI
4. Choose a method (e.g. Revolut, SEPA, PayPal, Wise, Cash deposit, etc.)
5. Fill in your details, these are stored locally, not uploaded anywhere unless you make a trade that or accept someone elses.

🔄 You can create multiple accounts for different payment methods or currencies, even for a small selection of other cryptocurrencies which you can setup in the Crypto Accounts tab of this screen.

Step 4: Fund Your Wallet

Before creating or accepting offers, you’ll need to deposit some XMR into your Haveno wallet:

1. If you're still on the Paymnent Accounts screen, just tap out by pressing back and skip to point 3.
2. Open the Menu (☰ in the top-left)
3. Go to Wallet
4. Copy the Monero address by clicking the copy icon to the right side of the card with the address.
5. Send XMR to this address from another wallet or exchange.

⏳ You see see the balance arrive within a minute into your pending balance, generally you have to wait for 10 confirmations before it becomes a spendable balance. You'll get a notification at each stage.

Step 5: Starting a Trade with a Peer

With a funded wallet and payment account set up, you can now start trading.

Buying XMR

How to Make a Buy Offer

1. Tap on the Buy tab as the bottom of the screen from the home screen of the app (we're it takes you when you first at the app)
2. Click + in the bottom left corner and form will popup asking questions about the offer you'll make sure as the payment accounts, amount and price, you can create a fixed or dynamic offer.
3. Choose:
   • The Payment Account that you will be sending the Fiat / Crypto from to purchase the Monero.
   • The currency you will be sending from that account.
   • If Dynamic pricing you choose the percentage of margin or you can set a fixed cost to buy at.
   • The amount of XMR you want to buy
   • The minimum you will accept for a single transaction
   • Mutual Security deposit percentage both parties will pay in case arbitration is required to resolve the trade.
   • You can choose to also check the box to choose to Reserve only the funds needed from your balance as needed this keeps the other funds free for other offers but takes longer to confirm on the blockchain as a new transaction is created.
4. Once the form is completed click Post Offer

To Make a Sell Offer

1. Tap on the Sell tab as the bottom of the screen from the home screen of the app (we're it takes you when you first at the app)
2. Click + in the bottom left corner and form will popup asking questions about the offer you'll make sure as the payment accounts, amount and price, you can create a fixed or dynamic offer just like when buying
3. Choose:
   • The Payment Account that you will be sending the Fiat / Crypto from to purchase the Monero.
   • The currency you will be sending from that account.
   • If Dynamic pricing you choose the percentage of margin or you can set a fixed cost to sell at.
   • The amount of XMR you want to sell
   • The minimum you will accept for a single transaction
   • Mutual Security deposit percentage both parties will pay in case arbitration is required to resolve the trade.
   • You can choose to also check the box to choose to Reserve only the funds needed from your balance as needed this keeps the other funds free for other offers but takes longer to confirm on the blockchain as a new transaction is created.
4. Once the form is completed click Post Offer

If you got a sucess popup from the bottom of the screen, your offer is now live on the decentralized network.

To Take a Buy or Sell Offer:

1. Browse available offers by selecting the Buy or Sell tab at the bottom depending on what you want to do
2. You must select an offer from the list which you have a payment account to either send or recieve for already.
3. Review the terms and click Accept
4. Follow on-screen steps to complete the trade securely, it will guide you through a process until the trade is complete, you'll be be notified in time as the trade progresses.

Step 6: What Happens If Something Goes Wrong?

If there’s a dispute, Haveno’s human arbitrators can step in:

• They only see what's necessary to resolve the issue
• All communication and logs are encrypted
• Disputes are rare, but handled manually and fairly

🤝 Funds are locked in 3 way multisig escrow until both parties confirm the trade, one arbitrator is randomly selected from at the time of trade initializiation.

Privacy: Tor Built-In

Everything in Haveno runs through Tor by default, so:

• Your IP is hidden
• Your trades are private
• No VPN or extra setup needed, however it's recommended to use ProtonVPN if you activate telegram notifications because it's not possible to interface with the Telegram servers via Tor and therefore domain telegram.org is one exception we have made to not route through Tor and your real IP would be visible to them if you were not using a VPN or another system level proxy.

You can use it anywhere in the world, without censorship or tracking.

Summary