Can you still mine Ethereum?

No, you cannot mine Ethereum anymore. Since the Merge on September 15, 2022, ethereum.org says mining is no longer how valid blocks are produced on Ethereum. Blocks are now proposed and checked by validators who have staked ether, and that holds as of October 2026.

Can you mine Ethereum in 2026?

No. ethereum.org describes proof of work as switched off on Ethereum and keeps its old mining page only for historical interest. Under the old system, miners ran a hashing algorithm called Ethash, usually on dedicated hardware, and mining was the only way new ETH entered circulation. Blocks built that way are no longer valid on the network.

The change also cut Ethereum's energy use by more than 99.9%, according to estimates published on ethereum.org. The difference between the two designs is covered in proof of work vs proof of stake.

Any app, website or "cloud mining" offer that claims to mine ETH for you is not doing what it says, since there is no ETH mining to do. Our guide to whether crypto mining apps work explains why these offers deserve caution.

Can you mine Ethereum on a laptop or with a GPU?

Not on Ethereum, whatever the hardware. Before the Merge, graphics cards were widely used for Ethereum mining, but that role has ended. A GPU can still mine some other proof of work coins whose algorithms suit it, though whether that covers electricity and hardware costs depends on the coin, the card and local power prices.

Ethereum's equivalent today is staking. Running your own validator takes at least 32 ETH, and smaller amounts can be staked through pools and other services. A basic node that follows the chain needs no ETH at all, and ethereum.org lists the belief that every node requires 32 ETH as a misconception. See what is Ethereum staking for how rewards and risks work.

Can you mine Ethereum Classic?

Yes. Ethereum Classic is a separate blockchain that split from Ethereum in 2016 and never moved to proof of stake. It uses ETChash, a close relative of Ethereum's old Ethash with a smaller memory requirement, so hardware that once mined ETH can usually mine ETC by pointing it at a pool that supports the coin.

The Ethereum Classic project's own guides make several points:

• GPUs and ASIC machines are the two main options, and as of 2022 ASICs could mine ETChash two to six times more energy-efficiently than GPUs.
• Solo mining is unlikely to find a block, so most miners join a pool and receive smaller, more frequent payouts.
• Whether mining pays depends heavily on hardware efficiency and electricity costs.

Mining ETC earns ETC, a different coin with its own price and its own network, not ETH. Mining rules and conditions can change, so check current information before spending money on hardware.