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To send bitcoin over the Lightning Network, use a wallet with Lightning-send support, obtain the recipient’s Lightning invoice, scan or paste it into the wallet’s Lightning payment screen, check the amount, expiry and quoted routing fee, then authorize the payment. The wallet’s success or failure message is the payment result.

Lightning is a separate payment route from an ordinary on-chain Bitcoin transfer. The exact screens, fees, limits and setup depend on the wallet, your country and whether the wallet is custodial or self-custodial, so treat the instructions below as a decision guide rather than a promise that every wallet works the same way.

What a Lightning payment is

The Lightning Network is an additional payment layer for Bitcoin. It is designed for quick, generally low-fee payments without creating a separate Bitcoin blockchain transaction for every purchase. Bitcoin.org describes Lightning as an off-chain system suited to fast, smaller payments.

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A Lightning payment normally starts with an invoice created by the recipient. An invoice is a payment request containing the information your wallet needs to construct and route the payment. It is commonly shown as a QR code or a text string. Bitcoin Design also identifies NFC and payment links as possible ways to share a request.

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Lightning is not the same as an on-chain address

An ordinary Bitcoin address is used for an on-chain transaction. A Lightning invoice is a different payment object and is usually recognizable in a wallet because it is presented in the Lightning send flow. Do not paste a Lightning invoice into a screen that is labelled only for an on-chain transfer, and do not assume an on-chain address can accept a Lightning payment.

Lightning routing fees are also different from Bitcoin miner fees. A Lightning wallet may quote a small route fee before you confirm. An on-chain fee applies when a transaction is recorded on Bitcoin’s blockchain, such as when you move funds into or out of a service or when a channel operation is settled on-chain. Bitcoin.org’s fee guidance treats those as on-chain transaction fees, not Lightning route fees.

What you need before sending

A wallet with Lightning-send support

Bitcoin.org’s wallet-management documentation defines a Lightning-capable wallet as one that can send and receive Lightning transactions. Check the wallet’s current feature list and the specific deposit or withdrawal screen you plan to use. A wallet that stores Bitcoin may support only on-chain transfers; a service that advertises Lightning receiving may not necessarily support Lightning sending.

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  • A phone or desktop wallet with an explicit Lightning send or pay function.
  • Bitcoin balance available on the Lightning side of that wallet, or a supported way to move funds there.
  • The recipient’s current Lightning invoice.
  • A network connection good enough for the wallet to obtain a route and submit the payment.
  • Enough balance for the requested amount plus the fee shown immediately before confirmation.

Custodial and self-custodial choices

Custody changes who controls the keys and who handles operational work such as channels and liquidity. Neither model is automatically right for every payment; the practical differences are important when a payment fails or a service becomes unavailable.

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Characteristic Custodial or provider-managed wallet Self-custodial wallet
Key control The provider controls or manages the signing keys under its service terms. You control the keys and are responsible for protecting them and recovering the wallet.
Setup burden The provider may manage channels, routing and some funding steps behind the scenes. You may need to create the wallet, record recovery information, fund it on-chain and wait for channel setup or confirmation, depending on the product.
Recovery responsibility Recovery follows the provider’s account and identity procedures, if offered. Loss of the recovery information can mean permanent loss of access; keep it offline as directed by the wallet’s documentation.
Fee visibility The app should show any Lightning route fee and may separately show service or withdrawal charges. The app should show the route fee; initial on-chain funding or channel operations can add a separate blockchain fee.
Failure handling The provider may retry routing or return funds according to its policies. You may need to diagnose route, channel or liquidity conditions yourself or through the wallet’s support tools.

Do not choose a wallet solely because it displays a QR scanner. Confirm Lightning sending, supported invoice formats, your region’s availability, current limits and the wallet’s recovery documentation.

Funds in the correct payment rail

If your bitcoin is on an exchange or in an on-chain-only wallet, first check whether that provider offers a Lightning withdrawal. Providers can support different networks and may label Lightning withdrawals separately from Bitcoin-network withdrawals. If no Lightning route is available, move funds to a Lightning-capable wallet using the wallet’s documented process rather than guessing which address type to use.

How to send bitcoin over Lightning

Use this sequence for a normal person-to-person or merchant payment. Names and button positions vary, but the decisions are the same.

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  1. Open the wallet and select Lightning. Choose the wallet’s Lightning send, pay or scan option. Look for a network or context indicator before entering anything. If the screen says on-chain, Bitcoin network or withdrawal address, you are not yet in the Lightning payment flow.
  2. Request an invoice from the recipient. Ask the recipient to create an invoice for the exact amount. They can display a QR code or send the invoice text. If the invoice has expired, ask for a new one instead of editing the old string. NFC or a payment link may also open the same request in compatible apps.
  3. Scan or paste the invoice. Use the wallet’s camera scanner for a QR code, or copy the complete invoice text into the paste field. Avoid retyping a long string. If the wallet rejects the text immediately, obtain a fresh copy and confirm that you selected Lightning rather than an on-chain form.
  4. Check the decoded payment details. Verify the amount against what the recipient requested. Review any memo or recipient information the wallet displays, and check the invoice’s validity or expiry indicator. An invoice may encode a fixed amount; do not alter an amount field unless the wallet explicitly supports that type of request and you understand the result.
  5. Review the quoted fee. The wallet chooses a route through the Lightning Network and should show the route fee before authorization. There is no universal Lightning fee that applies to every wallet, route or amount. Compare the displayed fee with the payment amount and stop if it is unexpected. A separate on-chain charge may appear only when funding, withdrawing or performing a channel operation.
  6. Confirm once. Authorize the payment only after the amount, invoice, recipient details and fee are correct. Your wallet may require a passcode, biometric check or other approval. Do not press confirm repeatedly while the first attempt is still processing.
  7. Read the final status. A successful result normally includes a paid or completed state and a payment record. Save the record or transaction reference if the payment matters for accounting. A pending, failed or unknown state requires the troubleshooting steps below before you attempt another payment.

Setting up a wallet for a first Lightning payment

Provider-managed setup

Some wallets create or manage channels and liquidity for you. You may only need to complete account verification required in your jurisdiction, deposit bitcoin through the provider’s supported route and wait for the balance to become spendable. Read the provider’s fee and withdrawal screens carefully: a displayed Bitcoin deposit address may be on-chain even when the service also offers Lightning.

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Self-custodial setup

A self-custodial wallet gives you control of the keys, but it adds operational responsibility. The beginner procedure described by We Are Bitcoin includes installing a self-custodial wallet, recording recovery information offline, funding the wallet on-chain and waiting for channel setup or confirmation before spending over Lightning. That sequence applies to that type of wallet; it is not a universal manual requirement.

  1. Install the wallet from the publisher’s official distribution channel and verify that the app explicitly supports Lightning payments.
  2. Create the wallet and record its recovery phrase or other recovery material offline, following the wallet’s own instructions. Never send the phrase to a person, website or support chat.
  3. Use the wallet’s on-chain receive function to fund it if the wallet requires an on-chain deposit for Lightning use. Check the network label before sending.
  4. Wait for the confirmation or channel-readiness condition shown by the wallet. An on-chain miner fee and a confirmation delay can apply at this stage.
  5. Make a small test payment to a trusted recipient before relying on the wallet for a larger amount.

Some self-custodial wallets use provider-assisted channels or other designs that hide much of this work. Follow the product’s current documentation rather than opening channels manually because a general guide mentions them.

Fees, speed and payment limits

Item What to expect
Lightning route fee A fee selected by the route and wallet; the amount should be displayed before confirmation. No single fee applies to all payments.
On-chain miner fee A blockchain transaction fee for operations such as funding, withdrawal or channel settlement. It is not the same as the Lightning route fee.
Completion time Successful Lightning payments are generally near-instant, but route discovery, wallet connectivity and provider processing can delay or prevent a payment.
Invoice validity The invoice carries an expiry. The 2026 beginner guide from We Are Bitcoin describes a 3,600-second default for a BOLT 11 invoice, but an issuer can use a different value and your wallet should display the applicable status.
Amount suitability Lightning is commonly used for smaller payments. Larger amounts can be harder to route because available channel liquidity may not support the full payment.

Never treat “low fee” as “free,” and never assume a payment is reversible. Once the wallet reports success, ask the recipient to verify receipt if the transaction is important. Refunds are a separate agreement with the recipient or service.

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Why a Lightning payment fails and what to do

The invoice is expired or invalid

Invoices are time-limited. If the wallet marks an invoice expired, invalid or already paid, stop and ask the recipient to create a fresh invoice. Do not reuse an old QR image from a previous order. If the recipient says the invoice is still valid but your wallet disagrees, compare the complete text and check that both apps are operating on the intended network.

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No route or insufficient liquidity

Lightning requires a usable path with enough liquidity between the sender and recipient. Bitcoin Design notes that route-finding becomes more difficult for larger payments, and Lightning Labs’ liquidity guide explains that channel balances determine whether a route can carry a payment.

  • Confirm that the invoice amount is not larger than your spendable Lightning balance.
  • Ask the recipient for a new invoice with the same amount; a new request can sometimes be routed differently.
  • Try a smaller test payment only when the recipient agrees and you have verified that the first attempt did not succeed.
  • For a large payment, ask whether the recipient supports another Lightning invoice amount or an on-chain transfer.

Do not promise that a retry will work. A route may remain unavailable, and repeated attempts can create confusion about whether one payment completed.

Insufficient balance or fee headroom

A wallet can hold enough bitcoin for the requested amount but still reject the payment because the quoted route fee pushes the total above the spendable balance. Check the wallet’s available Lightning balance, not just its total Bitcoin balance, and leave room for the displayed fee. If the balance is on-chain, use the wallet’s documented transfer or funding process first.

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You selected the wrong network

If a recipient supplied a Lightning invoice but your app asks for a Bitcoin address, back out and select Lightning. If you already sent an on-chain transaction to an address, it is not a Lightning payment and cannot be converted by the recipient’s invoice. Contact the recipient and your wallet or service support using the transaction record.

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The payment is pending or the result is unknown

Do not immediately send a second payment. First refresh the payment history and determine whether the wallet labels the attempt pending, succeeded or failed. Ask the recipient to check its payment history. If your wallet cannot establish a final state, provide its support team with the invoice, time, amount and payment reference, while keeping recovery information private.

The recipient says nothing arrived

Compare the recipient’s invoice with the payment record in your wallet. Confirm that the wallet reports success rather than merely showing a scan or authorization screen. If it succeeded, give the recipient the wallet’s payment reference and ask them to check the correct account or Lightning balance. If it failed, obtain a new invoice and resolve the stated error before trying again.

Security checklist for sending

  • Use only a wallet you obtained from the publisher’s official channel and keep it updated.
  • Verify the recipient and amount through a separate conversation for high-value payments; a QR code can still represent the wrong invoice.
  • Check the wallet’s network indicator so a Lightning invoice is not confused with an on-chain address.
  • Read the fee and expiry immediately before confirming.
  • Keep a self-custodial recovery phrase offline and never photograph, email or paste it into a website.
  • Start with a small payment when using an unfamiliar wallet, provider or recipient.
  • Do not disclose passwords, one-time codes or recovery material to someone claiming to troubleshoot a failed payment.
  • Keep the payment record until the recipient confirms receipt and any refund or accounting issue is resolved.

When Lightning is the right choice

Lightning is a practical option when both sides support it, the amount fits the available liquidity and the recipient wants a quick payment. It is less suitable when the recipient supplied only an on-chain address, when the wallet cannot show a clear fee and status, or when a large payment repeatedly fails to find a route.

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The safest habit is to treat the invoice as a one-time payment request: obtain a fresh request, verify what your wallet decoded, inspect the fee and expiry, authorize once, and rely on the wallet’s final status rather than on an assumption that a scan completed the payment.

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