How to use Bitcoin’s Lightning Network
Learn Lightning invoices, wallet custody, payment fees and liquidity before trying a small Bitcoin payment.
The quick answer
Lightning moves BTC through payment channels anchored to Bitcoin. It is useful for small, frequent payments, but a Lightning wallet and an on-chain wallet do not handle every payment request in the same way.
Fast payments still need funds and a route
A payment needs a usable route and sufficient liquidity. Wallets may manage channels for you or let a custodian hold the balance. Routing, channel setup, swaps and service charges are different costs; Lightning is not always free.
Step by step
- 1
Choose and fund a compatible wallet
Check who controls the keys and how backups work. Read the funding instructions and all fees. Keep the first test small enough that a mistake is manageable.
- 2
Get a fresh payment request
Ask the receiver for a compatible Lightning invoice. For a BOLT11 invoice, check the amount, network and expiry. Do not paste it into an on-chain address field.
- 3
Review and pay once
Check the recipient through a trusted channel and review any fee limit. Wait for your wallet’s success or failure result before retrying. A pending payment needs investigation, not repeated taps.
Worked example
A shop requests 2,000 sats by Lightning. Your wallet shows a 3-sat routing fee: the payment spends 2,003 sats, excluding any separate funding or service charge.
Before you continue
A related question
Is Lightning a different coin?
No. Payments are denominated in bitcoin. Some services also support other assets, so check that the request and wallet balance really use BTC.
Try it with a tool
Sources & further reading
Source links checked on 15 Oct 2026. Examples explain the mechanics; provider fees and features can change.
- Lightning Labs docs.lightning.engineering
- Lightning Labs docs.lightning.engineering
- BOLT 11 github.com
