Wallets & Accounts FAQ

Common questions about API keys, multiple wallets, user management, and account settings.

• What's the difference between Admin key and Invoice key?
• Can I have multiple wallets?
• Are wallet balances real?
• How do I create a new user or wallet?
• How do I delete a wallet?
• How do I prevent new account signups?
• What are the three user roles?
• Can I set spending limits per wallet?
• How do I see transaction history?
• Missing balance after update
• Related Pages

What's the difference between Admin key and Invoice key?

LNbits wallets have two API keys with different permission levels:

Key	Can receive	Can send	Can read
Admin key	Yes	Yes	Yes
Invoice key	Yes	No	Yes

The Admin key has full access - it can create invoices, send payments, and read wallet data. The Invoice key can only create invoices (receive) and read wallet data. It cannot send payments.

Best practice: Use the Invoice key for public-facing integrations (e.g., a donation page). Use the Admin key only in trusted server-side code. See API Keys.

Can I have multiple wallets?

Yes. Each user can create multiple wallets, each with its own balance and API keys. This is useful for separating funds by purpose (e.g., "Donations", "Shop", "Tips"). Click the + button in the LNbits sidebar to create a new wallet.

Are wallet balances real?

Wallet balances are internal accounting within LNbits. The actual Bitcoin lives on the connected Lightning backend (your node). The total of all LNbits wallet balances should not exceed the backend's available liquidity.

If your node has 500,000 sats in outbound capacity, the sum of all LNbits wallet balances should stay within that limit. LNbits does not enforce this automatically - the admin is responsible for monitoring liquidity.

How do I create a new user or wallet?

New wallet for an existing user: Click the + icon in the left sidebar of the LNbits UI.

New user: Navigate to the LNbits base URL (e.g., https://your-lnbits.com). A new user and wallet are created automatically unless restricted by LNBITS_ALLOWED_USERS.

Via API: Use the Admin API to create users programmatically. See Users & Accounts API.

How do I delete a wallet?

Click the wallet name in the sidebar, then click the delete icon (trash can). This deletes the wallet and its API keys. Transaction history is preserved in the database but no longer accessible through the UI.

WARNING

Deleting a wallet cannot be undone. Any remaining balance is returned to the funding source.

How do I prevent new account signups?

Set the allowed users list in your .env file:

LNBITS_ALLOWED_USERS=user-id-1,user-id-2

When this variable is set, only the listed user IDs can access the instance. Anyone else gets an access denied error. You can find user IDs in the Admin Dashboard under Users.

What are the three user roles?

LNbits uses a three-role permission model:

Role	Capabilities
Admin	Access Admin Dashboard, manage server settings, manage users, manage extensions
User	Create wallets, use enabled extensions, send/receive payments
Extension User	Limited access scoped to specific extension features

Admins are configured via LNBITS_ADMIN_USERS in .env or through the Admin Dashboard. See User Roles.

Can I set spending limits per wallet?

LNbits does not have built-in per-wallet spending limits. However, you can achieve similar control by:

• Creating wallets with limited top-up amounts
• Using extensions that enforce payment rules
• Monitoring wallet activity through the Admin Dashboard

The effective spending limit is always bounded by the wallet's balance.

How do I see transaction history?

In the LNbits UI, click on a wallet to see its transaction list. Each transaction shows:

• Direction (incoming/outgoing)
• Amount in sats
• Memo / description
• Status (settled, pending, failed)
• Timestamp

Via API: Use GET /api/v1/payments with the wallet's Invoice key or Admin key. See Payments API.

Missing balance after update

If wallet balances appear incorrect after an update:

1. Check migration logs - database migrations run automatically on startup. Look for errors in the logs.
2. Verify the database - ensure the correct database is configured in .env. A common mistake is accidentally switching between SQLite and PostgreSQL.
3. Check the funding source - verify your Lightning backend is connected and has the expected balance.
4. Restart LNbits - sometimes a clean restart resolves stale cache issues.

If the issue persists, check GitHub Issues or ask in the Telegram group.

Related Pages

• API Keys - key types and usage
• Wallets & Accounts - detailed wallet documentation
• User Roles - role-based permissions
• User Management - managing users