How to Get Glow Lichen in Minecraft

Guide Java Bedrock

Quick answer: Break glow lichen with shears: they are the only way to obtain it. Find it on cave walls, on stone, andesite, diorite, granite, calcite, tuff, deepslate, ores and dripstone exposed to air or water. It gives off light level 7, and bone meal makes it spread to an adjacent block.

What you need

Shears
Bone meal (optional)

Step by step

Craft shears. Glow lichen can be destroyed with anything, but only shears give the item.
Explore caves at any height. It generates on the surface of stone, andesite, diorite, granite, calcite, tuff, deepslate, any ore and dripstone blocks exposed to air or water. It also appears underwater, but not in the deep dark.
Mine it with shears. Efficiency II on the shears breaks it instantly, and an axe is the fastest tool for destroying it.
When several lichens share one block space, mining with shears drops all of them.
Place it on any side of a solid block. It emits light level 7.
Use bone meal on one to spread it to a random adjacent block. If it cannot spread, the bone meal is not used.

Java vs Bedrock

Glow lichen does not spread naturally, only with bone meal.

Versions: Java 21w07a made glow lichen generate on deepslate.

Frequently asked questions

Can I get glow lichen without shears?

No. Other tools destroy it but it drops nothing.

What light level does glow lichen give?

Can glow lichen be composted?

Yes, with a 50% chance to raise the compost level by 1.