Cardano addresses starting with Ae2 or DdzFF date from the Byron era. They are still valid on-chain, but many exchanges and swap forms only accept modern addr1 addresses.
Byron vs Shelley
Byron addresses use Base58 and carry no delegation part, so funds on them cannot be staked. Shelley introduced Bech32 addr1 addresses with an optional stake key and separate stake1 reward accounts. All formats are defined in CIP-19; see also the Cardano docs on addresses.
Moving your ADA
- Confirm the balance on an explorer.
- Identify the original wallet type (Icarus-style or old Daedalus) and restore it in an officially downloaded wallet that supports Byron recovery.
- Create an
addr1…address and send the ADA there; check the fee in the wallet before signing. - Delegate from the new address if you want staking rewards.
Our guide to Cardano addresses in Yoroi and Eternl explains the modern formats. Never hand your seed phrase to anyone offering to migrate the funds for you; a zero balance after restoring usually means the wrong recovery type was chosen, not that the ADA is gone.
Move any native tokens together with the ADA; each token output needs a minimum amount of ADA, which the wallet adds automatically.
Download wallets only from official sites.
Swapping ADA
You can pay a swap from a Byron address, since only the deposit address matters. On the ADA to USDT page, send the order amount within an hour. To receive ADA, always enter an addr1… address.
FAQ
Is ADA on an Ae2 or DdzFF address lost?
No. With the seed phrase you can move it to a modern addr1 address.
Why no staking rewards on a Byron address?
Byron addresses cannot carry delegation; move funds to addr1 first.