Cardano Not Enough ADA to Send Tokens: Minimum UTxO Error

On Cardano every transaction output must carry a minimum amount of ADA, and outputs that also carry native tokens need more ADA than plain ones. When a wallet says 'not enough ADA', 'minimum ADA requirement not met' or a node rejects the transaction with BabbageOutputTooSmallUTxO, it means the output for the recipient, or your change output, would hold less ADA than the protocol requires. Add more ADA to the wallet or let the wallet attach the required ADA to the tokens, and the transfer goes through. The ADA sent along with tokens is not a fee: the recipient receives it.

Where the rule comes from

Cardano uses the extended UTxO model: balances are made of unspent outputs, each stored by every node until spent. To keep that storage from being abused with tiny outputs, the Babbage-era ledger rule sets a minimum ADA per output proportional to its size: min ADA = (160 + serialized output size in bytes) × coinsPerUTxOByte, with coinsPerUTxOByte currently 4,310 lovelace (1 ADA = 1,000,000 lovelace). Size grows with the address, every token policy and asset name in the output, and any datum attached.

What an output is made of

A plain ADA output to a normal address is about 65 bytes, so its minimum is roughly (160 + 65) × 4,310 ≈ 0.97 ADA. Add one native token and the output grows to well over 100 bytes; the minimum climbs to about 1.1–1.3 ADA. Several tokens from different policies push it to 1.5–2 ADA or more. Wallets compute the exact figure when you build the transaction; the Cardano min-ADA calculator shows the estimate for a given number of policies and assets.

Four situations that trigger the error

1. Sending tokens with almost no ADA in the wallet. The output for the recipient must include ~1.2 ADA, plus the fee (often 0.17–0.2 ADA for a simple transaction). Top up a couple of ADA.
2. Sending all your ADA while tokens remain. Your change output still has to carry the tokens, and tokens cannot sit in an output without ADA. Leave some ADA, or send the tokens too.
3. Sending a small amount of ADA, below about 1 ADA. Even a plain ADA output has a minimum near 0.97 ADA. Send at least 1 ADA.
4. Many different tokens in one wallet. Change outputs bundling dozens of assets need more ADA. Some wallets let you split or consolidate assets.

In all four cases nothing is broadcast: the wallet or the node refuses to build or accept the transaction, so no fee is charged. You can adjust and retry immediately.

Reading it in the explorer

On Cardanoscan a token transfer shows the outputs: the recipient's output with, for example, 1.18 ADA and 500 tokens, and your change output. If you wonder why your balance dropped by more than the fee, look for that ADA in the recipient's output. The Cardanoscan guide walks through inputs, outputs and the fee field.

Getting the ADA back when you receive tokens

When someone sends you tokens, you receive the min-ADA attached to them. If you later send the tokens on, that ADA usually travels with them. If you no longer want the tokens, you cannot simply 'withdraw' the ADA beneath them while keeping the tokens; the tokens always need an output with ADA. Burning unwanted tokens, if the policy allows it, or sending them to someone who wants them frees the ADA.

Fees are a separate line

Cardano fees follow a linear formula a × size + b with protocol parameters a = 44 lovelace per byte and b = 155,381 lovelace, plus extra for scripts. A simple payment costs about 0.17 ADA. Fees are paid from your inputs and are not refunded; the min-ADA in outputs is not a fee and goes to the recipient or back to you as change.

Wallet-specific behaviour

Wallets handle the rule differently, which is why the same transfer may work in one and fail in another. Eternl and Lace usually add the required ADA to a token output automatically and show it as 'min ADA' or 'attached ADA' on the confirmation screen. Yoroi shows the amount of ADA that will accompany the tokens. Hardware-wallet flows display the full outputs on the device, so you can confirm the ADA attached. If your wallet only says 'not enough funds', check whether you are trying to empty the ADA balance while tokens remain — that is the most common hidden cause.