Many DJI drone problems clear with five steps, in this order: read the full warning in DJI Fly, restart the drone, controller and phone, reseat or swap the battery, update DJI Fly and all firmware, and calibrate only when the app asks. If the problem survives that, the warning text tells you which system to look at. Use the sections below to jump to the right fix, and contact DJI or start a repair if a hardware fault remains.
Start here
- Read the warning. Tap the status bar at the top of DJI Fly to see every active message. The status light helps too: see DJI drone lights meaning.
- Restart everything. Power off the drone and controller, close DJI Fly, and start again with the drone on flat ground.
- Battery. Push it in until it clicks, or try another one. See DJI battery error.
- Update. App and firmware mismatches cause connection and takeoff errors. See DJI firmware update error.
- Calibrate the IMU, compass or gimbal only when prompted, on level ground away from metal.
DJI drone won't connect
- To the controller: re-link them. See DJI drone not connecting to controller.
- Controller to phone: check the cable and app. See RC not connected to mobile device.
- No live video: see no image transmission signal.
- Signal drops in flight: see drone keeps losing signal.
DJI drone not responding
If the drone ignores the sticks or the app freezes:
- App frozen: close and reopen DJI Fly, and check the phone has free storage. See DJI Fly app crashing.
- Drone won't move in flight: check for a max distance or altitude limit, a GEO zone boundary or Beginner mode. DJI's help center lists all of these as reasons for altitude and distance limits.
- Controller dead or unlinked: a fast yellow status light means the drone has lost the controller. See DJI controller won't turn on.
- Drone dead: see DJI drone won't turn on.
Won't take off, won't fly straight
- Why won't my DJI drone take off?
- Drone flips on takeoff
- Drone drifts or won't hover in place
- No GPS signal
Error codes and warnings
- ESC or motor error
- Gimbal errors 40002, 40011, 40021 and gimbal motor overloaded
- Error 30064, 30008 and other 300xx codes
- Remote ID error
Camera and footage
When to stop troubleshooting
Stop and start a repair if the drone crashed or got wet, a motor grinds, the gimbal hangs crooked, or the same error returns after the five steps above. Upload your logs in DJI Fly under Service > Log Upload first so DJI can see what happened. If you have DJI Care Refresh, accidental damage is covered.
Can't find your problem? Our full list is in drone troubleshooting, or ask our drone pilots.
Related guides
- Old DJI Phantom 3 problems: fix it or upgrade?
- "SYS warning: check app" on DJI drones explained
- Buying the DJI Mini 4 Pro drone only: what else you need
- Can you fly the DJI Mini 4 Pro without a controller?
- DJI "gimbal motor overloaded" error: causes and fixes
- DJI "slow SD card" and SD card error warnings
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