A DJI overheating warning, such as "Aircraft processor overheated", means the drone's electronics are too hot. DJI says to fly back and land promptly, power off and let it cool. On the ground it usually happens because the drone sat powered on without flying: Mini series drones have no cooling fan and rely on airflow from the propellers. The overexposure warning is something else entirely: zebra stripes over bright parts of the image, which you can turn off.
Overheating warning
DJI's help center gives three causes:
- Powered on but idle for a long time. Without flight, there's no airflow over the electronics. DJI says Mini series drones have no fan, and recommends taking off soon after powering on.
- Hot weather. DJI's consumer drones, including the Mini, Air, Mavic, Neo and Avata series, are rated for a maximum ambient temperature of 40° C (104° F).
- A hardware fault.
Some warmth after power-on is normal if DJI Fly shows no warning. If it does show one:
- In the air: fly back and land.
- On the ground: power off and let it cool in the shade before trying again.
- Don't leave the drone idling while you set up shots or change settings. Get ready first, then power on.
Mini 4 Pro energy-saving mode
DJI designed the Mini 4 Pro without a fan, cooled by propeller airflow in flight. If it sits on standby and its temperature keeps rising, it enters an energy-saving mode where only photo and video capture are available, and it powers off if the temperature keeps climbing. To exit, follow the prompt in DJI Fly's settings, or start the motors. See Mini 4 Pro overheating.
Neo and Flip
Small drones flown from your phone often sit on a table while you set up. The same advice applies: power on when you're ready to fly. Model pages: Neo overheating and Flip overheating.
Battery heat
Batteries also get warm. DJI says moderate heat is normal during flight, while fast charging, and while a full battery slowly discharges itself in storage. After landing, DJI suggests letting the drone stand for about 30 minutes in a cool, ventilated place and checking that the battery is back to room temperature. A battery that is hot while sitting unused, or swollen, is a different matter: see swollen drone battery.
Overexposure warning
The overexposure warning is a shooting aid. When it's on, DJI Fly draws black and white zebra stripes over parts of the image that are too bright. DJI says the stripes don't appear in your footage. To turn them off: ··· > Camera > Overexposure Warning, and switch it off.
If the stripes cover most of the frame, your shot really is overexposed:
- Switch exposure to Auto, or lower ISO and use a faster shutter.
- In manual video, an ND filter lets you keep a cinematic shutter speed in bright light. DJI makes sets for each model, such as the Mini 5 Pro ND filter set.
- Reset camera settings if you're not sure what you changed: ··· > Camera > Reset Camera Settings.
When to contact DJI
If the overheating warning appears in normal temperatures within a few minutes of flying, or the drone shuts down from heat, start a repair.
Related guides
- DJI "slow SD card" and SD card error warnings
- DJI compass error and magnetic interference warnings
- Is your DJI Mini 4 Pro overheating? Causes and fixes
- DJI "gimbal motor overloaded" error: causes and fixes
- "SYS warning: check app" on DJI drones explained
- DJI Assistant 2 not detecting your drone (PC and Mac fixes)
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