How to calibrate the compass, IMU and gimbal on a DJI drone

To calibrate a DJI drone, open the camera view in DJI Fly, tap ···, and go to Safety > Sensors, then choose Compass or IMU and tap Calibration. Follow the on-screen pictures to turn or place the drone. For a tilted camera, go to Control > Gimbal Calibration and choose Auto. DJI says these menus work the same on the Mini series, Neo, Flip, Air series, Mavic 3 series and Mavic 4 Pro.

DJI calibrations at a glance — From DJI's help center calibration guides. All menus start from the ··· icon in DJI Fly's camera view. Avata series drones calibrate from the goggles menu instead.

Before you start

From DJI's guides:

Link the drone to the controller and open DJI Fly.
Charge the drone to at least 50%.
Compass: unfold the arms, and work away from cars, parking lots, ships, large electrical equipment and buildings with steel in the floor.
IMU: use a level, dry surface. DJI says to fold the arms for Mavic series drones.

Calibrate the compass

In DJI Fly, tap ··· > Safety > Sensors > Compass > Calibration.
Hold the drone and rotate it exactly as the on-screen animation shows.
Wait for the success message.

Do it when DJI Fly asks, or when the drone's lights blink red and yellow alternately, which DJI's manuals list as "compass calibration required." Interference from metal is the usual cause. See DJI compass error.

DJI RC 2 or RC Pro 2 controller compass: swipe down on the controller screen, tap the gear icon, find Compass Calibration, tap Start Calibration and move the controller in a figure 8 until it says complete.

Calibrate the IMU

In DJI Fly, tap ··· > Safety > Sensors > IMU > Calibration.
Place the drone in each orientation the app shows, one after another. DJI says each placement must match the on-screen instructions or the calibration can fail.
Keep it still until each step completes.

Run it when DJI Fly prompts "IMU calibration required," or if the camera drifts or tilts in flight. DJI's Mini manuals give "calibrate IMU and compass" as the fix for gimbal drift during flight. More in DJI IMU error.

Calibrate the gimbal (Mini 3, Mini 4 Pro and others)

Place the drone on a level surface with the gimbal protector off.
In DJI Fly, tap ··· > Control > Gimbal Calibration.
Choose Auto and don't touch the drone until it finishes.

If the horizon is still slightly off, recent DJI Fly versions offer a manual adjustment in the same area. For a horizon that's level on the ground but tilts in the air, calibrate the IMU and compass instead. See DJI gimbal not level.

DJI Neo

DJI lists the Neo series under the same DJI Fly steps: ··· > Safety > Sensors for the compass and IMU. Connect the Neo to DJI Fly on your phone or with a controller first.

Avata 2 and other FPV drones

Calibration runs from the goggles. DJI's paths: Settings > Safety > Aircraft Compass Calibration or Aircraft IMU Calibration, and Settings > Control > Gimbal Calibration.

DJI RS 4 and Osmo gimbals

DJI RS 4 and RS 4 Mini: balance the camera first, then hold the M button and trigger to run Auto Tune. For a crooked horizon, use Horiz Calibration in system settings. Full steps: DJI RS 4 not calibrating.
Osmo Pocket 3: swipe down, open System Settings > Gimbal Calibration, and stand the camera upright on a level surface.
Osmo Mobile: in DJI Mimo, More Settings > Gimbal Auto Calibration, with the phone mounted and the gimbal on a tripod.

If calibration fails

DJI's advice: restart the drone (or controller) and try again, away from metal for the compass and on a truly flat surface for the IMU. If it keeps failing, it needs testing: start a repair.

Shop the DJI Mini 4 Pro or DJI RS 4.