A DJI Mini 3 with its status light blinking yellow quickly has lost the signal from its remote controller. Turn the controller on, or re-pair it if it's already on. Slow yellow blinking means something else: the drone has no GPS and no downward vision positioning, so it's in ATTI mode and will drift. Red and yellow alternating means the compass needs calibrating.
Yellow on the drone
From DJI's Mini 3 manual:
| Pattern | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Red, green and yellow alternating | Powering on and self-testing (normal) |
| Blinks yellow slowly | GNSS and downward vision off: ATTI mode |
| Blinks yellow quickly | Remote controller signal lost |
| Red and yellow alternating | Compass calibration required |
Fast yellow on the ground: the controller is off, out of range or not linked to this drone. Power it on. If that doesn't fix it, re-pair in DJI Fly under Control > Pair to Aircraft (Link) and hold the drone's power button for more than four seconds. Full steps are in Mini 3 not connecting.
Fast yellow in flight: the drone has lost the link and will follow its signal-lost action. Point the controller toward the drone and move to open ground. See drone keeps losing signal.
Slow yellow: in ATTI mode the Mini 3 can't hold position on its own and drifts with the wind. Indoors or under cover, move to open sky so it can find satellites. In flight, land as soon as it's safe. DJI says the downward vision system works best from 0.5 to 30 m over textured ground, so it may drop out over water or plain surfaces. See DJI drone lights meaning.
Red and yellow: calibrate the compass in DJI Fly under Safety > Sensors, outdoors, away from cars and metal. See DJI compass error.
Yellow on the DJI RC
- Blinking yellow: the controller battery is low. Charge it over USB-C.
- Solid yellow: a firmware update failed. Charge both devices, restart them and update again in DJI Fly.
Other lights you might see
- Purple, blinking slowly: warming up.
- Blue: QuickTransfer (Wi-Fi) mode. See Mini 3 QuickTransfer.
- Red, blinking slowly: low battery. Also used while Find My Drone beeps the motors.
- Solid red: a critical error. Don't fly. Check DJI Fly for the message, and contact DJI or start a repair if it won't clear.
DJI Fly shows the reason for most warnings on screen, so check the app before guessing from lights. For more on the drone, read the Mini 3 guide.
Related guides
- DJI drone status lights explained: flashing yellow, red and green
- Why is my DJI Mini 4 Pro flashing yellow?
- DJI Mic 2 and Mic Mini lights explained (green, blue, yellow, red)
- DJI Mini 3 gimbal motor overloaded or stuck: how to fix it
- DJI Mini 3 horizon not level: how to calibrate the gimbal
- DJI Mini 3 QuickTransfer not working: fixes
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