DJI Mini 2 SE Battery Won’t Charge (Here’s How to Fix It)

The Mini 2 SE is one of DJI’s newer drones, released in 2023. Despite the name, that makes it newer than the Mini 3 Pro and Mini 4 Pro, although it’s designed in the vein of Mini 2 drones.

As such, it has a moderate battery life of 31 minutes. However, its battery will be zero if you can’t get yours to charge. 

Whether your battery is brand new out of the box and failing to charge, or you’ve had your drone for a while and are struggling with battery issues, you can figure out why the battery won’t charge and get it back in working order shortly.

I’ll tell you how!

What do we know about the DJI Mini 2 SE battery?         #

The DJI Mini 2 SE runs on an Intelligent Flight Battery with a 2250 mAh capacity, a max charging voltage of 8.8 volts, and a nominal voltage of 7.7 volts.

It’s a single lithium-ion or Li-ion battery that allows this DJI drone to maintain its light weight of under 249 grams. 

Although they’re common in drones, Li-ion batteries are dangerous. They can overheat and potentially explode, and they’ve been known to reignite, sometimes days after burning initially. 

You should always exercise caution when handling the Mini 2 SE batteries and use appropriate storage if bringing them on a plane. 

**» MORE: **DJI Mini 2 SE Battery (All You Need to Know)

DJI Mini 2 SE battery won’t charge – Getting to the bottom of why #

Understanding why your Mini 2 SE battery won’t charge needn’t be a headache. Here are the most common culprits to begin narrowing it down! 

It’s in Hibernation Mode #

Did you know the Mini 2 SE’s Intelligent Flight Battery has a built-in Hibernation Mode? Yes, indeed. 

This feature, while designed to be helpful, can throw many new pilots for a loop. If you take a break from your drone for a while and come back to it and the battery is below 10 percent or the voltage has dropped below 3 volts, Hibernation Mode begins.

While the battery is in Hibernation Mode, it won’t charge. It won’t even turn on. You can hold the power button, and you’ll see the LED light momentarily, but it won’t last. 

If you were unaware of Hibernation Mode, you might think your battery is broken and needs to be replaced, but it doesn’t. DJI Intelligent Flight Batteries will enter Hibernation Mode whether brand new or older; it only requires the above criteria to be met.

So, how do you get your Mini 2 SE battery out of Hibernation Mode? Just charge it! Yes, seriously, that’s it.

Once you begin charging the battery, it will awaken from Hibernation Mode and work normally. 

Just leave it on the charger for several hours, and eventually, you will see the LEDs light up as the battery begins to charge.

**» MORE: **DJI Mini 2 Battery (All You Need to Know)

The battery cell is damaged  #

How will you know if cell damage occurred? Check the DJI Fly app. The included Battery Cell Damage Protection feature will display a prompt if one of the cells in the battery has incurred damage. 

The battery short-circuited #

Given that Li-ion batteries are already risky to use, it’s no surprise the Mini 2 SE’s Intelligent Flight Battery includes Short Circuit Protection. This mode only activates if your battery has short-circuited.

While Short Circuit Protection is active, your Mini 2 SE battery won’t charge, as it won’t get any power until you address the short circuit. Unfortunately, it usually means replacing the battery. 

**» MORE: **DJI Mini 3 Battery Won’t Charge (Here’s How to Fix It)

The current is too high  #

Watch your current levels when charging your drone! The Mini 2 SE battery has Overcurrent Protection that will also stop battery charging dead in its tracks if the current is too high. 

The battery is too hot  #

Where do you store your drone battery when not in use? Hopefully, the answer is a cool, dry place.

DJI requires the Intelligent Flight Battery for the Mini 2 SE to be stored in conditions between 41 degrees Fahrenheit (5 degrees Celsius) and 104 degrees Fahrenheit (40 degrees Celsius).

If the temperatures go beyond 122 degrees Fahrenheit or 50 degrees Celsius, the Temperature Detection failsafe kicks in.

This will stop charging, whether you were about to charge the Mini 2 SE’s battery or were midway through, until the temperature is reduced to allowable (safe) levels. 

**» MORE: **Do Drone Batteries Auto-Discharge if Not Used?

The battery is already fully charged  #

The Intelligent Flight Battery has two modes to protect you from overcharging your battery, as Li-ion batteries are most dangerous (i.e., likely to overheat) when in this state. 

Overcharge Protection will stop the battery charge immediately after it reaches 100 percent. If you’re like me and sometimes forget you’re charging your Mini 2 SE battery, you’ll appreciate this feature.

The Auto-Discharging Function is for idle drone batteries. Since excess discharge can make the Li-ion battery swell and potentially explode, the Mini 2 SE’s battery will begin discharging if you leave it idle for at least 24 hours.

When it does, the battery level won’t deplete beyond 96 percent. 

However, if you leave your battery for nine consecutive days, then the battery charge will drop to 72 percent. 

**» MORE: **Drone Batteries (In-Depth Information)

The battery is past its useful shelf life #

Even though they’re technically rechargeable, drone batteries don’t last forever. The average span of a Li-ion battery is up to 500 charges, but sometimes as few as 300. 

You probably won’t count aloud and keep a running tally of every time you charge your Mini 2 SE. I know I don’t do that because who has time, right?

Therefore, you can be caught off-guard when your battery no longer wants to charge. 

The battery has sustained physical damage #

Was your Mini 2 SE’s battery working fine the other day, then you had a mishap and crashed the drone, and now the battery doesn’t want to work anymore? 

Although sometimes drone battery damage situations aren’t always so dramatic, if your battery caught on fire, suffered a crash, or was otherwise exposed to harm, it probably won’t take a full charge anymore.

The battery might not even charge at all. 

**» MORE: **How to Safely Dispose of LiPo Drone Batteries

You’re using the wrong type of charger #

DJI supplies the charging equipment needed to restore the Mini 2 SE’s Intelligent Flight Battery, including the DJI RC-N1 cables (a Lightning Connector and USB-C connector), a USB-C data cable, and a DJI RC-N1 RC cable (a microUSB connector).

A wall charger is not included in almost all of the DJI bundles, so check out our recommendations for the best chargers to use with your Mini 2 SE.

You should only use the provided cables by DJI. Third-party equipment risks damaging the battery, as it could over-discharge or short-circuit.  

Your firmware is bad or out-of-date #

When was the last time you checked the firmware for the Mini 2 SE?

As one of DJI’s newest drones (at least at the time of publication), the Mini 2 SE still receives plenty of support and firmware updates.

You should check periodically to see which updates are available and prioritize downloading them. 

**» MORE: **DJI Battery Firmware – All You Need to Know

The battery charger or cables are damaged  #

If you’ve ruled out all other causes of the battery failing to charge, it doesn’t hurt to test your cables and equipment, such as the charger.

What to do when your DJI Mini 2 SE battery won’t charge  #

You can’t use your Mini 2 SE until you get your battery issue fixed, which can mean missing out on income and failing to get projects done by the deadline. 

Now that you know something is wrong with your drone, you need a fix fast.

Unless it’s something you can easily do yourself, such as awaken the battery from Hibernation Mode or reduce the temperature, you don’t have a lot of options. 

You can send the damaged battery to a third-party service to fix it (DJI doesn’t offer battery repair). Much more expeditiously, you can replace the battery. 

After all, if you’re a busy drone pilot maximizing your income, you know as well as I do how important it is to have several batteries on hand. Swapping out the damaged battery with a new one might be all it takes to get your Mini 2 SE up and running once more.  

**» MORE: **LiPo Batteries for Drones (Everything You Need to Know)

Understanding DJI Mini 2 SE battery status lights #

The Mini 2 SE includes four LED status lights that denote the battery charge when discharging and recharging. 

The lights can tell you at a glance when to recharge. Here’s an overview of what each light pattern means. 

LED Light Pattern****Battery PercentageAll four LED lights are illuminatedThe battery level is at least 88 percent The first, second, and third LED light are illuminated and the fourth one is flashingThe battery level is less than or equal to 88 percent and no lower than 75 percent The first, second, and third LED light are illuminated and the fourth one is outThe battery level is less than or equal to 75 percent and no lower than 63 percent The first and second LED light are illuminated, the third is flashing, and the fourth light is outThe battery level is less than or equal to 63 percent and no lower than 50 percent The first and second LED lights are illuminated and the third and fourth are outThe battery level is less than or equal to 50 percent and no lower than 38 percent The first LED light is illuminated, the second is flashing, and the third and fourth are out The battery is less than or equal to 38 percent and no lower than 25 percentThe first LED light is illuminated and the second, third, and fourth lights are outThe battery is less than or equal to 25 percent and no lower than 13 percent The first LED light is illuminated and blinking and the second, third, and fourth lights are outThe battery is less than or equal to 13 percent and no lower than zero percent

**» MORE: **How Long Do Drone Batteries Take to Charge?