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How to Turn My Drone On / Off? (and Remote Controller)
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When you’re a complete newbie to this whole drone thing, the simplest step of getting your drone to turn on or turn off can turn out to be embarrassingly and needlessly troublesome. Don’t let anyone’s snarky comments (online or in your real life) get you down. Instead, let us walk you through any trouble you might be having in getting your drone or controller to turn on or off. Then you can get on to the business of flying the drone. After all, everyone has to start somewhere, right?
I’m going to walk through the process of how to turn on and off your drone and controller for a whole bunch of models of drones including the most popular DJI drones, and several other popular manufacturers, so feel free to jump to the section that relates to you and your drone. Here we go!
DJI Mavic Mini (ON or OFF)DJI Mini 2DJI Mavic Air 2DJI Air 2SDJI Mavic ProDJI Mavic 2 ProDJI FPV droneDJI Phantom 3DJI Phantom 4TelloParrotHoly Stone
NOTE: Never turn off your controller while your drone is in flight. This can cause issues with pairing and configurations at the very least, and at worst can result in a flyaway or crash.
How to turn ON a DJI Mavic Mini and Mini 2 (and controller) #
With most drones, including DJI drones, It’s generally recommended to turn on the controller first, before turning on the drone. It’s not an absolute, but I like to know I’m going to have control of the drone from the moment it powers up.
To turn on the controller for the Mavic Mini or Mini 2, press, then press and hold the power button located on the top right corner of the controller. The first press will indicate the battery level, and the second press and hold will power up the controller, ready for use.
To turn on your Mavic Mini or Mini 2, press, then press and hold the power button located on the bottom of the drone. Just like with the controller, the first press will indicate the battery level, and the second press and hold will power up the drone.
Before your first flight, keep in mind that you will need to fully charge the batteries for both the drone and the controller, and activate the drone.
How to activate your new Mini #
To activate your drone when you first open it, follow these steps:
- Fully charge the drone and controller batteries.
- Download the DJI FLY app to your smartphone.
- Make sure your phone has an internet connection, and connect your phone to the remote controller.
- Turn on your controller (see above).
- Turn on your DJI Mini or Mini 2 (see above).
- Open the DJI FLY app.
- Follow all of the setup procedures as you are prompted on the app.
- Now you’re ready for your first flight!
**How to turn OFF your DJI #
Mavic** Mini or Mini 2 (and controller)
{#DJI-Mavic-Mini-and-Mini-2-Off}
To turn off your DJI Mini or Mini 2 drone, press, then press and hold the power button located on the bottom of the drone. The first press will indicate battery level, and the second press and hold will power down the drone.
After your drone has successfully powered down, you can turn off the controller. To turn off your Mini or Mini 2 controller, press, then press and hold the power button located on the top right corner of the controller. The first press will indicate battery level, while the second press and hold will power down the controller.
We’ve covered in-depth how to turn off several DJI drone models, including the Mavic Mini, the Mini 2, the Mavic 2 Pro, the Mavic Air, and the Mavic Air 2. For a more detailed discussion on how to power down each of these drones, check out our article over here.
How to turn ON a DJI Mavic Air 2 or Air 2S (and controller) #
Just like with other drone models, the best power-on sequence is to power on the remote first, and then turn on the Mavic Air 2 or the Air 2S itself. It’s also a good idea to connect your phone and launch your DJI FLY app before starting up your drone.
To turn on your Mavic Air 2 or Air 2S controller, press once, then press and hold down the power button located in the middle of the controller, slightly offset to the right. You will see the battery LED indicator lights flash, showing you that the controller has powered on.
Once your controller and app are up and running, you can now power on your Mavic Air 2 or Air 2S. To turn on your Mavic Air 2 or Air 2S, press, then press and hold the power button located on the top center of the drone (on the battery). The first press will show you the battery charge level, and the second press and hold will power on the drone.
How to activate your new Mavic Air 2 or Air 2S #
To activate your drone when you first open it, before your first flight, follow these steps:
- Fully charge the drone and controller batteries.
- Download the DJI FLY app to your smartphone.
- Make sure your phone has an internet connection, and connect your phone to the remote controller.
- Turn on your controller (see above).
- Turn on your DJI Mavic Air 2 or Air 2S (see above).
- Open the DJI FLY app.
- Follow all of the setup procedures as you are prompted on the app.
- Now you’re ready for your first flight!
How to turn OFF a DJI Mavic Air 2 or Air 2S (and controller) #
To turn off your Dji Mavic Air 2 or Air 2S, press once, then press and hold the power button located on the top center of the drone (on the battery). The first press will show you the battery power level remaining, and the second press and hold of several seconds will power down the drone.
After your drone is safely turned off, you can power down your remote controller. To turn off the controller, press, then press and hold the power button located on the front face of the controller. The first quick press shows the controller battery level, and the second press and hold turns it off.
For a more detailed discussion on how to turn off your Mavic Air 2 or Air 2S, check out our article over here.
How to turn ON a DJI Mavic Pro or Mavic 2 Pro (and controller) #
To turn on your Mavic Pro controller, find the power button located on the top right corner of the controller. Do a quick press, then a press and hold until you hear a beeping sound indicating that the controller is powering up. The first quick press will show the battery level of the controller, and the second press and hold power up the controller.
Once you’ve turned on your controller, and preferably with your phone attached and DJI GO4 app launched, you are ready to turn on your Mavic Pro or Mavic 2 Pro. To turn on the Mavic Pro or Mavic 2 Pro drone, press once, then press and hold the power button located on the top of the drone (on the battery). You will see the LED lights on the drone flashing to indicate that it has successfully powered on.
How to activate your new Mavic Pro or Mavic 2 Pro #
To activate your drone when you first open it, before your first flight, follow these steps:
- Download the DJI GO4 app to your smartphone.
- Make sure your phone has an internet connection, and connect your phone to the remote controller.
- Turn on your controller (see above).
- Turn on your DJI Mavic Pro or Mavic 2 Pro (see above).
- Open the DJI GO4 app.
- Follow all of the setup procedures as you are prompted on the app.
- Now you’re ready for your first flight!
How to turn OFF a DJI Mavic Pro or Mavic 2 Pro (and controller) #
To turn off your DJI Mavic Pro or Mavic 2 Pro drone, quick press, then press and hold the power button located on the top of the drone. The first press will light up the LEDs on the battery showing you the remaining power level, while the second press and hold will power down the drone. Hold the button down until the LEDs have all gone dark, indicating that the drone is off.
Once your drone has successfully powered off, you can now shut down the controller. To turn off your Mavic Pro or Mavic 2 Pro controller, simply press, then press and hold the power button on the top right corner of the controller. On the second press and hold, hold the button down until you hear beeping sounds indicating that the controller has shut down.
For a more detailed discussion on how to turn off your Mavic Pro or Mavic 2 Pro, check out our article over here.
How to turn ON a DJI FPV drone (and controller, motion controller, and goggles) #
With the DJI FPV drone, just like with all DJI drones, it’s best practice to start the controller first, then power on the drone. You should also connect your phone and launch your DJI FLY app before starting up your drone.
Controller #
To turn on your DJI FPV controller, quick press, then press and hold down the power button located in the middle of the controller, slightly offset to the right. You will see the battery LED indicator lights flash, showing you that the controller has powered on.
Motion Controller #
If you have also purchased the motion controller to be able to control the DJI FPV with simple hand motions, you may be wondering how to power on the motion controller. To turn on the motion controller, find the power button located at the top of the device on the right side. Then press once, then press and hold down the button until the unit powers on.
FPV Goggles #
The most thrilling part of flying the DJI FPV drone of course is getting that FPV view through the goggles that come with the drone. To turn on the FPV goggles, first plug in the goggles to the goggles’ battery using the cable included. Then press once, then press and hold down the power button located on the battery.
FPV Drone #
Once your controller and app are up and running, you can now power on your Mavic Air 2 or Air 2S. To turn on your DJI FPV drone press, then press and hold the power button located on the back end of the drone. The first press will show you the battery charge level, and the second press and hold will power on the drone.
How to turn OFF a DJI FPV drone (and controller) #
To turn off your DJI FPV drone, press once, then press and hold down the power button on the back of the drone. You should see the LED lights shut off, indicating that the drone has successfully powered down.
Once your drone has shut down, you can turn off your controller and/or motion controller and goggles. **To turn off your controller or motion controller, simply find the power button, then do a quick press, then press and hold down the power button until you hear beeping sounds that tell you the controller has powered down. **
To turn off the FPV goggles, first turn off the battery by pressing, then pressing and holding the power button. After the goggles’ battery is powered down, you can safely unplug the battery from the goggles.
How to turn ON a DJI Phantom 3 or Phantom 4 (and controller) #
The Phantom 4 and the Phantom 4 drones turn on in much the same way as other DJI drones. And as with the other models as well, I recommend first turning on the controller before powering up the drone itself. Also, have the DJI GO app (for Phantom 3) or DJI GO4 app (for Phantom 4) up and running on your phone before turning on the drone.
To turn on your Phantom 3 or Phantom 4 controller, press once, then press and hold down the power button located on the front of the controller. You will hear a beeping sound, and see flashing LEDs to show that the controller is trying to link to the drone.
**To turn on your Phantom 3 or Phantom 4 drone, first find the power button, which is located on the back of the drone (on the battery). Then do a quick press, then press and hold the power button until you hear beeping sounds indicating that the drone has powered on. **
Once the drone and controller have successfully powered on and connected, all the LEDs on the drone and controller should show solid green.
How to turn OFF a DJI Phantom 3 or Phantom 4 (and controller) #
To turn off your DJI Phantom or Phantom 4 drone, simply press once, then press and hold down the power button on the back of the drone (on the battery). You will hear beeping sounds, then all the LED lights will go off, indicating that the power down sequence has been successful.
Once your drone has powered down, you can now switch off the controller. To turn off your Phantom 3 or Phantom 4 controller, press once, then press and hold down the power button on the front of the controller until you see all the LEDs turn off.
» MORE: Which Controller App Do I Need for My DJI Drone
**How to turn ON a Tello drone ** #
To turn on your Tello drone, press the power button located on the right-hand side of the drone, about halfway down the length of the body. If you seem to be having trouble powering on the drone, the first thing to do is make sure the drone battery is fully charged.
Before you can fly the drone, you will need to connect to the Tello controller app on your smartphone. To do this, first download and launch the app, then open your phone’s settings to connect to the drone’s wifi network, TELLO-XXXXXX. Go back to the app, and if you can see the live camera view on your screen, the connection has been successful, and you are ready to fly.
If you haven’t flown it in a while, the battery may have run down on its own and will need to be charged again.
If you continue to have problems with the battery or with the drone turning on, you most likely need to perform a firmware update. To do this, try this hack:
- With a fully charged battery out of the drone, press and hold the power button.
- With the power button still held down, connect the battery to the charger.
- Still holding the power button down, insert the battery into the drone.
- When the green LED stops flashing, release the power button.
- When you see a flashing red LED, connect the drone to your phone and perform a firmware update.
Hopefully, this will resolve any issues with the Tello drone failing to turn on as it should.
**How to turn OFF a Tello drone ** #
To turn off your Tello drone, simply press and release the power button, which is the same button you used to turn the drone on. Make sure that the motors and propellers have come to a complete stop before trying to turn off the Tello drone. I also recommend always turning off the drone before closing out the controller app, as you want to remain in control as long as the drone is “live”.
To make sure you have the smoothest landing possible before shutting down your drone, I recommend using the automatic landing button rather than just bringing the drone down to land with the joystick.
Also, for the sake of your battery health (and your drone’s well-being), don’t let the battery run down to zero while you’re in flight. Land your drone on the first low-battery warning to make sure you don’t crash land, and to keep your battery charge from draining all the way down.
» MORE: LiPo Batteries for Drones (Everything You Need to Know)
How to turn ON my Parrot Drone (and controller) #
For Parrot drones, as with most drones, the recommended power-on sequence should be as follows:
- Turn on the controller.
- Attach phone or tablet and launch the flight app.
- Power on the drone.
- Complete calibration and updates as necessary.
Some users argue for a different power-on sequence, and many will turn on the drone first. However, I recommend turning the controller on first, as you always want to be able to control the drone from the minute it powers up.
Parrot Anafi #
To turn on your Parrot Anafi drone, you simply need to locate and press, then press and hold the power button on the drone. The power button is located on the top of the drone battery (which is also on top of the drone when the battery is installed), and a short tap followed by a press and hold for 3 seconds will turn the drone on.
If you are using a Parrot Skycontroller 3, to power on the controller simply release and unfold the phone mount, and the controller will power on. Then you can attach your smartphone or tablet and get the setup process completed, ready for your flight.
Some users have reported issues with the Skycontroller 3 not turning on as it should when opened. In most cases, this is due to a faulty battery, in which case you should contact the manufacturer for a replacement.
How to hard reset your Anafi #
If you’re having trouble with your Parrot Anafi and you feel that a hard reset of either the drone or the controller is required, here’s how you can do this:
- Make sure you have a compatible microSD card installed in the Anafi.
- Power on the drone and allow it to calibrate the gimbal.
- Press and hold the power button for at least 8 seconds until you see all 4 battery LEDs lit up in red.
- Release the power button.
- At this point, the drone momentarily turns off, then automatically reboots.
If you’re having trouble with your battery and you need to hard reset your Anafi drone smart battery (which Parrot recommends you do periodically, or whenever the battery is performing erratically), here’s what you need to do:
- Plug in the smart battery to a power source.
- Press and hold the power button on the battery for 15 seconds.
- Release the power button.
- At this point, you will see the LEDs on the battery flash in green, then red, then back to blinking in green, showing that the reset was successful.
Parrot Bebop 2 #
To power on your Parrot Bebop 2, locate and press the power button located at the back of the drone. A short press or quick tap and release will turn the drone on (no need to press and hold). You will hear some beeping sounds, and see the power button flashing for a minute or two while the drone initializes. I recommend first powering on the controller and launching your flight app before turning on the drone.
The Parrot Bebop 2 can be controlled solely through the use of the Freeflight app on a smartphone or tablet, so there is no controller to power on or off. One less thing to worry about!
How to turn OFF my Parrot Drone (and controller) #
Parrot Anafi #
To turn off your Parrot Anafi, simply press once with a short tap and release the power button on top of the drone battery. There’s no need to press and hold, as you may be used to if you’ve been flying DJI drones. The power button for the drone is actually the power button on the battery, but when the battery is installed on the drone, it functions as the drone power on/off button.
To power off the controller, which should be done after the drone is safely turned off, simply detach the smartphone or tablet from the mount, and close the mount arm. The controller should turn off when the mount arm is closed. If it seems to be stuck on and won’t turn off when you close the arm mount, you can try resetting the controller or removing the battery. If the problem persists, contact the manufacturer.
Parrot Bebop 2 #
**To turn off your Parrot Bebop 2, press once and release on the power button located at the back of the drone. The drone should power off immediately. **
If you need to reset your Parrot Bebop 2 to factory settings, here are the steps to follow:
- Power on the drone by tapping the power button on the back of the drone.
- After the drone finishes initializing, press and hold the power button for 10 seconds.
- Allow the drone to shut down, reboot, and initialize again. This should take about 1 minute.
- Your drone will now be reset to its default factory settings.
How to turn ON my Holy Stone drone (and controller) #
To turn on a Holy Stone drone, you simply need to locate and press the power button on the drone. A one-touch press is what we’re talking about here – no need to press and hold. The location of the power switch on the drone will vary slightly by model. It may be located on the top of the drone (as on the HS720), or near the battery port.
In some of the lower-end, toy-type models (such as the HS210), there may not be a power button on the drone at all, but the drone will simply power on when the battery is connected.
To power on a Holy Stone controller, locate and press or toggle the power button or switch on the controller. On the HS720, to turn on the remote, you need to simultaneously press the lock button on the left side of the remote while toggling the power button on the right side.
You can see how this is done in this video (start at around the 1:50 mark).
For many other Holy Stone models, the on/off switch on the controller is a simple button or toggle switch located at the base of the controller.
The power-on sequence for Holy Stone drones should be as follows:
- Turn on the drone.
- Turn on the controller.
- Connect your smartphone to the drone’s wifi settings.
- Open the Holy Stone controller app on your phone.
If you’re having trouble with this, check out our article to read more about how to connect your Holy Stone drone to your phone.
How to turn OFF my Holy Stone drone (and controller) #
To turn off your Holy Stone HS 720 drone, you need to press the power button on the drone with a long press (about 3-5 seconds). A short, simple tap turns the drone on, and a longer press will power down the drone. If you are having trouble with the drone not powering down, you can always remove the battery by releasing the battery lock and sliding the battery out.
For other models of Holy Stone drones such as the HS210, you need to disconnect the battery to power the drone off. To do this, disconnect the wire cable end of the battery from the port on the drone, and the drone will turn off.
**To turn off your Holy Stone remote controller, on the HS720 you will need to press the lock button and simultaneously slide the power switch located below the right joystick. **
You may have trouble powering down the controller if the drone is still on, so **always turn off the drone first, before turning off the controller. **
On the HS210, to power off the controller simply slide the power toggle switch located at the bottom of the controller unit. This should successfully turn off your remote controller, but if you’re not sure it has turned off, you can remove the batteries to make sure the unit is fully off.