Wondering how to factory reset a drone? In this article, you will find out all the steps you need to follow in order to do so.
Quite a few compelling reasons during the life of your drone can necessitate a factory reset. Sometimes, you may see your drone drifting off in one direction.
At times, repairs may not help set right certain malfunctions. Situations like this may demand a factory reset as the only best solution.
Some of the most drone common problems a factory reset can help solve are intermittent power troubles, issues related to gimbal calibration, and other kinds of calibration issues.
Sometimes, a factory reset alone cannot solve the problem and hence you will also have to try resetting your drone controller.
If you are gifting your drone to someone or selling it away, a factory reset is highly recommended before you pass on the ownership of your drone.
Whichever situation might require you to attempt a factory reset, you must know how to do this simple task to troubleshoot several issues before approaching customer support.
In this article, I am discussing how to factory reset your drone in some simple steps.
In some cases of factory reset, you will need the manufacturer’s software. Some drone brands allow you to do the factory reset without any software. The factory reset procedure differs between manufacturers.
As I will be covering quite a few reset methods, you can choose the one relevant to your situation depending on the drone model you own.
How To Factory Reset A Drone?
Steps to reset a DJI Drone
Not all drone models can support the factory reset process. Responding to a user’s question on how to reset a DJI Mavic Mini drone on their official customer support portal, DJI said the DJI Mavic Mini drone does not have a factory reset supporting feature.
Therefore, if you can successfully do the factory reset with the steps discussed below, it might mean your drone does not come with factory reset.
Here are the simple steps to reset your DJI drone. Nevertheless, you may also try these same steps to factory reset other drone brands too.
Step 1: Download and install the DJI Assistant Program on the device. You can download this on computers with Windows or Mac OS. For the Android version, check the Google Play Store.
You need to choose the right DJI assistant depending on the drone model you own. The DJI Assistant 2 can support drone models like Mavic Air, Mavic Pro, DJI Goggles, and some others.
DJI Assistant for Mavic goes is meant to use with Mavic, while DJI assistant for Phantom is compatible with Phantom models like Phantom 4., Phantom 4 Pro, Phantom 4 Advanced, Phantom 4 Pro V 2.0.
Step 2: Power on your drone.
Step 3: Connect your drone to your laptop with the USB cable provided by the manufacturer. If you do not have one, you may also use any other compatible USB cable for this purpose.
Step 4: Open the DJI Assistant program. Once it opens, it will automatically search for the connected devices. The search and connection may take a few seconds.
Step 5: You will see your drone model name on the screen titled Connected Devices. Choose your drone and click on ‘CONFIRM’.
Step 6: Click to do the Firmware Update. Once it is done, you will see the button “Restore factory defaults”.
Step 7: Click on the button “Restore Factory Defaults” and confirm it once again when the software asks for it. You will see the progress of the reset displayed on the screen. A notification tells you when the factory reset is successfully done.
Steps to reset some other drone models
The factory reset procedure I have discussed above can work with some other drone models too. To attempt the factory reset for any other drone model, you must first install the application the manufacturer has given for the concerned drone model.
Connect the drone to the device and check the reset option. In most cases, you will find this under settings/systems/firmware update.
There are no manufacturer’s programs available to reset some drone models. One example of this case is a few models under the Parrot drones including the Parrot mambo or Parrot Bebop.
Resetting these drones without the support app is very simple. Switch on the parrot drone. Wait for the LEDs to switch to green color.
Press the power button and hold it for 30 seconds. While you hold the power button, two LEDs will start blinking after turning red in an alternating fashion.
This indicates that the factory reset process is progressing. More frequent blinking will signal you that the reset process is nearing completion.
Leave the setup undisturbed for some time. Never release the power button till the LEDs revert to green color. Once this happens, you can be sure that your Parrot drone is reset successfully.
Resetting your drone Wi-Fi in simple steps
If you cannot connect your drone to Wi-Fi, factory reset of Wi-Fi will help restore the Wi-Fi information to factory default values which will fix the problem. The
Wi-Fi reset process will only reset the Wi-Fi information and all the other remaining data will remain there. Follow the simple steps below to factory reset your Wi-Fi in the case of DJI drone.
Step 1: Power on your DJI drone in this way. Tap the power button once and then long press the same till the fans start running. Usually, this is the powering-on sequence in the majority of DJI drone models.
Step 2: Choose the right DJI app recommended for the factory reset of your drone model. I have already given the list of some DJI software meant for different DJI drone models.
To check the list of available apps meant for different DJI software, visit the DJI official website. DJI has given the list of apps and software available and the drone models compatible with that software.
Step 3: Click on the Wi-Fi menu you will see on the app. Press and hold the power button of the drone until you hear three beeps in about 10 seconds. The third beep is the confirmation that the Wi-Fi factory reset is completed.
Step 4: When you try to connect your drone following a Wi-Fi reset, you will be prompted to input the default password. You will find this next to the QR code.
Resetting your drone controller in simple steps
If your drone controller is not performing as expected and if the solutions you tried do not work, you will need to attempt a factory reset.
Many drone owners say there is not enough information available on factory resetting different drone controllers.
Here I have given a step-by-step generic guide to resetting your drone controller. These steps will possibly help fix the problem you face with your drone controller and see your drone on flight very soon.
Step 1: Press and hold down the power button you will find on your DJI drone for about 9 seconds. You will hear three beeps and the drone will power on. Do the same thing to power on your drone controller.
Step 2: Power off your drone controller and also the drone.
Step 3: Power on your drone controller. Press and hold the pause, Fn, and also the bottom right shoulder. You will find this under the DJI drone camera button. Hold both these buttons till you hear a continuous beeping sound.
Step 4: Power on your drone once again and press the power button and hold it until you hear a beep sound. Wait till the controller gets connected to the drone and you will know when the lights glow in green.
The process above will reset your DJI drone controller.
In some drone models like the parrot, resetting the drone will automatically reset the drone controller too.
If you have reset your Parrot drone using the method I have discussed earlier in this article under the relevant subheading, you can know for sure that your drone controller has also been successfully reset.
Here is how you can unregister your drone
FAA has mandated that any drone that weighs between 0.55 and 55 lbs should be registered. So the weight of your drone model falls within this range, you are highly expected to register it.
You need to understand that this rule is applicable in cases of using drones both for commercial and recreational purposes.
FAA has put this rule in place in order to be able to associate a drone with its respective owner. This is necessary to create a system for accountability.
Drone users gifting their drone to somebody or selling it away are advised to deregister their drone before passing on the device to the new owner.
Drones are hot commodities as resale goods. Drone owners are able to sell their used drones for a good price.
Since FAA drone registration rules want to maintain accountability, deregistering it before the transfer of ownership is a crucial step you must complete irrespective of whether you are using the drone for commercial or recreational purposes.
The simple steps to deregister your drone will depend on whether you have registered your drone as a commercial or recreational user.
Commercial drone users need to register each one of their drones with the pilot’s personal identity. In the case of recreational drones, need to register only as drone owners. In this case, they need not provide any information about their drones.
Recreational users can actually sell their drones without going through the process of deregistration. This is since your identity is not tied to any specific drone you own and therefore it can be used on any drone or simultaneously on many drones.
To register your drone ownership identity for recreational purposes, the registration fee of $5 is applicable. Nevertheless, you are expected to remove the inscription of the old registration number before trying to sell it.
To deregister your commercial drone, you need to log in to the FAA drone zone website and go with the user-friendly process you will find on it.
During the simple steps you will need to follow, you will be prompted to provide the reason for unregistering the drone.
Take Home
Factory resetting your drone is something that you can try for yourself. The process is quite simple and you just have to follow the steps relevant to the drone model you are using.
Factory resetting only reverts the drone’s firmware to its original state. This process also completely erases the drone’s flight history. The result is that your drone is reverted to its original state as it was when you first bought it.
Since factory reset can help solve a host of drone problems, this is a necessary method every drone owner must never overlook.
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Jon is a passionate photographer and videographer who has been flying DJI drones for over 5 years. He loves the freedom and creativity that comes with capturing aerial footage and the unique perspective it provides. Jon is always on the lookout for new locations to explore and capture with his DJI drones. His favorite DJI drone is the Mavic 2 Pro, which he uses to capture stunning 4K footage with its Hasselblad camera. Jon is always eager to share his knowledge and experience with other drone enthusiasts and is a member of several online drone communities. When he’s not flying his DJI drone, Jon enjoys hiking, camping, and spending time with his family.
