As one of the cheapest DJI drones, the Mini 2 SE is an absolute delight for beginners.
This drone is one of the best you can find around its price point and one of the easiest ways to get into the hobby.
But even with this drone, like with any drone, there’s a negligible chance for it to have issues.
Or maybe not.
But you’re faced with the issue of being unable to take off with your brand-new DJI Mini 2 SE.
Before contacting customer support, let’s see what could be the reason why it won’t take off and if there are any fixes.
If the DJI Mini 2 SE does not want to turn on at all, we have a dedicated article covering many of the possible issues.
To help, we’ve identified and reviewed the best drone courses for beginners and professionals.
Geolocation Restricted Area
One of the most common reasons a DJI drone won’t take off is because you’re in a restricted area.
All DJI drones have software running called Geofencing, which restricts the drone from taking off in a geographically restricted area. This includes the DJI Mini 2 SE.
You don’t have to be close to an airport or military base for a zone to be geo-restricted. It can happen anywhere, as long as there’s an aviation reason for not flying a drone there, whether temporary or permanent.
In this case, there are two things you can do.
- Try to fly in a different zone which does not have any geo-restrictions
- Attempt an unlock or custom geo unlock so you can fly the drone there.
In the second scenario, the process can be simple or can lead to a complex trail of paperwork, including providing reasons why you need to fly a drone there.
On top of that, you may also need local service approval from the party prohibiting flying drones in the area on top of the DJI geo-unlocking approval.
It can be a lengthy process, and sometimes you might wonder if it’s really worth the struggle to fly your DJI Mini 2 SE there or if you should seek another zone.
Of course, if the geo-restriction is the reason.
But how do you know whether a geo-restriction is the reason you can’t take off?
There are multiple ways.
Depending on your country, you may have an app or map dedicated to drones, highlighting restricted airspaces. If you’re in one of the zones, the reason is apparent.
Another way, and the most simple one, is when you turn on your DJI Mini 2 SE and want to take off, you get an error on the screen indicating that the drone is in a restricted zone or nearby geo zone under temporary flight restrictions.
If you’re looking for more information about this and how to unlock the geo zone on your DJI Mini 2 SE, have a look at the following articles:
- DJI Mini 2 SE – Unlock GEO Zones (Step-by-Step Guide)
- Do DJI Drones Have Geofencing? (And How to Unlock Them)
No GPS in Beginner Mode
When you receive your DJI Mini 2 SE for the first time and look forward to the first flight, what can be worse than not being able to take off?
The following reason is also common. Every new drone comes with the beginner mode activated.
This mode will restrict your flight speed, altitude, and range to about a 30-meter radius around you; this way, you learn to fly a drone without major mishaps.
But not many people know that the DJI Mini 2 SE won’t let you take off in beginner mode if you have no GPS signal in the area. That safety feature will prevent you from flying the drone manually.
The GPS module behind the DJI Mini 2 SE will help your drone hover accurately, take off, and land automatically, as well as power the return-to-home functions.
A first-time drone pilot has to rely on these features. And without GPS, things can go really wrong.
That’s why you can’t take off as long as your DJI Mini 2 SE is and remains in beginner mode and you have no GPS service.
As a solution, you either need to move to another place or wait for the drone to acquire enough satellites for you to fly safely.
If you’re really confident, you can also disable the beginner mode and fly without GPS (which we don’t recommend).
There could be many causes why you don’t have GPS on your DJI Mini 2 SE. Here is an article to read if you’re having trouble with that.
» MORE: DJI Mini 2 SE No GPS (Explained)
Calibration Error
The DJI Mini 2 SE has a lot of sophisticated parts to make it work as it should, from IMU (inertial measurement unit) that combines gyroscopes and accelerometers to a compass, GPS module, and gimbal.
All these parts work together for the drone to fly smoothly, hover accurately, know its orientation, and use different functions.
But in some situations, for instance, the compass and IMU may not have precise readings and need recalibration.
If you try to take off your DJI Mini 2 SE without proper calibration, it may struggle, fail, or even won’t let you take off at all.
If you get an error on the screen where a specific type of calibration is required, this may be the reason your Mini 2 SE cannot take off.
We also have an article you may want to read if you have issues and need to calibrate your drone.
» MORE: How to Calibrate a Drone (Ultimate Guide)
Aircraft missing parts error (after a crash)
What could be worse than crashing a drone? We never want that, but sometimes, the inevitable can happen, not only with the Mini 2 SE but any drone in general.
Drones are of different construction from one another, and a crash can have negative impacts, from “shaking things up” to breaking arms, motors, internal components, etc.
Generally, if you crash your Mini 2 SE and most other DJI drones, unsurprisingly, you may have to deal with a ton of errors if you want to take off again, even if your drone looks fine from the outside.
This won’t always happen, but modules can get disconnected or broken.
The error list is extensive, but usually, if you get an error on the screen, for instance, ERROR Code 40021, it should state something like “Gimbal IMU Data Error.” These errors can vary and pop up at any time, even if you don’t crash your drone.
In many scenarios, error codes are universal. We have here a list covering a multitude of errors for the earlier version of this drone, the DJI Mini 2, if you’re having issues.
» MORE: DJI Mini 2 Errors: What They Mean (And How to Fix Them)
Old app version
The DJI Fly App needs to run on the latest version to match the DJI Mini 2 SE firmware for proper functionality.
Although you can sometimes fly the drone without updating the app, updating it is advised.
But if you have an ancient version of the DJI Fly App installed on your phone, you can have issues with flying the drone or even taking off in the first place.
So, if everything looks fine around but you can’t take off your Mini 2 SE, double-check if there’s any update for the app.
» MORE: DJI Mini 2 SE App (Read This Before Downloading)
Different firmware versions (between the controller and DJI Mini 2 SE)
The same is true as with the DJI Fly App: If you have older firmware versions for your DJI Mini 2 SE, you need to update it in order to benefit from the latest fixes and improvements.
Running old updates may cause you to have issues with your drone. This said, worse than having an old firmware version would be to have a different firmware for your controller and the drone.
This usually happens if you run the update for only the drone or the controller and not all devices. Keep in mind that when you update firmware, you need to update for both the drone and controller.
Incompatible firmware versions may significantly impact the drone’s standard functionality. And in this case, your drone may even refuse to take off in the first place.
In this case, the fix is simple. Update the DJI Mini 2 SE to the latest firmware version, including the drone, controller, and app.
» MORE: DJI Mini 2 SE: How to Update Firmware (Step-by-Step Guide)
The controller is not linked to the drone
In some rare circumstances, when you purchase a new DJI Mini 2 SE (and this can happen with any drone), your controller may come unlinked from the drone.
That’s not supposed to happen, but at the same time, it should not be an issue to cause concerns. That’s something you can fix yourself.
Double-check it if you can’t seem to connect the DJI RC-N1 to your brand-new DJI Mini 2 SE. Maybe they’re not linked.
In this case, not only can you not take off the drone, but you cannot have any live image or OSD on your phone screen.
In the following article, we have the step-by-step process to link the controller to your DJI Mini 2 SE.
» MORE: DJI Mini 2 SE Controller (All You Need to Know)
Too hot or too cold
The DJI Mini 2 SE can fly in optimal weather conditions and between 0° to 40° C (32° to 104° F). So, if you want to fly your drone during harsh winter weather with many degrees below freezing, your drone may not even take off.
The same can happen if you’re trying to fly the drone in scorching environments.
But this should not come as a surprise.
If you see you can take off your DJI Mini 2 SE, but you’re way off in the temperature range, this doubtless is the reason, and you should not try to take off forcefully as the temperature can permanently damage the drone.
» MORE: DJI Mini 2 SE and Weather (Explained for Beginners)
Aircraft not activated
Maybe this should have been the first reason to look into if your DJI Mini 2 SE could not take off. You got your brand-new drone and took it outside to fly it.
But have you activated it in the first place?
Each DJI drone has to go through a basic activation process to connect the drone (or bind it) to your DJI account.
This part is mandatory not only for analytical data and flight logs but also for safety and security reasons.
The following article is a beginner guide on activating, preparing, and using the DJI Mini 2 SE, and we recommend you read it if you have issues with the activation process or are looking for a simple guide.
» MORE: DJI Mini 2 SE – Beginner’s Guide
Other reasons
What we have covered above are the basics of why your DJI Mini 2 SE may not take off.
It can be before the first flight or after a crash, or it can happen randomly. There could even be many more reasons.
One other cause I can think of as to why your DJI Mini 2 SE does not want to fly anymore is related to the firmware. I’m not talking about incompatibility, but sometimes, after you update the drone to the latest firmware versions, you can have more problems than before.
It’s rare for this to happen, and until now, it has never happened with the DJI Mini 2 SE, but it has affected other DJI drones.
So, if you’re having issues taking off the Mini 2 SE after an update, the best solution would be to downgrade the firmware to an earlier version.
If nothing from what we have mentioned here is working for you or the issue would be totally different and you still can’t take off your DJI Mini 2 SE, we strongly recommend you to have a chat with DJI Customer Support.
They should help when there are no other solutions.
» MORE: DJI Mini 2 SE Issues: 9 Things You Should Know (Must-Read)