Lost your drone? How to find it

A lost drone is usually closer than it seems, and the app on your phone knows roughly where. Keep calm, do not switch anything off and go through these steps in order.

1. If you still have the signal

• Look at the map in the app: it shows the drone, you and the home point.
• Press Return to Home. If the drone is behind trees or a building, climbing a little often brings the signal back, as long as there is nothing above it.
• If the battery will not last the trip, land it in an open spot you can see on the map, and walk there.

2. If the signal is gone

DJI drones, and most drones with GPS, are set to fly back to the home point on their own when they lose the signal, as long as they recorded it before taking off. Stay where you took off, keep the controller on with its antennas facing where the drone was, and wait a few minutes.

3. Find My Drone, in DJI Fly

If it does not come back, open DJI Fly and go to Profile, then Find My Drone (or, from the camera view, ··· > Safety > Find My Drone). It shows on a map the last coordinates the drone sent before the connection dropped, and the last image. If the drone still has battery and connects again, you can make it beep and flash its lights (DJI support).

It is the last known position, not where the drone is now: if it was still flying when the signal dropped, it may have gone on for a while. With other brands, look for the last position in the flight records of the app and copy it into the phone's map.

4. Search the area

• Walk to the last position with the phone's map, not by eye.
• Look up as well as down: trees, roofs, hedges and power lines. If the battery ran out, the drone will have come down close to the last position.
• A second drone helps: from 20 to 30 m with the camera pointing down, a drone in a field or a treetop is easier to spot from above than from the ground. The AI of Animal Drone Rescue AI looks for animals, not drones, so watch the video yourself.

5. If it is in a tree or in water

• Do not climb a tree or go into water you would not go into anyway: no drone is worth it. Ask a tree surgeon, or the power company if it is near a line.
• If it fell into water, take the battery out as soon as you get it back and do not switch it on until it is completely dry.

6. If you cannot find it

• Do not delete the app or the flight records: insurers and DJI Care Refresh, some of whose plans cover a flyaway, ask for them.
• Report it to the police as lost property. The operator or registration number on the drone helps them reach you if someone hands it in.

Next time

• Wait for the app to confirm the home point before you take off.
• Set the Return to Home height above the tallest trees and buildings around.
• Put a label with your phone number inside the battery compartment.
• Keep the drone where you can see it. It is the rule in almost every country, and the surest way not to lose it.

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Reviewed on October 23, 2026.