If you’ve ever wanted a clutter free, full-screen view while flying your DJI drone, you’ve probably searched for a way to get a DJI Fly clear screen, stripping away all the telemetry data, flight stats, and interface overlays so you can focus purely on your footage. This guide covers everything you need to know about hiding the OSD (On-Screen Display) in the DJI Fly app, including what’s currently possible, its limitations, and practical workarounds.
What Is the OSD in DJI Fly?
OSD stands for On-Screen Display. In the DJI Fly app, it refers to all the data overlaid on your live camera feed during flight things like:
- Battery level and remaining flight time
- GPS signal strength and satellite count
- Altitude and distance from home point
- Horizontal and vertical speed
- Return-to-Home (RTH) status indicators
- Camera settings (ISO, shutter speed, aperture)
- Signal strength bars
All of this information is essential for safe flying, but it can get in the way when you want to carefully compose a shot, check framing details, use screen recording as a quick video preview, or simply enjoy an immersive view of what your drone sees.
The DJI Fly App vs. DJI Go 4: A Key Difference
Users who switched from older DJI drones running DJI Go 4 will immediately notice something missing in DJI Fly. In Go 4, you could swipe up on the screen with one finger (or two, depending on settings) to instantly hide all the HUD data and get a clean full-screen feed. Swiping back down brought everything back.
DJI Fly does not have this same swipe to clear gesture built in. This has been a consistent complaint from users flying the Mini series, Air 2S, Mini 3 Pro, Mini 4 Pro, and other newer DJI models that use the Fly app. As of the latest app versions, there is no single tap or swipe that fully removes all OSD elements the way Go 4 did.
What You Can Do in DJI Fly
While a true one gesture OSD toggle doesn’t exist, there are several things you can do within the DJI Fly app to reduce screen clutter:
1. Tap on the Live View to Minimize the Interface
In DJI Fly, tapping on the center of the live feed will collapse some of the side panels and reduce visible UI elements. This won’t remove the core telemetry bar at the top, but it does declutter the sides of the screen. Combined with landscape/tablet mode on a larger device, this can provide a noticeably cleaner view.
2. Reduce the HUD Manually via Camera Settings
Inside the camera view, certain toggles, like the histogram display, grid lines, overexposure warning, and focus peaking can each be switched off individually. Go to Camera Settings → Display and turn off any visual overlays you don’t need. Turning these off reduces visual noise, even if the main telemetry stays put.
3. Use the RC Pro or Smart Controller HDMI Output
For users with the DJI RC Pro or the older Smart Controller, the HDMI output on the controller can pass a clean video signal to an external monitor. Many users working on professional shoots use this method, connecting the controller to a field monitor via HDMI to get a clean, OSD-free image for framing and focus.
4. Enable Full-Screen Preview Mode (Where Available)
On some newer DJI RC controllers with built-in screens, there is a full-screen preview toggle accessible through the bottom toolbar or a swipe gesture on the controller’s own display. Check your specific controller’s manual, as this feature varies by model. The DJI RC 2, for instance, introduced some streamlined interface options.
Workarounds for a Clean Screen Recording
One major use case for hiding the OSD is screen recording, capturing your live feed at low resolution for quick social sharing without needing to offload files from a memory card. Here are the cleanest approaches:
Use your phone’s native screen recorder after minimizing as many UI panels as possible in DJI Fly. While it won’t be completely clean, toggling off non-essential displays helps significantly.
Consider DJI’s cache video feature. DJI Fly does include a video caching option that saves a lower resolution version of your footage directly to your phone. Enable this in Settings → Video Cache, and you’ll have a phone accessible copy of your footage without screen recording at all. This is arguably the best alternative to needing a clean screen recording in the first place.
What About Future Updates?
The absence of a simple OSD-clear feature in DJI Fly has been widely requested by the drone community. Users on DJI’s own forums, Mavic Pilots, and Reddit have repeatedly asked for a single swipe or tap gesture to toggle the HUD on and off, just as DJI Go 4 had.
It would be a straightforward software addition, and DJI has updated the Fly app many times since its launch. If you want this feature officially added, submitting feedback directly through the DJI Fly app (go to Profile → Feedback) is the most direct way to register your request.
Quick Summary
| Method | Clears OSD? | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Swipe gesture (like Go 4) | ❌ Not available | DJI Fly doesn’t support this |
| Tap center of screen | Partial | Collapses side panels only |
| Turn off individual overlays | Partial | Reduces clutter, not full removal |
| HDMI out to external monitor | ✅ Yes | Requires RC Pro or Smart Controller |
| Video Cache feature | N/A | Avoids screen recording need |
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Article Summary
The DJI Fly clear screen experience isn’t as seamless as it was in Go 4, and that’s a genuine shortcoming of the app as it stands. For most recreational pilots, minimizing the UI through individual settings and tapping the live view gets you close enough to a clean feed for composition purposes. For professional or broadcast-quality work, the HDMI output route via a compatible controller remains the most reliable path to an OSD-free image. Keep an eye on DJI Fly update notes. Given how frequently the community has asked for this feature, a proper full-screen OSD toggle could arrive in a future release.
Read More: DJI Fly App Update 1.15.8 : What’s New and Improved?
