Betaflight setup guide for beginners

Betaflight firmware and the Betaflight App

Betaflight is the free, open-source firmware on the flight controller. It processes your radio inputs, controls the motors and stores settings such as modes, rates and tune. The Betaflight App is the interface used to configure that firmware; it was previously called Betaflight Configurator.

Open or download the Betaflight App

On desktop, use the official Betaflight browser app. From the 2025.12 generation onward it is a PWA, so you can install it from the browser and open it offline later. The web app requires a Chromium-based browser with WebUSB and WebSerial support; Chrome and Edge are the common choices.

Need a Betaflight download instead? The native Android app and older native builds for Windows, macOS and Linux are available from the official App releases on GitHub. Download only from there or betaflight.com, not from third-party download sites.

Connect the flight controller over USB

Remove the propellers and connect the flight controller with a USB cable that supports data; many charging cables have no data lines. On the first connection in the browser app, choose I can’t find my USB device, select the flight controller in the browser dialog, then click Connect.

No USB device or COM port? First try another data cable and USB port, and close software that may be holding the serial port. Then follow the official USB troubleshooting guide; use ImpulseRC Driver Fixer or Zadig on Windows only when a COM/DFU problem calls for it.

Back up and flash the firmware

On a ready-built drone, inspect the existing setup first. Before changing anything, use Save backup or save the output of diff all from the CLI. Flashing erases the existing configuration. Let Firmware Flasher auto-detect the board, verify the board name and select the latest final patch offered for that board.

Exception: some manufacturers ship their own firmware for their flight controller. BetaFPV does this for the Air65 II, for example, because that flight controller is built with different gyro chips. In that case, do not flash official Betaflight firmware; use the firmware and CLI files the manufacturer publishes for your drone. On our products, those links are under Downloads & firmware.

The official Betaflight 2026.6 release exists. Keep Show release candidates disabled for a normal setup: do not choose an RC, nightly or development build, and recheck every setting after flashing before you fly.

Setting up your ELRS receiver

For an external ELRS receiver, enable Serial RX in Ports on its UART; do not also enable MSP on that UART. In Receiver, select serial mode and ELRS / Crossfire / Tracer — CRSF. A built-in SPI ELRS receiver on a tiny whoop does not use a UART: select SPI Rx and the EXPRESSLRS provider instead.

Move every stick and switch, then confirm that the channels and 3D model respond correctly in the Receiver tab. Adjust the channel map if roll, pitch, throttle or yaw appears on the wrong input.

Arming and modes

In Modes, assign the ARM mode range to the AUX channel used by your arm switch. Confirm that the mode activates only in the intended switch position. Add PREARM for extra safety if desired; Angle is useful while learning, while Acro gives full manual control.

Checking the motors — propellers off

Open Motors with the propellers removed. Connect the LiPo only when required, gently spin each motor on its own and check its number, order and direction against the diagram. Use the motor-direction tool or the appropriate ESC setting to correct direction; on a discrete motor, swapping two of its three motor wires is another option.

Remove the propellers for every bench test. Never skip this rule — a quad that arms unexpectedly with its propellers fitted can cause serious injury.

Rates and PIDs

Rates determine how quickly the drone rotates in response to stick movement; PIDs determine how closely it follows the requested motion. As a beginner, keep the defaults from an appropriate factory configuration. Use only a preset that explicitly matches your frame, motors and propellers, and do not change several tuning values at once.