Hey there! A noob question.


My understanding is. My phone will carry the cached version of any photos/videos i take & i can download them in HQ to my phone / PC from the drone, from the SD card. But what happens if there is no SD card in the drone?


I have been using my drone happily for a few months & today I got a message that the storage was full (but on checking my phone there was plenty) so i'm presuming that I need to clear the cache, or make it bigger to continue from hereon in. So if I delete the cache will all the previous videos/photos be wiped because they were never stored on an SD card?

And if there was no card to store the HD version, then where is the HD version being stored, if any?


your help is appreciated

Your MA2 has an 8GB internal storage hard drive.  If you don't have an SD card installed in the MA2, the media loads to the internal storage.  You probably ought to get an SD card.. Make sure it is one of the approved ones listed in the manual specifications section.  

I am a noob also. Curious as to why you have been fying your machine without an SD card. Any particular reason?

yogi053 Posted at 4-9 09:01
I am a noob also. Curious as to why you have been fying your machine without an SD card. Any particular reason?

It works without one. The footage i've got has been fantastic. Why bother?

@rustic17 .. Does the internal memory store the HQ fiile?

The full storage warning, or message. Is the internal, on board 8GB of storage. It has all your HQ videos on it. The cached videos on your phone are NOT the HQ (high quality) videos. Plug your drone in to your computer with the gimbal cover OFF, using the supplied USB cable.  power up the drone. You will see a icon appear, most likely called unnamed or something of the sort Open it up, Open the DCIM folder and you'll see the videos. Download them to your computer. Then delete the originals. This will free up your internal memory to shoot more video, photos. I highly suggest you invest in a 64 GB card (San-disc extreme "U3" rated ). You can then choose the sd card as the storage location and enjoy not having to do the above mentioned procedure anytime again. Simply take the card out of the drone and download the photos off the SD card.

AngryGeezer Posted at 4-9 13:11
It works without one. The footage i've got has been fantastic. Why bother?

@rustic17 .. Does the internal memory store the HQ fiile?

If your good to only be able to store less than 10 minutes of 4K@30 video before you have to copy to another device (PC or phone) then delete it before you can record again, then by all means stay with the internal storage only option. With a 64GB microSD card I have enough storage for 3 full flights recording from takeoff to landing for each flight. Additionally, the aircraft does not have to be powered up while the video/photos are being copied from the microSD card to my PC. The interanl 8GB storage on the MA2 is really meant to be secondary storage should the primary storage (microSD card) become full while in flight. In this way you wouldn't have to cancel the flight due to insufficient storage.

What no senior prices on microSD cards over there? Prices must be high like petrol if you can't afford to get one!  ;)

Kidding aside, all great points above. No need to power up drone and download files. Just remove card, download files then reinsert card back into drone.

Hi, there. Thanks for reaching out and posting your concern. As already been mentioned, the storage that was detected was the 8 GB Internal Storage of your Mavic Air 2. This is where the original files temporarily stored. If you want to continue, you would need to have it formatted but it is best that you back up all the data from the Internal Storage before doing so.

AngryGeezer Posted at 4-9 13:11
It works without one. The footage i've got has been fantastic. Why bother?

If you can afford a Mavic Air 2, then you certainly can afford a couple of SD cards. They are SO cheap these days. Then you can fly your drone and store the highest quality files without worrying about getting a 'memory full' warning, or capturing lesser quality on your phone. I have a 128 GB card in the drone at all times, with another 128 GB card in the bag.


A card like this will insure you can capture the highest settings the Mavic offers without choking.


Then transfer those files off the SD card when you get home. Easy.

DGCA3 Posted at 4-9 23:56
If you can afford a Mavic Air 2, then you certainly can afford a couple of SD cards. They are SO cheap these days. Then you can fly your drone and store the highest quality files without worrying about getting a 'memory full' warning, or capturing lesser quality on your phone. I have a 128 GB card in the drone at all times, with another 128 GB card in the bag.

I didn't afford one. ;-) but now I know the benefits & have been able to actually use it for any length of time(lockdown has been cruel) I will scrape together a few coppers & buy one.

Big thanks for the helpful replies!