How to Set a Custom File Name on the DJI Neo 2
Peter Leslie
21 May 2026
If the DJI Neo 2 is stamping every clip with the default DJI_ prefix and that is breaking the way drone pilots sort jobs on the editing machine, the fix is one short trip through DJI Fly — open Settings, drop into the Camera category, scroll down to Custom File Name, type the prefix you want, then tap OK. Every photo and video shot from that moment onwards lands with the new name baked in.
Most jobs reach for this when a client code, a site reference, or a date needs to be on every file before it ever leaves the drone. The default DJI_ naming is fine for hobby flights, but it falls apart the second two jobs land on the same hard drive and the only way to tell them apart is the timestamp. Setting the prefix on the DJI Neo 2 at the start of the job fixes that before it becomes a sorting problem.
Quick guide
To set a custom file name on the DJI Neo 2, go to DJI Fly → Camera View → Settings → Camera → scroll down to Custom File Name → type the prefix → OK. The prefix is forward-only — it applies to new clips, never to ones already on the drone.
Step-by-step: How to Set a Custom File Name on the DJI Neo 2
Follow these top to bottom the first time, and you will know the path off by heart the second time.
Drop into the DJI Neo 2 camera view inside DJI Fly
With the DJI Neo 2 powered on and the remote controller connected to the phone, launch DJI Fly and tap Go Fly to enter the camera view. The live feed from the drone fills the screen and the shooting controls stack down the right-hand edge.
Tap the three-dot menu in the top-right corner to open the Settings panel
Look to the top-right corner of the camera view for the three-dot menu icon. Tap it once and the Settings panel slides in from the right side of the screen with the category tabs running down the left edge of the panel.
Tap the Camera category in the Settings panel
In the category column down the left edge of the Settings panel, tap the Camera tab. The right-hand pane reloads with every camera-side option the DJI Neo 2 exposes, from format and aspect ratio at the top through to storage and reset at the foot of the list.
Scroll the Camera page almost all the way down to the Custom File Name row
Swipe up through the right-hand pane until the Custom File Name row comes into view near the foot of the Camera page. It sits below the format and grid options and above the storage controls, so a near-full scroll lands the row in the centre of the screen.
Tap the Custom File Name row to open the prefix input screen
Tap directly on the Custom File Name row. DJI Fly drops into the prefix input screen, the phone keyboard slides up from the bottom of the screen, and a single text field sits ready to accept the prefix.
Type the desired prefix into the text field on the DJI Neo 2 Custom File Name screen
Type the prefix that every clip from this point onwards should carry — a client code, a site name, a survey date, whatever the deliverable needs. Stick to letters, numbers, hyphens, and underscores, and keep the length tight so the file names sort cleanly on a computer.
Tap OK to commit the new prefix to the DJI Neo 2
Tap the OK button on the prefix input screen to commit the change. The DJI Neo 2 writes the new prefix into its naming pattern, the keyboard drops away, and the Camera page reloads with the new prefix shown next to the Custom File Name row.
Shoot a test clip and open the Album to confirm the new prefix is live
Back out to the camera view and squeeze off one quick test photo or video. Tap the thumbnail icon below the shutter to open the Album, then tap into the new file and read the name — the prefix you typed should sit at the front of the file name, with the date and sequence following on behind. If the default DJI_ prefix is still there, the OK tap did not register and the change needs running again.
Peter's tip
I set the prefix on the pad of the van before I even unbox the drone. Client surname, hyphen, the date in YYYY-MM-DD order — that way every clip is already sorted alphabetically the moment it lands on the editing drive, and I never have to guess which job a stray file belongs to a week later. The two minutes spent typing the prefix at the start of the morning saves an hour of re-sorting at the end of the week.
Frequently asked questions
Does the custom file name on the DJI Neo 2 rename clips that were already on the drone?
No. The custom file name is a forward-only setting on the DJI Neo 2 — it only stamps the new prefix onto photos and videos captured after the change is committed. Existing files in the Album keep whichever name they were given at the moment of capture, so the cleanest workflow is to set the prefix before the job starts rather than half-way through.
How long can the custom file-name prefix be on the DJI Neo 2?
The Custom File Name field on the DJI Neo 2 holds a short alphanumeric prefix — long enough for a client code, a site reference, or a date stamp, but not a full sentence. Keep it under roughly a dozen characters and stick to letters, numbers, hyphens, and underscores so the file names sort cleanly when they land on a computer.
Why are my DJI Neo 2 files still named DJI_ after I set a custom file name?
Either the OK tap did not register on the prefix screen, or the Camera page is showing a previous value because the new prefix has not been committed yet. Drop back into Settings → Camera, scroll to Custom File Name, retype the prefix, and confirm with OK. The row should now display the new prefix and the next clip should carry it.
Does the custom file name carry across to the copies on my phone after QuickTransfer?
Yes. The DJI Neo 2 writes the custom prefix into the file name at the moment of capture, so the same name follows the file when it lands on the phone via QuickTransfer or when it is pulled across by cable. Whatever name shows in the DJI Neo 2 Album is the name that ends up in the phone Album under DJI Fly's own folder.
Can I use special characters or spaces in the DJI Neo 2 custom file name?
Stick to letters, numbers, hyphens, and underscores. Spaces and characters such as slashes, colons, or question marks either get rejected on commit or cause the file to throw warnings when it lands on a Windows or macOS file system. A clean prefix like Site-A or 2026-Survey keeps every downstream tool happy.
How do I switch the DJI Neo 2 file name back to the default DJI prefix?
Open Settings → Camera, tap the Custom File Name row, clear the text field with the keyboard backspace, then tap OK with the field empty. The DJI Neo 2 reverts to the default DJI_ naming convention from the next clip onwards. The row in the Camera page goes back to showing the default placeholder.
A custom file name on the DJI Neo 2 is a five-second tweak that turns the editing-drive sort from a guessing game into an alphabetical list. Set the prefix before the job starts, shoot a test clip to confirm the rename is live, and every subsequent file lands on the deliverable already labelled.
If you are not sure what prefix pattern works best for the kind of work you fly, drop the job details to peter@hiredronepilot.uk and I will come back to you directly. The video version of this walkthrough is on YouTube and the comments are open.
References
Primary source material for this article is the official DJI Neo 2 documentation and DJI Fly. External links open in a new tab.
- DJI Neo 2 — Downloads (User Manual, Quick Start Guide, firmware notes) · Camera settings layout, file-naming behaviour, and QuickTransfer handling for the DJI Neo 2.
- DJI Neo 2 — Specifications (UK) · On-board storage capacity and supported media formats that the prefix is stamped onto.
- DJI Fly — App download and release notes · The app that hosts the Camera Settings page and the Custom File Name input. Release notes record any layout changes between app versions.
Peter Leslie
Founder & GVC Drone Pilot
Peter is the founder of HireDronePilot. With thousands of logged commercial flight hours, he writes about drone technology, commercial surveying tactics, and UK aviation compliance.
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