GoPro Keeps Powering Off? 8 Reasons and How to Fix

Why does my GoPro keep turning off? It can be pretty frustrating when your GoPro keeps powering off, especially when you’re on an adventure. Here’s how to troubleshoot this problem.

There are 8 reasons your GoPro keeps powering off. A corrupted SD card is the most common reason for a GoPro to turn off unexpectedly. Other reasons include damaged or dead battery, overheating, outdated firmware, Media Mod glitch, or hardware issues.

This troubleshooting guide is part of our How to Use a GoPro series.

8 Reasons Your GoPro Keeps Powering Off

By the end of this brief guide, you should be back up and recording your adventures.

While a corrupted SD card is the most common problem, let’s rule out battery issues first.

1. Damaged Battery

Even with a full charge, your GoPro will power off if the battery is damaged. A damaged battery might even show as fully charged when charging.

How to repair: If your battery is damaged, swap it out with another, fully-charged battery. If this fixes the problem, you should be good to go.

If not, continue to the next step.

2. Dead Battery

I know that a dead battery is super obvious. But sometimes we need to rule out the most obvious problems to identify what’s going on.

Watch for the message: Low Battery, Shutting Down

If you aren’t sure about your battery level, just swap it out with a fresh one.

3. Corrupt SD Card

A corrupt SD card is one of the most common causes of a GoPro powering off unexpectedly. This can happen when a file isn’t correctly closed out.

If you remove the battery during recording, the video file will remain incomplete. And your camera doesn’t know what to do with that. It can cause your GoPro to keep turning off.

How to repair: Remove your SD card and format it on your computer. Before formatting, you can try to salvage any footage and photos.

Of course, your SD card can also become physically damaged. In this case, formatting won’t fix the problem. You’ll likely have to discard it and insert a new card in your camera.

Learn more about choosing the best SD card for your GoPro.

A corrupted SD card can also generate the No SD Card error message.

4. Display Setting

Is the camera shutting off or is it just the display? Once recording, your display will automatically turn off. From the factory, your screen saver is set to 1 minute. This can give the appearance of the camera shutting off.

How to change display setting: Go to Settings > Preferences > Displays > Screen Saver Rear. Choose from 1, 2, 3, 5, or Never. Lengthening this time will consume more battery.

If you are unsure if your GoPro is off or still recording, watch for the red indicator light. If filming (and the LED lights aren’t disabled) you’ll see a blinking red status light.

5. Overheating

Overheating is a pretty common cause of GoPro cameras turning off. Once they hit a set temperature, they will automatically power down.

They have gotten better over the years. But they can still get very hot and shut off.

Did your GoPro power down because it overheated? If you touch the camera and it’s too hot to hold, then that might have been the cause.

How to fix an overheating GoPro: Check these common overheating factors (external temp, slow SD card, high video quality, outdated firmware) and make the needed adjustments.

6. Firmware Update Needed

Outdated firmware can cause lots of trouble.

Old firmware can affect your camera’s connection to the app, ability to record high-resolution video, and likelihood of overheating.

Updating your GoPro firmware is easy and can fix many problems.

How to update firmware: Here are the steps to updating GoPro firmware.

7. Media Mod Glitch

Media Mod Glitch: Some GoPro cameras will glitch out when connected to the Media Mod. These tend to be related to the need for a firmware update. This user’s Hero9 Black repeatedly turned off/on when inserted into the Media Mod.

To repair this glitch, remove your GoPro from the Media Mod, update the firmware (even if it shows that it is the latest). Then reset your GoPro and reattach the Media Mod.

If your GoPro is off and won’t turn back on, here are some things to try.

8. Hardware Failure

Hardware failure: Hopefully this isn’t your problem. While a damaged GoPro can be repaired, it can be time-consuming and expensive.

How to repair this glitch: First, check to see if your camera is covered by a GoPro warranty (there are 4 types). If not covered by a warranty, you’ll have to look into either repair or replacement. You can have GoPro repair your camera for a fee, or you can look for a 3rd party repair shop.

Did you know that you can control GoPro’s auto-off feature?

Related: 5 Ways to Fix a Frozen GoPro

Your Turn

How did your troubleshooting process go? Were you able to identify and repair your constantly turning-off GoPro? I would love to hear how it went for you.