So the order is always the same: back up, read, apply, check, save.
Back up first
Make a backup before you open a single preset. The Presets tab has a "Save backup" button, which Oscar Liang describes as the same as running diff all in the CLI and saving the result to a file. The backup article on this site covers what that file contains and when it is safe to load it back.
The firmware-presets README also suggests writing down any settings you want to keep before applying a preset, rates for example, and setting them again by hand afterwards. Most presets start by resetting their part of the configuration to defaults, so values you changed in that area are lost.
Read the filters
Presets are written for specific firmware versions, because CLI names change between releases. You can filter the list by category, keyword, author, firmware version and status. The Betaflight docs list these categories: FILTERS, LEDS, MODES, OSD, OTHER, RATES, RC_LINK, TUNE and VTX.
Status says who stands behind a preset:
- OFFICIAL - made and supported by the Betaflight team.
- COMMUNITY - written by users and often tied to one product, for example a VTX table, a frame or one pilot's rates.
- EXPERIMENTAL - still being developed or tested.
Oscar's rule of thumb: official presets are generally safe, experimental ones deserve caution. A community tune written for a specific quad is only a good match if your quad is close to it. Chris Rosser's AOS 5 tune for Betaflight 2025.12, for example, states the battery, cell count and motor KV it was made for, and marks RPM filtering as mandatory.
Every preset has a Discussion link to the GitHub pull request where it was reviewed. That is also where you report problems with it.
Look at the CLI before you apply
Open a preset and you get its description, warnings and options. Read the warnings in full. The RC link presets, for example, tell you to untick the Hardware ADC Filter in EdgeTX or OpenTX and to use a compatible radio firmware version.
Options change which lines are sent. A tune can ask for motor KV. An RC link preset asks for flight style (Racing, Freestyle, HD Freestyle, Cinematic, Ultra Cinematic) and for the UART the receiver is on. Some presets force the option list open, so you have to look at it before applying.
Then press "View CLI". This shows the exact commands with your chosen options. Many presets begin with an #$ INCLUDE of a defaults file. That is the reset to a clean starting point that Oscar mentions, so there is no need to reset that area yourself first. Look at what else is in the list. If a preset touches ports, motor protocol or anything you did not expect from its title, stop and read the discussion first.
The presets guidelines allow a preset to set the motor protocol only with a warning, for a reason: setting DShot on an ESC that does not support it can make the motors spin without arming. Take the props off before applying anything that touches motors or ESCs.
Apply, then save
"Apply" sends the lines to the CLI. Nothing is stored permanently until you press "Save", which writes the configuration and reboots the board. Before that you can apply several presets one after another, for example an RC link preset and then a tune. If two presets set the same value, the one applied last wins, so order matters. A sensible order is general to specific: defaults or RC link first, then filters and tune, then rates and OSD.
Two things to know about profiles:
- Rates presets go into the currently selected rate profile. The rates defaults preset says so in its description, and Fader FPV's rates preset warns you to pick the rate profile you want to overwrite. Select it in the PID Tuning tab before you open the Presets tab.
- Tune values go into the active PID profile, the same way as any
setcommand. If you keep a spare tune in another profile, check which one is active first.
The README notes that you may have to reconnect after leaving the Presets tab, because it talks to the board through the CLI. Betaflight 2026.6 fixed reconnection after applying a preset, along with a warning dialog that could be hidden and a filter bar that covered the options dialog. If you are on an older app version and something looks cut off, update it.
RC link presets in Betaflight 2026.6
An RC link preset sets feedforward and RC smoothing for how often the radio sends new stick data. Oscar explains why this matters: Betaflight receives stick input in steps, and without matching settings feedforward reacts to each step with spikes, which can show up as jitter or oscillation.
Up to 2025.12 there was a separate ExpressLRS preset for each packet rate (50, 150, 250, 500 and 1000 Hz). You searched for "expresslrs", picked the one matching your radio, or the closest lower one, and applied it again whenever you changed packet rate.
In the 2026.6 preset set there is one official preset instead: "CRSF - ExpressLRS, Crossfire or Tracer". Its RC smoothing follows the detected packet rate automatically. Freestyle is ticked by default, and you pick a UART. A separate fixed 50 Hz preset is only for a transmitter deliberately locked to 50 Hz. The 2026.6 release notes also mention that RC smoothing cutoffs now adapt to the detected receiver rate, and the CLI shows the detected rate.
After applying it, open the Ports tab and check that Serial RX is on the UART your receiver is wired to, then check the Receiver tab before you fly.
Go back to a clean state
If a preset made things worse, there are two ways back:
- Load the backup you saved at the start.
- Apply a defaults preset for just that area. Oscar suggests searching for "defaults" together with a category. For 2026.6 there are defaults presets for filters, OSD, rates, RC link and tune. The tune defaults reset the basic tune values but not rates, filters or RC smoothing.
Custom preset sources
Under "Preset Sources" you can add another repository by URL and branch. Betaflight does not check presets from outside its own repository, so treat them as you would a diff from a stranger: read every line before applying.
Before the first flight
Props off, connect the battery and check the receiver bars, modes and failsafe. Then do a short hover in an open area. A new tune can be fine on the bench and still oscillate in the air. If something feels wrong, land and go back to the backup.