Baofeng programming software: which program and cable each model needs

For most Baofeng radios the best programming software is CHIRP-next, which is free, and the cable that gives the least trouble is a two-pin K1 cable with a genuine FTDI chip. Use Baofeng's own software (CPS) for the DMR radios and for settings CHIRP doesn't show. The Mini models also program from a phone app. The trick is picking the right CHIRP model name, because several Baofengs sell under one name and program under another.

How we built the table

On October 21, 2026 we matched every current Baofeng we cover against CHIRP's supported-radio list (last updated October 16, 2026), Baofeng's software download page, BTECH's download page, Miklor's factory-software index and each radio's Amazon listing. Where two sources disagree, the table says so. The cable steps and driver fixes stay on our UV-5R CHIRP guide; this page answers which program and which cable.

"How we pick" means published sources, compared and dated. We didn't install every package on every radio. How we research.

Which software each Baofeng uses

CHIRP models from chirpmyradio.com (updated October 16, 2026). Factory software from baofengradio.com/pages/download and baofengtech.com/download, version numbers as the file names give them. Wireless support from the TIDRADIO BL-1 and Baofeng adapter listings. All checked October 21, 2026.

Four rows trip people up. The UV-5G Plus and UV-5G sit under Radioddity in CHIRP, not Baofeng, so scrolling the Baofeng list won't find them. The AR-5RM has an older listing habit of saying "pick UV-17Pro"; CHIRP now has a 5RM driver and maps AR-5RM to it, and the UV-5RM review explains why that matters. The MINI-5G listing says to choose "UV-5R Mini" in CHIRP, but that's the ham model's driver; CHIRP lists a UV-5G Mini driver, which is the one built for the GMRS radio with the same FCC ID. And the DM-32UV is now on CHIRP's list, while the FAQ on Baofeng's own DM-32UV page says it isn't compatible. For the DMR side of a codeplug (contacts, talkgroups, color codes) Baofeng's CPS is the tool Baofeng documents; our DM-32UV review walks through that setup.

CHIRP, factory CPS or a phone app

CHIRP-next is the free, open-source program most Baofeng owners use. It reads the radio into a spreadsheet-style grid, lets you paste in repeaters and names, and writes it back. One CHIRP file format covers dozens of brands, so you can copy channel rows from one radio to another with File, Import. BTECH's download page gives the safe way to do that between models: download a fresh image from the destination radio first, then import rows into it, and never upload a whole image made for a different model or firmware.

Factory CPS is the Windows program Baofeng or BTECH publishes for each model. BTECH notes it can expose settings CHIRP doesn't. It's also the only route for firmware updates on the radios that take them, such as the BF-F8HP PRO, and BTECH says to use a full Windows virtual machine on a Mac or Linux computer rather than a compatibility layer when writing firmware. Every file is model-specific, so the "UV-5RM" package won't do for a UV-5RM Plus.

Phone and web programming comes two ways. The Mini models (UV-5R Mini, UV-5G Mini, MINI-5G) have Bluetooth built in and an iOS and Android app, per their listings; the MINI-5G's FCC filing includes a 2.4 GHz Part 15C entry that matches. For other radios, TIDRADIO's BL-1 Bluetooth programmer plugs into the K1 jack and works with its ODMaster app and web tool. Its listing says ODMaster web runs in Chrome on Windows 7-11 and macOS, can import CHIRP CSV files and pull nearby repeaters, and needs you to register before it saves your data. Baofeng sells its own wireless programming adapter that lists the UV-5R, BF-888S and DM-32UV.

Where to download, and where not to

Get CHIRP from chirpmyradio.com, Baofeng's packages from baofengradio.com's download page, BTECH's from baofengtech.com/download, and older factory files from Miklor's index. That's the whole list.

Search Google for "baofeng programming software" today and most of page 1 is junk: keyword pages on hijacked university subdomains, an AliExpress article that has since been taken down, and generic "free download" pages for single models. Don't run an installer from any of them. A programming package needs nothing but a zip from the radio maker or CHIRP.

The cable: what the software can't fix

Most Baofeng handhelds use the two-pin Kenwood-style K1 plug, so one cable programs most of the table. What decides whether your computer sees it is the USB chip inside. CHIRP's cable guide recommends FTDI chips and warns that cheap cables with counterfeit Prolific chips cause most of the trouble. Three cables we'd look at:

• The BTECH PC03 uses a genuine FTDI chip, sells 500+ a month and has 12,344 ratings. BTECH calls it plug and play.
• For a laptop with only USB-C ports, there's a PC03 USB-C version with an FTDI FT232RL chip. Its listing says some computers may still need the FTDI VCP driver.
• Baofeng's own CH340 cable lists the 5RM, UV-5R Mini, UV-5G Plus, GM-15 Pro and DM32 by name. Its title says CH340 and its spec table says PL2303, so if Windows doesn't see it, try the CH340 driver first.

That last contradiction isn't rare. Another Baofeng cable listing has a PL2303 title and a CH340 spec line. When a driver install doesn't help, it may be the driver for the wrong chip. Our UV-5R CHIRP guide covers finding the COM port and seating the plug. BTECH adds two warnings: a charging cable isn't a programming cable, and the PC04 is for BTECH's mobile radios, not handhelds. The UV-9G is the odd one out among Baofeng's handhelds and ships with its own cable.

GMRS radios stay GMRS

Programming software changes channels, names, tones and power levels. It doesn't change what a radio is certified for, and on a GMRS radio it isn't supposed to. 47 CFR 95.1761(c) lets the FCC certify a GMRS radio only if its frequency controls are inaccessible to the user and it can't operate in the amateur service, and 95.335 says using a transmitter that isn't the certified one voids your authority to operate. So skip any forum file that promises ham transmit on a UV-5G Plus or GM-15 Pro. Program the GMRS channels and repeaters it was built for, using the layout in our CHIRP GMRS programming guide.

It works the other way too. CHIRP will happily load GMRS frequencies into a UV-5R or 5RM, but those are ham radios, so set those memories to receive-only. Which radios are certified for what is in our Baofeng on GMRS guide, and the full lineup by license is in best Baofeng radio. If you're choosing between a Baofeng and a Quansheng partly on programming, the UV-5R vs UV-K5 comparison covers CHIRP on both; CHIRP files the UV-K5 under Quansheng.

If you're starting from zero

Find your radio in the table and write down its CHIRP model name. Buy a K1 cable with a named FTDI chip unless your radio is a UV-9G or DM-32UV. Install the newest CHIRP-next, download from the radio, and save that file before you change anything. Then follow the step-by-step for your radio type: the UV-5R guide for ham Baofengs, the GMRS guide for the GMRS models.

Sources: CHIRP supported-radio list and cable guide (chirpmyradio.com, list updated October 16, 2026); Baofeng software downloads (baofengradio.com/pages/download); BTECH downloads (baofengtech.com/download); Miklor factory-software index; FCC filing 2AJGM-5GMINI via fccid.io; Amazon listings; 47 CFR 95.1761 and 95.335 (eCFR). All checked October 21, 2026. How we research · Affiliate disclosure