Adjust cockpit callout volume in Microsoft Flight Simulator, find the correct Sound slider, and fix aircraft-specific callouts that ignore it.
To adjust cockpit callout volume in Microsoft Flight Simulator, open Settings or Options, go to the general Sound page, and change Cockpit or Warning Sounds. Radio-altimeter and GPWS callouts usually use Warning Sounds; crew voices may use Voices. Add-on aircraft can instead have their own EFB or audio-panel controls.
Which sound slider controls cockpit callouts?
Warning Sounds is the first slider to try for synthetic altitude, terrain and aircraft-system callouts. “Callout” is not a single audio category in MSFS, however, so the correct control depends on what is speaking.
| Sound being adjusted | Setting to try | What to expect |
|---|---|---|
| Radio-altimeter numbers, GPWS or TAWS phrases and system warnings | Warning Sounds | Often changes several safety alerts together |
| Cockpit tones, switches and interior aircraft sounds | Cockpit | May affect more than spoken callouts |
| Checklist, copilot or cabin-crew speech | Voices or an aircraft-specific control | Routing varies between aircraft |
| Controller and pilot radio speech | ATC, communications or voice volume | Does not normally control GPWS callouts |
The setting names and menu arrangement differ slightly between Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020, Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 and their PC and console versions. Look for the general Sound or Audio settings rather than the in-cockpit radio panel.
How do I change the callout volume?
- Open the Sound settings. From the main menu or pause menu, enter Settings or Options, select the general settings area and open Sound.
- Identify the sound category. Start with Warning Sounds for altitude or GPWS phrases, Cockpit for general interior sounds, or Voices for spoken crew lines.
- Change one slider at a time. Use a large temporary adjustment so the difference is obvious. Testing several sliders simultaneously makes the source harder to identify.
- Apply the setting. Select Apply or Save if that option is shown, then return to the cockpit.
- Repeat the same test. Use the same aircraft, camera position and callout where possible. External views can mix or attenuate sounds differently.
- Set a sensible final level. Avoid leaving Warning Sounds at zero because that can also silence gear, stall, terrain or overspeed alerts.
Why does the volume slider not affect my aircraft?
An aircraft can use its own sound system rather than the simulator’s standard audio categories. This is especially common with detailed airliners and other add-ons.
Check the aircraft’s EFB, tablet or configuration panel for pages labelled Audio, Sounds, Callouts, GPWS or Crew. Some aircraft offer separate controls for altitude callouts, cabin announcements and warning tones; others provide only on/off switches.
Physical radio and intercom knobs usually control COM, navigation-radio or headset audio, not GPWS and radio-altimeter callouts. If an aircraft does expose a relevant cockpit control, VR users may find our explanation of operating virtual cockpit controls in MSFS VR useful.
Can I lower altitude callouts without muting other warnings?
MSFS does not provide a universal slider for individual phrases such as “fifty” or “retard”. The global Warning Sounds control normally changes the whole warning category.
Independent adjustment is possible only when the aircraft supplies its own callout-volume setting. If it offers only a callout enable switch, the practical choices are full volume, disabled callouts or lowering the broader warning channel.
What should I check if nothing changes?
- Test another aircraft. If the global sliders work there, the original aircraft is using custom audio routing.
- Check Master Volume and the output device. Confirm that MSFS is playing through the expected speakers or headset and that the operating system or console mixer is not overriding it.
- Reload the aircraft. Some custom sound modules read their volume settings only when the aircraft or flight is initialised.
- Remove sound-package conflicts. On PC, temporarily move relevant packages out of the
Communityfolder and test again. This is particularly useful if the problem began after installing an aircraft or sound package from our MSFS aircraft and mods library. - Restore a moderate test level. Setting Warning Sounds, Cockpit and Voices to clearly different levels can reveal which channel the aircraft actually uses.
If only one aircraft ignores every global slider and has no EFB or cockpit control, its callout volume cannot normally be adjusted independently through Microsoft Flight Simulator’s menus.