Learn how to adjust Terrain Level of Detail in MSFS 2020, choose the right Terrain LOD value, and reduce stutters without making scenery blurry.
In Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020 on PC, open Options > General Options > Graphics, find Terrain Level of Detail, move the slider, then select Apply & Save. Lower it if the simulator is main-thread limited or stutters near cities; raise it for more detailed distant terrain when CPU headroom allows.
How to change Terrain Level of Detail
- Open the graphics options. From the main menu, select Options > General Options > Graphics. During a flight, pause the simulator and open General Options.
- Find Terrain Level of Detail. Scroll through the graphics settings until the slider appears. It is commonly shortened to Terrain LOD.
- Choose a starting value. A value around 100 is a sensible baseline for many systems. Change it in small increments rather than jumping straight to a very high setting.
- Apply the setting. Select Apply & Save. A restart is not normally required, although terrain already loaded around the aircraft may take a moment to update.
- Test a demanding flight. Use the same aircraft, airport, weather and camera view each time. A dense city or large airport is more revealing than an empty rural area.
Changing this slider usually changes the global graphics preset to Custom. That is expected; it does not mean the setting failed. Selecting Low, Medium, High or Ultra later can overwrite your individual Terrain LOD value.
What does Terrain LOD actually change?
Terrain LOD controls how far from the aircraft Microsoft Flight Simulator retains higher-detail terrain data. Raising it improves distant terrain shape and reduces visible detail transitions, but gives the CPU more scenery to prepare and can increase memory traffic.
It is not the same as Objects Level of Detail. Object LOD deals more directly with the distance and detail of buildings and other placed objects. It also does not increase the underlying resolution of aerial imagery or repair an online scenery connection.
What Terrain LOD value should I use?
The best value is the highest one that remains smooth in your most demanding normal flight, not the highest value the slider permits.
| Terrain LOD | Best suited to | Likely trade-off |
|---|---|---|
| 50–80 | CPU-limited systems, complex airliners, large hubs and dense cities | More obvious terrain transitions and less distant detail |
| Around 100 | A balanced starting point for general flying | Moderate distant detail without an extreme CPU load |
| 150–200 | VFR flying and systems with spare main-thread performance | Higher CPU and memory demand, especially around detailed scenery |
| Above 200 | Powerful systems that remain smooth in worst-case locations | Diminishing visual returns and a greater risk of frame-time spikes |
Low-and-slow mountain or countryside flying benefits more visibly from a high Terrain LOD than operating a complex airliner at a busy airport. For a broader starting point, our recommended MSFS graphics settings explain which controls primarily affect the CPU or GPU.
Should I lower Terrain LOD to stop stuttering?
Lower Terrain LOD when the simulator reports that it is limited by the main thread, particularly during approaches over cities or while turning towards a detailed airport. Reduce it by roughly 10–20 points, repeat the same flight and compare frame pacing rather than looking only at average frame rate.
If the simulator is GPU-limited, lowering render scaling, clouds, shadows or resolution will usually have a larger effect. Persistent pauses can also come from scenery loading, add-ons or traffic, so use our targeted fixes for MSFS stutters and micro-pauses before assuming Terrain LOD is the only cause.
Why is the scenery still blurry after raising Terrain LOD?
Terrain LOD cannot fix low-resolution streamed imagery, disabled online data, bandwidth problems, an unsuitable render scale or low texture settings. It mainly changes detail distance, not the quality of the source imagery.
If nearby ground textures remain soft while performance is stable, check Bing World Data, photogrammetry where applicable, data limits and rolling cache behaviour. Our blurry-scenery troubleshooting guide separates streaming faults from graphics-setting problems.
Why does my Terrain LOD setting reset or have no effect?
- A graphics preset replaced it: choosing Low, Medium, High or Ultra can overwrite the custom slider value.
- The wrong graphics profile was edited: MSFS 2020 keeps separate PC and VR graphics settings, so VR users must adjust the VR profile.
- A performance utility is controlling LOD: disable any tool that dynamically changes Terrain LOD while establishing a stable baseline.
- The problem is imagery rather than geometry: streamed textures can remain blurry even with a high Terrain LOD.
Can I adjust Terrain LOD on Xbox?
Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020 on Xbox does not expose the same PC-style Terrain Level of Detail slider. The console version manages its graphics configuration for the available hardware, so Terrain LOD cannot be forced through the normal Xbox menus.