How do I adjust trim in Microsoft Flight Simulator X?

In Microsoft Flight Simulator X (FSX) and FSX: Steam Edition, tap Num Pad 7 for nose-down elevator trim or Num Pad 1 for nose-up trim. First, hold the required pitch with the yoke or stick, then trim in short steps until you no longer need steady forward or back pressure.

This answer is centred on FSX and FSX: Steam Edition. Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 has a different controls interface, and its PC, Xbox and PS5 trim methods are covered below. Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020 was never released on PlayStation.

How to adjust trim in Microsoft Flight Simulator X and FSX: Steam Edition

Both FSX editions use the same basic elevator-trim commands, although a customised control profile may have replaced the default keys.

1. Open the Controls settings. From the main settings screen or the in-flight Options menu, open the control assignments.
2. Select the correct input device. On the Buttons/Keys tab, choose the keyboard, joystick, yoke or throttle you intend to use. FSX maintains separate assignments for connected devices.
3. Find the elevator-trim commands. Assign Elevator trim up and Elevator trim down to two convenient keys, buttons or rotary-encoder directions. Do not assign the normal elevator or pitch axis by mistake.
4. Use an axis only with suitable hardware. Assign Elevator trim axis on the Control Axes tab only if you have an analogue wheel, lever or slider that holds its physical position. Select the reverse option if cockpit trim moves in the wrong direction.
5. Remove duplicate assignments. Check every connected controller for a second trim axis, held button or encoder that continually sends commands.
6. Test with the autopilot off. Use a default aircraft in calm conditions. The trim wheel or indicator should move in consistent steps and stop as soon as the input stops.

What are the default elevator-trim keys in FSX?

The default FSX and FSX: Steam Edition keys are Num Pad 7 for nose-down trim and Num Pad 1 for nose-up trim.

Num Pad means the separate numeric keypad, not the number row above the letters. Laptop users without one should assign alternative keys or controller buttons. Our printable FSX keyboard-command chart lists these and the other stock flight controls.

If those keys do nothing, the assignment may have been changed or removed. Follow our instructions for finding and reassigning controls in FSX, making sure that the correct device is selected.

Tap the key rather than holding it. Keyboard repeat can send several trim commands before the aircraft has time to respond.

Should I use trim buttons or an elevator-trim axis?

Buttons are the most dependable choice; use an axis only when the hardware provides a stable, position-based trim control.

A hardware wheel is not necessarily an analogue axis. Many trim wheels contain rotary encoders and should be assigned as two buttons, one for each direction.

An absolute axis can also reassert its physical position after a keyboard command or autopilot movement. If the virtual trim repeatedly snaps back to one setting, remove the axis assignment and test with buttons.

How do I use pitch trim correctly in flight?

Set power, configuration and attitude first, then use elevator trim to remove the sustained control pressure needed to maintain that flight condition.

1. Establish the flight condition. Set power, flaps and landing gear for the climb, cruise, descent or approach.
2. Hold the required attitude. Use the yoke or stick while the aircraft settles at the intended speed.
3. Trim in small increments. If you must hold back pressure, add nose-up trim. If you must push forward, add nose-down trim.
4. Relax the pressure gradually. Give the aircraft time to respond before applying another trim input.
5. Re-trim after each significant change. Airspeed, power, flaps, landing gear and loading all affect the required setting.

Trim is not a substitute for the elevator. Moving the trim control until the aircraft pitches to an altitude or speed, without first stabilising it with the yoke or stick, usually leads to repeated over-correction.

With a spring-centred joystick, realistic aerodynamic pressure may not be available. Use stick displacement as the guide: a trimmed aircraft should require little sustained forward or rearward input. Turbulence, propeller effects and fuel imbalance can still require small corrections, so perfectly hands-off flight is not always realistic.

What should elevator trim be set to for take-off?

Set elevator trim to the take-off position or range specified by the aircraft's checklist; centred trim is not automatically correct.

Check the cockpit indicator before applying take-off power. Excessive nose-up trim can cause an early or abrupt rotation, while too much nose-down trim produces unusually heavy back pressure. If the required setting seems extreme, inspect payload distribution and centre of gravity rather than trimming around a loading error.

How do I adjust trim in Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024?

In Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024, use the active controller profile's Elevator Trim Up and Elevator Trim Down commands, or assign them yourself in the Controls settings.

1. Open Controls. Pause the flight or open the simulator's settings, then enter the controls section.
2. Select the active device and profile. Keyboard, gamepad, joystick, yoke and throttle bindings are stored separately.
3. Search for elevator trim. Bind the up and down commands to two buttons or keys. Do not assume that an old FSX shortcut is present in the active MSFS 2024 profile.
4. Assign an axis only when appropriate. A physical trim wheel or lever that holds its position can use an elevator-trim axis. Encoders should use the two directional commands.
5. Verify the result in the cockpit. With the autopilot disengaged, apply a brief input and watch the trim wheel or indicator. Reverse or swap the binding if it moves the wrong way.

Control presets can vary by platform, peripheral and user profile. Searching for the command in the active profile is more reliable than copying a keyboard or gamepad shortcut from another simulator version.

How do I adjust trim in Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 on PS5?

On the standard PS5 controller profile, hold R1 and move the right stick vertically: stick down commands nose-up trim, while stick up commands nose-down trim.

Use brief movements and watch the cockpit trim indicator. If that combination does not work, open Controls, select the DualSense controller and search for Elevator Trim Up and Elevator Trim Down; a different preset or previous remapping may have replaced the standard assignment.

Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 launched on PS5 and PS5 Pro on 8 December 2025, becoming the first Flight Simulator released for a PlayStation console. Instructions claiming that Microsoft Flight Simulator is unavailable on PS5 refer either to Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020 or to information published before the PS5 release.

Why is trim not working or moving by itself?

Unresponsive or self-moving trim usually comes from the wrong binding, duplicate controllers, an unstable axis, an assistance setting or an autopilot controlling pitch trim.

• Nothing happens: confirm that you selected the active device and assigned an elevator-trim command rather than the normal elevator axis. In FSX, the default keys require the numeric keypad.
• Trim moves in the wrong direction: swap the two button commands or reverse the analogue axis. Judge the result by the cockpit indicator and the aircraft's response.
• Trim creeps without input: check for a held button, repeating encoder or noisy analogue axis. Disconnect extra controllers and reconnect them individually to find the source.
• Trim snaps back: an absolute trim axis is probably overriding changes made by keys, buttons or the autopilot. Remove that axis temporarily and retest.
• The trim wheel moves under autopilot control: this can be normal. Disengage the autopilot and stabilise the aircraft before diagnosing manual trim.
• Manual trim is immediately undone in MSFS 2024: inspect active piloting-assistance options as well as the autopilot. Automatic assistance can override or counter manual input.
• Only one aircraft is affected: test a default aircraft with the same control profile. Complex aircraft and add-ons may use custom trim logic or restrict manual trim in certain modes.
• Extreme trim is required: check airspeed, power, flap and gear positions, then inspect payload and centre of gravity. Trim cannot correct a severely unbalanced aircraft.

Why does pitch trim feel too sensitive or too fast?

Digital trim usually feels too fast because a key, button or encoder is sending repeated commands rather than a single short input.

Use individual taps and pause for the aircraft to settle. Turn an encoder one detent at a time; spinning it quickly can produce a long burst of commands. If the problem affects several simulators or hardware types, our trim-sensitivity and input-tuning guidance explains which setting applies to each kind of control.

For an analogue axis, calibrate the hardware and check that movement is smooth across its full range. A central dead zone only suppresses noise near the centre, so it will not repair a trim wheel that jitters at several positions.

Do I need rudder and aileron trim?

Elevator trim is the priority; rudder and aileron trim are useful only when the aircraft models them and a steady yaw or roll remains after correct configuration.

• Rudder trim can relieve sustained pedal pressure caused by propeller effects or asymmetric thrust.
• Aileron trim can reduce a persistent rolling tendency caused by an asymmetric condition.

Do not use either control to hide badly calibrated pedals, an off-centre joystick or unrealistic fuel and payload distribution. Many general-aviation aircraft do not provide pilot-adjustable rudder or aileron trim.

Can FSX adjust elevator trim automatically?

FSX has no universal automatic-trim mode for ordinary manual flight, although an aircraft's autopilot or custom systems may operate pitch trim while engaged.

For assisted manual trimming, our library includes an automatic elevator-trim gauge for compatible FSX panels. Check its installation and aircraft-compatibility notes first. It will not correct duplicate bindings, noisy hardware or an improper centre-of-gravity position.