Adjust turbulence in MSFS 2024 with Low, Medium or Realistic settings, then fix gusts, Live Weather or controller issues that still cause jolts.
In Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024, open Settings, select Assistances, expand Piloting and set Turbulence to Low, Medium or Realistic. Use Low for a softened effect and Realistic for the full simulated response. This changes how strongly turbulent air affects the aircraft; it does not remove wind, gusts or weather.
Where is the turbulence setting in MSFS 2024?
The turbulence control is under Settings > Assistances > Piloting, not in the graphics menu or EFB.
- Open Settings. You can do this from the main menu or after pausing a flight.
- Select Assistances. Open or expand the Piloting section.
- Find Turbulence. Choose Low, Medium or Realistic.
- Return to the flight. Confirm or apply the change if the interface prompts you to do so.
Changing one item may switch the overall assistance preset to Custom. That is normal. Avoid selecting another broad assistance preset afterwards, because it can replace your turbulence choice.
What do Low, Medium and Realistic turbulence do?
The three settings change the strength of the simulated aircraft response without changing the underlying weather source.
| Setting | Effect | Choose it when |
|---|---|---|
| Low | Softens turbulent movement and sharp accelerations | You want a steadier ride, use a gamepad or find turbulence uncomfortable |
| Medium | Provides a compromise between comfort and the unsoftened simulation | Realistic feels excessive but Low removes too much feedback |
| Realistic | Uses the full simulated turbulence response | You prioritise weather fidelity and realistic aircraft handling |
Low does not mean off. A light aircraft can still move substantially in strong winds, convective conditions or disturbed air near terrain.
Why is turbulence still strong on Low?
Low softens turbulence, but it does not create calm weather or suppress every source of aircraft movement.
- Wind and gusts: Live Weather or a custom preset may contain strong gusts and rapid changes in wind. Our guide to Live Weather, presets and custom weather controls explains how to inspect or replace those conditions.
- Live Weather problems: Conditions can appear stale, unavailable or different from the expected report when online data is not loading correctly. Follow these Live Weather troubleshooting checks before judging the turbulence model.
- Sensitive or noisy controls: An aggressive response curve or an axis that jitters around its centre can resemble turbulence. If the cockpit controls twitch with the autopilot off and your hands clear, check the controller sensitivity, dead-zone and response-curve settings.
- Aircraft type: A light general-aviation aircraft reacts more visibly than a heavy airliner in the same air mass. Loading, airspeed and autopilot behaviour also affect how severe the movement appears.
A common mistake we see is repeatedly lowering turbulence when the real problem is a noisy pitch or roll axis. Test with calm preset weather and the autopilot disconnected: persistent control movement then points towards controller configuration rather than atmospheric turbulence.
Can I reduce turbulence and keep Live Weather?
Yes. Set Turbulence to Low or Medium while leaving Live Weather enabled; the sim will continue using live atmospheric data but soften the turbulence response.
To change the actual wind layers, gust speeds or clouds, you must use preset or custom weather instead. That replaces Live Weather rather than merely reducing its effect on the aircraft.
Why does the turbulence setting keep changing?
Overall assistance presets can overwrite an individual turbulence selection. Choose the broad preset first, adjust Turbulence afterwards, and leave the resulting preset on Custom.
If the option is unavailable inside a particular activity, return to the main Settings screen and test it in Free Flight. Some structured activities can enforce their own assistance rules, so a setting that works in Free Flight may not be adjustable during that activity.