How do I assign reverse thrust to each engine?

Assign each physical throttle and reverse input to the matching numbered engine control: lever 1 to throttle/reverse 1, lever 2 to throttle/reverse 2. Remove any unnumbered “all engines” binding, calibrate idle separately, and test each reverser on the ground. In MSFS 2024, use numbered throttle and reverse commands where available.

Engine numbers follow the aircraft, not the order in which USB devices appear. On a conventional twin, engine 1 is on the pilot’s left and engine 2 is on the right. Fix the forward-throttle assignments before configuring reverse; our guide to mapping each physical lever to its matching engine axis covers that prerequisite.

Only configure engines actually fitted with reversers. Some aircraft do not reverse every engine: the Airbus A380, for example, has reversers on engines 2 and 3 rather than all four.

Which reverse-thrust binding should I use?

Use the binding that matches the signal produced by the hardware, rather than the label printed on its lever or gate.

A hold or toggle command may only change the throttle’s mode; it does not necessarily apply reverse power by itself. A throttle-decrease command normally drives the commanded power below idle directly. Our comparison of reverse-axis, hold, toggle and throttle-decrease methods explains the distinction in more detail.

How do I bind reverse thrust in MSFS 2024?

In Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024, assign the numbered forward axes first, then use either a full-range axis or the corresponding numbered reverse command for each engine.

1. Create a dedicated controls profile. Duplicate a working profile for the throttle and, where practical, keep separate profiles for airliners, turboprops and aircraft with unusual detents. This prevents one aircraft’s reverse gate from acting as another aircraft’s fuel-cutoff switch.
2. Identify what each gate sends. Move or press the control while viewing its input activity. A smoothly changing value is an axis; a single on/off indication is a button or switch. Show all available controls rather than only assigned or recommended ones.
3. Assign each forward throttle. Map the left lever to the numbered engine 1 axis and the right lever to engine 2. For a normal throttle without an analogue reverse sector, use the 0 to 100% form when it is offered. Remove a combined Throttle Axis assignment if it is unintentionally moving both engines.
4. Choose one reverse method. For an axis that physically travels below idle, use the full-range form of the matching numbered throttle axis. For switches, search for numbered controls labelled along the lines of Hold Throttle 1 Reverse Thrust, Toggle Throttle 1 Reverse Thrust or Throttle 1 Decrease, then repeat for engine 2. Labels can vary with the aircraft and control interface, so also search for throttle 1 rather than only reverse.
5. Remove competing assignments. Inspect every connected device profile. Delete unwanted global reverse, all-engine throttle-decrease and duplicate axis bindings from the keyboard, joystick, gamepad and throttle quadrant.
6. Calibrate idle and reverse. Put the physical lever at idle and adjust its response only enough to stop it flickering between idle and reverse. Invert an axis only if the on-screen input moves in the opposite direction. Calibrate each engine independently.
7. Test one engine at a time. Use a reverser-equipped aircraft on the ground, with the engines running, throttles at idle, autothrottle disengaged and the parking brake set. Operate engine 1’s reverser, check its cockpit lever and engine indication, stow it, and repeat for engine 2.

MSFS 2024 uses the same assignment principle on PC, Xbox Series X|S and PlayStation 5/PS5 Pro, but available peripherals differ. Console users must rely on native mappings and platform-supported hardware; PC-only mapping utilities cannot add missing controls there. For additional command-specific checks, see our MSFS reverse-command and conflict guide.

How should I set the throttle detent in MSFS 2024?

Set the idle detent at the boundary between forward thrust and reverse, with a small dead zone only if the input chatters across that boundary.

A physical detent does not automatically create a reverse range. If moving below the detent activates a button, keep the main throttle on a normal forward axis and bind that button to an appropriate hold, decrease or toggle command. Use a full-range axis only when the hardware actually reports additional analogue travel below idle.

Complex aircraft may provide throttle calibration through a cockpit tablet or configuration panel. In that case, start with clean, nearly linear simulator axes and define idle and reverse in the aircraft’s own calibration tool. Applying large sensitivity changes in MSFS and then calibrating the same detents again inside the aircraft can produce a double correction, uneven engines or a lever that jumps over idle.

MSFS 2024 reverse thrust not working: what should I check?

Most MSFS 2024 reverse-thrust failures come from duplicate bindings, the wrong command type, an uncalibrated idle point or aircraft-specific throttle logic.

If there is still nothing after assigning the controls, isolate the fault rather than changing several settings at once:

1. Test a known reverser-equipped aircraft. Place it on the ground with the engines running and both throttles fully at idle. Aircraft without reverse thrust cannot validate the binding.
2. Try a temporary global command. Assign one spare button to an all-engine reverse toggle or throttle-decrease command. If that works, the aircraft accepts reverse and the problem is in the numbered assignments. Remove the temporary global binding afterwards.
3. Watch the cockpit and engine display. No lever movement points to an input or binding problem. Lever movement without a change in thrust points to calibration, an interlock or a reverse-mode command that still requires throttle movement.
4. Disable conflicting automation. Disconnect autothrottle for the test, confirm the forward throttles have reached idle, and check that no assistance setting or second controller is driving them forward.

How should I configure a HOTAS Warthog for reverse thrust?

The Thrustmaster HOTAS Warthog throttle does not provide an airliner-style analogue reverse sector behind idle, so its aft OFF positions should not be treated as negative throttle-axis travel.

Those detents are generally detected as switches while the analogue throttle axes remain at their minimum value. Where MSFS offers numbered decrease commands, each detent switch can drive the corresponding engine below idle. Another option is to put numbered hold or toggle reverse commands on spare switches and use the normal throttle axes to regulate reverse power.

Use a separate civil-aircraft profile and remove any engine-cutoff assignment from a switch being used for reverse. Binding the same OFF switch to both fuel cutoff and reverse can shut the engine down just as the reverser is selected.

Why might reverse thrust fail in the FSS E190?

Treat reverse-thrust trouble in the FlightSim Studio FSS E190 as an aircraft-profile issue if the same hardware works in a default reverser-equipped jet.

Begin with separate engine 1 and engine 2 forward axes, no combined throttle axis and no duplicate global reverse command. If the installed aircraft version provides its own throttle or detent calibration page, define idle and reverse there rather than distorting the main MSFS sensitivity curve. Custom aircraft logic may expect hold, toggle or throttle-decrease events instead of a generic reverse axis, so test those methods one at a time.

For the test, make sure the E190’s thrust levers are visibly at idle and the autothrottle is disengaged. If the simulator sees the gate input but neither cockpit reverser responds, changing dead zones will not solve it; the command type or aircraft-specific calibration is wrong.

Can reverse thrust make a plane move backwards in Flight Simulator 2024?

Use pushback to reverse an aircraft away from a stand; reverse thrust is primarily a landing-deceleration system, not a universal reverse gear.

Some simulated aircraft can move backwards under reverse thrust, but many real types prohibit or restrict this “powerback” procedure. Aircraft logic, wheel friction and reverser interlocks may also prevent it in the simulator. To use reverse after landing, bring the forward throttles to idle, deploy the reversers on the ground, apply reverse power if the selected control method requires it, then return to idle and stow them.

Turboprops often use a propeller beta or reverse range rather than jet-style reverser doors. That requires different calibration; see our notes on setting up turboprop beta and reverse controls.

What changes in X-Plane, FSX and Prepar3D?

The command names change between simulators, but the rule remains the same: map numbered forward throttles first, then give each equipped engine its own reverse range or command.

• X-Plane 11 and 12: use numbered throttle axes and configure a beta/reverse region or per-engine reverse command as supported by the aircraft. Do not leave a global throttle axis active alongside the numbered axes.
• FSX and Prepar3D: throttle-decrease commands commonly drive power below idle, while true full-range reverse-axis support depends on the aircraft and control system. Independent reverse requires numbered events or axes rather than one all-engine command.
• Any simulator: if only a global reverse command exists, sensitivity adjustments cannot turn it into independent engine control. Use numbered full-range axes, aircraft-supported events or an appropriate advanced mapping layer on PC.