Find the best utilities for Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020, covering planning, add-on management, controls, FPS, traffic and ground handling.
The best Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020 utilities are Little Navmap for flight planning, MSFS Addons Linker for Community-folder management, FSUIPC7 or AxisAndOhs for controls, AutoFPS for performance tuning, FSLTL for traffic, and GSX Pro for ground handling. Most are PC-only; Xbox users cannot run external Windows utilities.
We use utility to mean a helper application that manages, connects to or extends the simulator, rather than an aircraft or scenery package. For those other categories, see our wider breakdown of aircraft, scenery and utility add-ons.
Best MSFS 2020 utilities by purpose
No single utility is essential for every simmer, so choose one that solves a specific limitation in your setup.
| Utility | Best for | Choose it when | Main caveat |
|---|---|---|---|
| Little Navmap | Flight planning, moving maps and airport information | You want detailed route planning and live position tracking outside the cockpit | Its procedures can disagree with the simulator if the two use different navigation data |
| MSFS Addons Linker | Organising Community add-ons | You have enough aircraft and scenery packages to need profiles or selective loading | It must point to the real Community folder, and its source folders must remain available |
| FSUIPC7 | Hardware profiles and application compatibility | A device or external program requires FSUIPC offsets, or the standard control system is too restrictive | It is unnecessary for ordinary keyboard, gamepad or joystick assignments |
| AxisAndOhs or SPAD.neXt | Advanced controls, panels and aircraft-specific profiles | You use complex hardware or need scripts and conditional assignments | Running overlapping assignments in MSFS and the utility can create phantom inputs |
| AutoFPS | Dynamic performance management | The built-in frame counter reports Limited by MainThread and lowering terrain detail improves performance | It can cause visible changes in level of detail and will not solve a GPU bottleneck |
| FSLTL Traffic Injector | Live traffic and model matching | You want more convincing airline traffic than the basic simulator system provides | Dense traffic increases CPU load, especially at large hubs |
| GSX Pro | Pushback and airliner ground services | You want passenger boarding, baggage, catering and configurable pushback | Airport profiles and correctly positioned parking stands matter; overlapping ground services can produce duplicate vehicles |
For a typical PC installation, Little Navmap offers the broadest everyday value, while MSFS Addons Linker becomes indispensable once the Community folder grows. Our dedicated MSFS utilities and tools library also contains smaller freeware tools that may suit a narrower task.
Which MSFS 2020 utilities should I install first?
Most PC users should start with planning and add-on management, then add specialised utilities only when the simulator's built-in features become limiting.
- Start with Little Navmap for planning. It provides useful airport, airspace and route information even before you connect its moving map to the simulator.
- Set up MSFS Addons Linker before collecting extensive freeware. Create profiles for regions or aircraft types so MSFS does not scan every unused package at launch.
- Choose one advanced control layer. FSUIPC7 suits compatibility and profile work, while AxisAndOhs or SPAD.neXt may fit complex panels better. Do not map the same axis in several places.
- Diagnose performance before installing AutoFPS. If MSFS reports
Limited by GPU, reduce resolution, render scaling or graphics settings instead. AutoFPS is most useful against a main-thread bottleneck. - Add operational tools last. Install FSLTL for traffic or GSX Pro for full ground handling only if those features matter to the flights you operate.
GSX has more configuration than a simple toolbar tool, so use our practical GSX Pro installation and operation guide before editing airport profiles. If you only need a reliable tug, our comparison of the built-in tug, Toolbar Pushback and GSX Pro will help you avoid installing an oversized solution.
Do MSFS 2020 utilities work on Xbox?
External MSFS 2020 utilities do not run on Xbox Series X|S because the console cannot execute Windows helper applications, expose the Community folder or create the links used by add-on managers.
That excludes FSUIPC7, AutoFPS, MSFS Addons Linker, FSLTL and GSX Pro. A separate planning application can still be used as a manual reference, but it should not be assumed to provide live position data or direct simulator integration on Xbox.
Why is an MSFS utility not connecting or finding add-ons?
Most utility failures come from an incorrect packages path, installing an external application inside Community, incompatible versions or two tools trying to control the same feature.
- Confirm explicit MSFS 2020 support. Do not assume a utility labelled only for Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 also supports the 2020 simulator.
- Install the application in the correct place. Programs supplied as
.exefiles normally live outsideCommunity; only their documented companion packages belong there. - Verify the packages path. PC installation types use different locations. The
InstalledPackagesPathentry inUserCfg.optidentifies the active packages directory. - Check package nesting. A Community add-on usually needs files such as
manifest.jsonandlayout.jsondirectly inside its top-level package folder, not buried beneath an extra duplicate folder. - Remove duplicate assignments and automation. A mistake we see constantly is leaving an axis bound in MSFS while another control utility also manages it. Never run two dynamic LOD controllers together.
- Test with a clean add-on set. Disable Community packages, confirm the utility works, then restore add-ons in small groups. If an application cannot connect, start MSFS first and check that security software has not blocked or quarantined it; do not disable system protection globally.