Learn how to brighten cockpit instruments in MSFS 2020 and 2024, choose the correct dimmer, and fix screens that remain dark or washed out.
To make cockpit instruments brighter in Microsoft Flight Simulator, turn up the aircraft’s instrument, panel or display-brightness controls before changing the monitor. Switch on the battery and avionics first, then adjust each screen’s bezel knob or the cockpit-lighting rheostat. The exact control and location vary by aircraft.
This applies to both Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020 and Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024. Brightness controls are modelled by the individual aircraft, so a control that works in one cockpit may do nothing in another.
Which cockpit brightness control should I use?
Use the control assigned to the part of the cockpit that is actually dark.
| Control | What it changes | When to use it |
|---|---|---|
| Display, PFD or MFD brightness | The illuminated image on a glass-cockpit screen | When flight displays are dim but the surrounding panel is visible |
| Instrument, panel or integral lighting | Analogue gauges, labels, switches and backlit markings | For night flying when lettering or conventional instruments cannot be read |
| Flood or dome lighting | The physical cockpit surfaces | When the whole cockpit is dark; excessive flood light can make displays appear washed out |
| Pedestal or console lighting | Radios, throttle quadrants, centre consoles and FMC/CDU areas | When only the lower panel or centre console is dark |
Typical labels include BRT, DIM, INST, PANEL, INTEG and FLOOD. Airliners often have separate dimmers for each main display, the standby instruments, overhead panel, pedestal and CDU. Glass-cockpit general-aviation aircraft may place brightness controls on the display bezel, a panel rheostat or an on-screen menu.
How do I turn up instrument brightness?
Power the aircraft first, then adjust the dimmer assigned to the affected instrument or lighting zone.
- Turn on electrical power. Switch on the battery and the required avionics or display masters. Some aircraft also need a panel-lighting master before their rheostats respond.
- Identify what is dark. If the display image is dim, use its display-brightness control. If labels and analogue gauges are dark, use instrument or integral lighting instead.
- Find the relevant dimmer. Check the display bezel, glareshield, overhead panel and lower instrument panel for brightness labels. Watch the cockpit tooltip to confirm the control.
- Adjust the control gradually. On PC, the mouse wheel or click-and-drag interaction usually rotates a knob. On consoles, focus the control and follow the displayed controller prompts.
- Balance the lighting zones. Raise instrument backlighting first, then add only enough flood lighting to see switches and panel surfaces.
Pay attention to dual concentric knobs. The inner and outer sections can control different displays or lighting zones, and a mistake we see constantly is turning the wrong half of the knob. Brightness may also reset when you change aircraft or start another cold-and-dark flight.
Why are my cockpit screens still dim or black?
A screen that remains black usually has a power or avionics problem, while a powered but dim screen normally has the wrong brightness control selected.
- No electrical power: Check the battery, avionics master, generators and relevant display switches. Our electrical and avionics checks for blank MSFS displays cover this separate fault in detail.
- Wrong dimmer: Panel and flood controls illuminate the cockpit structure; they do not necessarily change the PFD, MFD, radio or CDU image.
- Automatic brightness: Some glass displays adjust themselves using simulated ambient light. Use the display’s own brightness control or manual mode where the aircraft provides one.
- Sunlight or reflections: Direct sunlight can overpower a display even at maximum brightness. Reduce unnecessary flood lighting and move the camera slightly to distinguish glare from a genuinely dim screen.
- Custom aircraft controls: Complex add-on aircraft may use their own lighting logic and ignore standard simulator bindings. Operate the virtual cockpit knob when a keyboard, axis or controller assignment has no effect.
- Whole image is too dark: If the outside view, cockpit shell and instruments are all affected, check the monitor, television, HDR or headset calibration rather than compensating with every cockpit dimmer.
Can I bind instrument brightness to a controller?
You can bind cockpit-lighting commands when the aircraft supports Microsoft Flight Simulator’s standard lighting events.
Search the simulator’s controls settings for terms such as instrument lights, panel lights, cockpit lights and brightness. Assign increase and decrease commands, or an axis where one is offered, then test it in the intended aircraft.
There is no guaranteed universal binding for every screen. Detailed airliners and other add-ons frequently use custom systems, so their virtual brightness knobs may be the only reliable option.
What if bright instruments are still hard to read?
Brightness cannot correct a display that is too small, blurred or washed out.
For supported glass displays, opening the instrument in a separate resizable window can make charts, maps and small text easier to read. VR users should also check headset rendering and colour settings; our VR brightness, contrast and colour-processing fixes address displays that remain pale or indistinct despite using the correct cockpit dimmer.