How do I calibrate a joystick or throttle with FSUIPC?

To calibrate a joystick or throttle with FSUIPC, first test it in Windows, remove duplicate simulator bindings, and assign each axis to Send direct to FSUIPC Calibration. In Joystick Calibration, set its minimum, centre or idle band, and maximum, then verify direction, full travel and detents in the aircraft.

This applies to general PC flight simulation. FSUIPC7 is used with Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020 and MSFS 2024, while FSX and Prepar3D require their simulator-specific FSUIPC releases. FSUIPC is unavailable on Xbox and PlayStation, and user axis assignment and calibration require the registered functionality of the relevant release. Check our FSUIPC packages and simulator compatibility information before installing it.

Should I calibrate the controller in Windows, FSUIPC or the simulator?

Use Windows to correct raw controller input, FSUIPC to map that input to standard simulator axes, and aircraft-specific calibration for custom throttle detents or events.

Do not calibrate at several layers simply because each offers a calibration page. A mistake we see constantly is using a Windows offset, an FSUIPC dead zone and an aircraft calibration to compensate for the same problem. Establish a clean Windows range first, then use one assignment route and only the aircraft-specific settings that are genuinely required.

How to calibrate a joystick in Windows 11 with joy.cpl

In Windows 11, run joy.cpl to test the controller and use its calibration wizard only when the raw input is wrong.

1. Open Game Controllers. Press the Windows key and R, enter joy.cpl, and press Enter.
2. Select the physical device. Choose the joystick, yoke, pedals or throttle and open Properties. A combined HOTAS may appear as more than one device.
3. Test every axis. Move it slowly through its complete travel. The crosshair or bars should move smoothly, return consistently to centre where appropriate, and reach both ends without sudden jumps.
4. Run the Windows calibration wizard if needed. On the standard controller panel, open the settings area and select Calibrate. Follow the prompts without forcing the hardware beyond its normal stops. Some manufacturer-supplied property panels do not expose the Windows wizard; use the device's own calibration panel when one is provided.
5. Test it again. If an axis still jitters, disappears or loses part of its range in joy.cpl, investigate the USB connection, driver and hardware before opening FSUIPC.

The preferred-device option in joy.cpl does not assign controls inside a flight simulator. It only identifies a preferred legacy controller for software that uses that Windows setting.

Where do I open FSUIPC in FSX and Microsoft Flight Simulator?

In FSX, FSUIPC normally appears as an in-simulator module under the add-ons menu; in MSFS 2020 and MSFS 2024, FSUIPC7 runs as a separate Windows application.

If the FSUIPC entry is missing from FSX, the module has not loaded correctly or the wrong simulator-specific release was installed. Do not expect FSUIPC7 to add the same type of in-simulator menu entry in MSFS.

What should I do before FSUIPC joystick calibration?

FSUIPC must be the only software layer commanding each axis that it replaces.

• Connect and power the joystick and throttle before starting the simulator and FSUIPC.
• Remove the matching axis from every active simulator controller profile. Check gamepads and unused throttles as well as the main flight controls.
• Leave unrelated buttons, views and hat switches assigned natively if preferred; only competing axis assignments must be removed.
• Decide whether the calibration should be global or profile-specific. Aircraft profiles are useful when a jet needs analogue reverse but a light aircraft uses the same lever from idle to full power.
• Do not assign one physical lever as both a combined throttle and an individual engine throttle.

Assignment comes before calibration. If the terminology or duplicate-binding checks are unfamiliar, follow our step-by-step FSUIPC axis-assignment procedure before recording any calibration points.

How to calibrate joystick and throttle axes in FSUIPC

The reliable order is to detect the physical axis, route it directly to FSUIPC Calibration, record its usable range and then test it in an aircraft.

1. Open FSUIPC Options. Use the add-ons menu in an in-simulator FSUIPC module, or open the FSUIPC7 application window when using MSFS.
2. Choose Axis Assignment. Move only the control being configured. FSUIPC should display the detected joystick and axis identifiers. If a noisy lever keeps taking over detection, centre it or temporarily disconnect that device.
3. Select the assignment route. Choose Send direct to FSUIPC Calibration, then select the matching aileron, elevator, rudder, throttle or brake control. Use the profile-specific option when this calibration should apply only to selected aircraft.
4. Open Joystick Calibration. Find the page containing that control. If its row is inactive, use its initial Set control. Reset removes an existing calibration; it does not calibrate the axis automatically.
5. Record the minimum. Move to the physical minimum, then ease the control back slightly before setting the value. This small margin helps the output reach its commanded limit even if the hardware stop varies.
6. Set the centre or idle band where required. Let a stick, yoke or pedals return naturally to centre, then record a narrow lower and upper centre boundary. For analogue reverse, use the equivalent pair of values to create a small idle zone.
7. Record the maximum. Move to the opposite stop, back off slightly and set the maximum value.
8. Correct the direction once. Enable Rev only if FSUIPC's output moves opposite to the physical control. Do not reverse the same axis again in Windows, the simulator or the aircraft.
9. Save and test. Close the options with OK. In the cockpit, confirm neutral position, both endpoints and smooth travel before adding response slopes or filtering.

Which calibration points should each control use?

Centred controls need a neutral band, while a conventional idle-to-full throttle needs only its usable minimum and maximum.

How should the throttle idle zone, reverse range and separate levers be set?

Set an ordinary throttle from idle to full power with no reverse zone; create an idle band only when the same analogue axis continues below idle into reverse.

An idle zone, also called an idle band, should be wide enough to hold a stable idle command but not so wide that a noticeable section of lever travel does nothing. If the throttle enters reverse while resting at idle, either enable No reverse zone for a forward-only lever or recalibrate both edges of the idle band for an analogue-reverse lever.

When reverse levers operate as switches or buttons, keep the main analogue axis calibrated from idle to full forward power. Assign the reverse action separately using a command that the aircraft actually supports rather than making a false reverse section on the throttle axis.

For twin- or four-engine aircraft, assign and calibrate each physical lever as Throttle 1, Throttle 2 and the remaining individual engines. Do not leave a combined throttle command active alongside them. Our per-engine FSUIPC setup and reverse-zone procedure covers that configuration without duplicating the full process here.

How does an MSFS 2024 TOGA binding work with FSUIPC calibration?

FSUIPC calibration creates a clean throttle range, but it cannot by itself create an aircraft-specific TOGA detent.

A physical detent is a position on the axis; a TOGA binding is a discrete simulator or aircraft event. Some MSFS 2024 aircraft infer TOGA from the top of a correctly calibrated throttle range. Others require their EFB or cockpit calibration utility to learn IDLE, CL, FLX/MCT and TOGA positions, and some recognise a dedicated button event.

For a detented throttle, calibrate the complete raw range in Windows and FSUIPC first. Then define the named detents in the aircraft's own utility. Do not create large FSUIPC dead zones at CL or TOGA unless the aircraft documentation specifically requires that approach.

If the aircraft expects a native MSFS axis or custom event, a standard direct FSUIPC throttle assignment may be ignored. In that case, remove the FSUIPC axis assignment and use the aircraft-supported simulator binding instead. Our native MSFS 2024 joystick, throttle and detent instructions explain that alternative route.

The Microsoft/Asobo ATR should not be treated as an Airbus throttle. Its power-lever gates and condition levers have their own logic. Give the power levers a clean full range, use the ATR's aircraft-side calibration when the installed version provides it, and match its own marked positions rather than copying Airbus CL, FLX or TOGA values.

Does FSUIPC calibration change joystick sensitivity?

Calibration sets endpoints, direction and neutral or idle zones; response slopes change sensitivity through the axis travel.

Calibrate first and test the linear response before applying a slope. A slope can soften movement around the centre or change how quickly the output builds, but it cannot repair a missing endpoint or unstable potentiometer. When an axis is sent directly through FSUIPC, the simulator's native sensitivity settings are generally not part of that axis route.

Why is FSUIPC calibration not working?

Most FSUIPC calibration failures are caused by duplicate bindings, an incorrect reverse-zone choice, unstable raw input or an aircraft that uses custom control events.

• FSUIPC does not detect the axis: confirm that it moves in joy.cpl, then check that another noisy axis is not continually taking over the assignment scan.
• FSUIPC detects it, but the aircraft does not respond: verify the selected control and assignment route. If only one complex aircraft fails, it probably expects a native or custom aircraft event.
• The cockpit control twitches or fights itself: remove duplicate bindings from every active simulator profile, including connected gamepads and automatically generated default profiles.
• Full travel is never reached: recalibrate the endpoints slightly inside the physical stops. If FSUIPC's input value itself cannot reach a stable extreme, return to Windows controller testing.
• The throttle enters reverse at idle: choose the no-reverse-zone option for a forward-only throttle, or reset both boundaries of the analogue idle band.
• The axis works backwards: use Rev in one layer only. Two reversals can make troubleshooting particularly confusing because the displayed input and aircraft output may disagree.
• The centre jitters: create a small centre band, but check the USB connection and raw input before enabling filtering. Filtering can conceal worn hardware and make the control feel sluggish.
• Calibration works with only one aircraft: inspect the active FSUIPC profile and the aircraft's own control system. Profile-specific assignments and calibration values can differ from the global setup.
• Controls move without your input: disable simulator piloting assistance, copilot control or automation that is allowed to manipulate the same axis.
• Assignments change after reconnecting hardware: keep devices on consistent USB ports or use FSUIPC's joystick-letter facility where supported, which is less vulnerable to changing Windows joystick numbers.