Can’t hear ATC voices in your flight simulator? Fix radio selection, voice volume, audio routing, text-to-speech and online speech failures.
If ATC text appears but you hear no voice, the usual cause is a muted ATC/voice slider, communications audio sent to the wrong playback device, an unselected COM receiver, or failed text-to-speech. Check the aircraft radios first, then the simulator’s voice settings, operating-system mixer and any online speech service.
Across Microsoft Flight Simulator, FSX, Prepar3D and X-Plane, ATC speech is often handled separately from aircraft sound. That is why engines and cockpit alerts can work normally while the controller remains silent.
What does the silence tell you?
The exact combination of missing and working sounds narrows the fault quickly.
| Symptom | Most likely cause |
|---|---|
| ATC text appears, but neither controller nor pilot is heard | Voice volume, communications output or text-to-speech failure |
| Your pilot is audible, but the controller is silent | Controller speech source, online voice service or damaged voice data |
| ATIS works, but other ATC does not | Wrong active frequency, incorrect ATC state or a transmission-specific fault |
| ATC works in one aircraft only | Add-on aircraft audio panel, radio power or custom avionics |
| No ATC menu, text or radio response appears | A broader ATC or avionics problem rather than voice output alone |
| All simulator sound is missing | Master output device, operating-system mixer or audio-driver problem |
If the ATC window itself is blank, frequencies cannot be selected or transmissions receive no response, use our checks for a complete flight-simulator ATC failure instead.
How do I restore ATC voice audio?
- Create a simple test. Load a default aircraft at an airport where the simulator provides ATC. Use a known tower or ATIS frequency so that a complex add-on aircraft, saved flight or remote location does not confuse the diagnosis.
- Power and tune the radios. Turn on the battery, avionics and radio equipment. Put the frequency in the active window rather than standby, select the correct
COM1orCOM2receiver on the audio panel, and raise the radio’s own volume knob. Some detailed aircraft model these controls independently of the simulator’s main sound settings. - Check voice-related sliders. Open the simulator’s audio settings and confirm that master, voices, communications and ATC categories are not muted. Setting effects or engine volume high does not guarantee that speech is enabled.
- Inspect audio routing. Confirm that communications are assigned to the headset or speakers you are actually using. Then check the operating system’s per-application mixer for a muted simulator or a different playback device.
- Test text-to-speech. If the simulator offers online and offline voice generation, switch temporarily between them. Confirm that any required operating-system speech voice is installed and that online functionality is enabled when using cloud-generated speech.
- Remove likely conflicts. Disable external ATC programs, sound modifications and custom aircraft temporarily. An external ATC client normally has its own playback-device setting and may not use the simulator’s ATC volume control at all.
- Reset before reinstalling. Restore the simulator’s audio settings to defaults, restart it after selecting the desired playback device, and verify or repair its installed files if voice data still appears damaged. Reinstalling the entire simulator should be a last resort.
Why do engine sounds work while ATC stays silent?
Aircraft effects and radio communications can be routed through different sound buses or physical devices. A common arrangement sends engines to desktop speakers and ATC to a headset; changing or disconnecting that headset then leaves only the aircraft audible.
Bluetooth headsets can also expose separate stereo and hands-free communications endpoints. Make sure the simulator, operating system and any external ATC client use the intended endpoint. On consoles, check the selected system output and the game-to-chat balance rather than looking for a desktop application mixer.
FSX users should also check the playback device that was active when the simulator started; our FSX ATC audio troubleshooting covers its voice controls and damaged sound files. Prepar3D can similarly separate communications from general sound, so use these Prepar3D communications-output checks when ATC is reaching the wrong device.
Do ATC voices need an internet connection?
ATC voices do not always require an internet connection, but cloud-generated voices and online ATC services do. Recorded speech and locally installed text-to-speech can work offline, although the available voice and phrase quality may differ.
In Microsoft Flight Simulator, visible ATC text with missing speech often points to the selected voice source or communications output. MSFS 2020 users can follow our voice-specific MSFS 2020 fixes; MSFS 2024 has similar categories, but labels and menu placement can differ by platform and update.
What if ATC is silent in only one aircraft?
If a default aircraft receives ATC normally, the simulator-wide audio system is working and the affected aircraft is the problem. Check its avionics bus, audio-panel receiver buttons, transmit selector, radio volume and any custom electrical logic documented for that aircraft.
A mistake we see constantly is tuning the right frequency on COM1 while monitoring only COM2, or leaving the frequency in standby. Reloading the aircraft may clear a stuck custom avionics state, but correcting the radio and audio-panel configuration is the lasting fix.