Configure AutoFPS for Microsoft Flight Simulator: choose target FPS, set TLOD limits, handle frame generation, and fix unstable or missed targets.
To configure AutoFPS in Microsoft Flight Simulator on PC, set a target from the FPS the utility’s own status display reports, choose conservative minimum and maximum Terrain LOD values, and test at a demanding airport. Let it manage TLOD first; only enable OLOD or cloud-quality changes after confirming whether the simulator is CPU- or GPU-limited.
Before changing AutoFPS settings
AutoFPS works best when the simulator already has a sensible, stable graphics configuration. It cannot repair an overloaded GPU, faulty add-on, scenery-streaming interruption or avionics-related main-thread stall simply by reducing Terrain LOD.
Load the aircraft and airport combination that normally gives you the lowest performance, then note the FPS and whether Microsoft Flight Simulator reports MainThread or GPU as the limiting factor. Our method for identifying MSFS CPU, GPU, VRAM and streaming limits explains how to separate those bottlenecks.
AutoFPS is a Windows utility. It cannot run on Xbox Series X|S or PlayStation 5. Use a release explicitly compatible with Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020 or 2024 and, if the utility asks, select the correct simulator mode.
Recommended AutoFPS configuration
- Set the simulator graphics first. Choose the resolution, render scaling, anti-aliasing, clouds and traffic you intend to use. In MSFS 2024, disable its own Dynamic Settings while AutoFPS is controlling LOD; two automatic systems will fight each other. Our guide to the graphics settings that most affect LOD, frame generation and GPU load provides a practical baseline.
- Measure a repeatable low-end frame rate. Test on the ground at a complex airport with the intended aircraft, weather and traffic. Live weather and multiplayer traffic make comparisons less consistent, so use repeatable conditions while tuning.
- Choose a realistic target FPS. Start slightly below the lowest frame rate the system can sustain at an acceptable minimum TLOD. If the simulator delivers 32–36 FPS in the test situation, setting a 60 FPS target will only pin TLOD at its minimum.
- Set minimum TLOD. A starting value of 50–75 suits performance-heavy airliner hubs; 75–100 retains more distant terrain detail. Do not set the minimum lower than you are willing to see during approach and taxi.
- Set maximum TLOD. Begin around 150–200 for complex airliner flying or 200–300 for lighter general-aviation use where more terrain is visible. A very high maximum can consume all available main-thread headroom as soon as AutoFPS detects spare frames.
- Leave OLOD and cloud adjustment off initially. Establish stable TLOD behaviour first. Object LOD can introduce terminal or building pop-in, while cloud-quality changes are aimed mainly at GPU load and may produce an obvious visual switch.
- Test both ends of the flight. Check the departure gate, climb, cruise and arrival. On the ground, AutoFPS should have enough range to protect the target; at altitude, it should be able to raise TLOD without repeatedly bouncing between limits.
What target FPS should AutoFPS use?
The correct target is a frame rate your system can hold in demanding conditions, not the highest number seen in cruise. It must also agree with any V-Sync, frame limiter, frame-generation or VR reprojection configuration.
| Configuration | How to choose the target |
|---|---|
| No frame generation | Use a value slightly below the repeatable low-end FPS from the utility’s display. |
| DLSS frame generation | Target the rendered FPS AutoFPS says it is controlling, not a separate overlay’s generated output. If AutoFPS reports 30 while an overlay reports about 60, configure the target around the former. |
| V-Sync or frame limiter | Choose a sustainable cadence below the cap and avoid stacking several external and in-simulator limiters. |
| VR with reprojection | Use the required native cadence, such as 45 FPS for half-rate operation on a 90 Hz headset, provided the system can sustain it. |
If AutoFPS remains at minimum TLOD yet still misses the target, the target is unattainable with that aircraft and scenario. Lower the target, reduce CPU-heavy traffic or airport detail, or address the GPU settings if the simulator is GPU-limited.
Should AutoFPS control OLOD and cloud quality?
OLOD and cloud control should be added only after TLOD adjustment is stable. Terrain LOD is usually the most useful control when Microsoft Flight Simulator is main-thread limited, especially around detailed scenery.
- Enable OLOD control when dense airport objects are contributing to CPU load and you can accept some object pop-in. Keep its minimum conservative around airports.
- Enable cloud-quality reduction when testing shows a genuine GPU limitation caused partly by clouds. Lowering clouds will not solve a main-thread bottleneck.
- Keep both fixed when consistent image quality matters more than holding an exact target.
Leave adjustment speed, step size and FPS tolerance at their defaults for the first tests. If TLOD continually rises and falls, use smaller adjustment steps or a wider tolerance band, depending on the controls exposed by your AutoFPS release.
Why does AutoFPS oscillate or fail to hold the target?
Repeated LOD changes usually mean the target sits on the edge of what the system can sustain or that another variable is changing faster than AutoFPS can compensate.
| Symptom | Likely cause and fix |
|---|---|
| TLOD stays at minimum | The target is too high, or the bottleneck is GPU, traffic, avionics or an add-on rather than terrain detail. |
| TLOD stays at maximum | There is spare performance. Raise the maximum only if the extra distant detail is useful. |
| TLOD constantly rises and falls | Reduce the adjustment step, widen the tolerance or lower the target slightly. |
| Average FPS is acceptable but pauses remain | AutoFPS does not cure cache, streaming, shader, add-on or asset-loading interruptions. Use our stutter and micro-pause diagnosis instead. |
| Cloud quality drops without helping | The simulator is probably main-thread limited; disable automatic cloud adjustment. |
What changes for Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024?
MSFS 2024 can expose its own dynamic graphics behaviour, so only one system should control LOD at a time. Its frame limiter, V-Sync, frame-generation and LOD behaviour have also changed through simulator updates; our summary of the performance and LOD changes introduced with Sim Update 3 covers one significant set of revisions.
Simulator updates can also break compatibility with utilities that read or alter live simulator values. If AutoFPS stops connecting immediately after an update, confirm that its release supports the installed MSFS build rather than reusing an older executable.
Why will AutoFPS not connect to the simulator?
A connection failure usually comes from an incompatible build, launch timing, mismatched Windows permissions or interference from another LOD utility.
- Load fully into a flight before starting AutoFPS.
- Confirm that the utility is set for MSFS 2020 or MSFS 2024 as appropriate.
- Run the simulator and utility at the same Windows privilege level; avoid running either as administrator unless required.
- Close other programs that dynamically control TLOD, OLOD or graphics settings.
- Check whether security software quarantined part of the utility, but do not whitelist an unverified download blindly.
- After a simulator update, wait for and install an AutoFPS build explicitly marked as compatible if the old one no longer connects.