Configure MSFS 2020 graphics and game settings with clear menu paths, performance priorities, realism options and fixes for unsaved changes.
To configure Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020, open Options from the main menu, then use General Options for graphics, data, traffic, camera and sound; Assistance Options for realism aids; and Controls Options for bindings. Start from a graphics preset, change one bottleneck at a time, then select Apply & Save.
Where are the settings in Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020?
Most global settings are reached through Options > General Options on the main menu or pause menu. Configuring them before loading a flight is safer because changes to the renderer, display mode or certain resource settings may require a restart.
| Settings area | What it controls |
|---|---|
| General Options | Display, graphics, data, traffic, camera, sound, accessibility and flight-model settings |
| Assistance Options | Piloting aids, navigation help, notifications, failures and other difficulty settings |
| Controls Options | Bindings, sensitivity curves, dead zones and separate profiles for each connected device |
| Flight Conditions | Weather, time, traffic and multiplayer conditions for the flight being prepared |
After editing an Options page, use Apply & Save rather than simply backing out. Individual graphics changes turn the global quality preset to Custom; that is normal and does not mean the configuration is broken.
PC provides the full graphics panel, including resolution, render scaling, anti-aliasing, quality levels and the rendering API. Xbox Series X|S uses a platform-tuned visual profile and does not expose the same detailed controls, although assistance, controls, traffic, data and other game options remain configurable.
Which MSFS 2020 graphics settings should I change first?
The reliable method is to establish a baseline, identify the limiting component and adjust only the settings that affect it.
- Choose the output resolution. Use the display's native resolution initially and set Render Scaling to 100, which renders at the selected output resolution. Confirm that the correct monitor, screen mode and refresh rate are selected.
- Select a global preset. Low-End, Medium, High-End and Ultra provide consistent starting points. Choose the highest preset that gives stable performance in a demanding cockpit at a detailed airport—not in an external view over empty countryside.
- Identify the bottleneck. On PC, enable Developer Mode under General Options, then use the developer toolbar's Display FPS option. Its read-out identifies whether the simulation is limited mainly by the GPU or MainThread.
- Change one group at a time. Test the same aircraft, airport, weather and camera position after each adjustment. Large batches of unrelated changes make it difficult to identify what fixed—or caused—the problem.
- Save and restart when required. Apply the settings, follow any restart prompt and relaunch after changing the rendering API before comparing performance.
| Observed limitation | Settings to adjust first |
|---|---|
| GPU-limited | Render Scaling, anti-aliasing or upscaling, clouds, shadows, reflections and ambient occlusion |
| MainThread-limited | Terrain Level of Detail, Object Level of Detail, AI or live traffic, airport vehicles and glass-cockpit refresh rate |
| VRAM pressure | Texture resolution and other high-resolution texture or shadow options |
| Blurred or delayed online scenery | Online Functionality, Bing World Data, Photogrammetry, bandwidth limits and rolling cache rather than ordinary graphics quality |
Lower Render Scaling in small steps when the GPU is overloaded. If compatible temporal upscaling is available, it can recover GPU performance, although TAA may produce clearer cockpit labels on some displays. Terrain LOD and heavy traffic are common MainThread problems, so reducing cloud quality will not fix every low-frame-rate situation.
Our recommended starting values for the major MSFS graphics options cover resolution, clouds, textures, shadows and LOD without prescribing one unsuitable preset for every PC. If the limiting component is unclear, use our process to diagnose CPU, GPU, VRAM and streaming bottlenecks before reducing image quality.
How should I configure realism, controls and online features?
Game configuration should match the aircraft, controller and type of flying rather than being treated as another graphics preset.
- Flight model: Use the Modern flight model for aircraft designed for Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020. Legacy mode exists mainly for compatibility and can produce different handling.
- Assistance: Begin with the closest preset, then customise piloting, navigation, landing and notification aids individually. If the simulator appears to move the controls or throttle by itself, check the AI piloting and assisted-control options.
- Controls: Create separate profiles for a yoke, joystick, gamepad and specialist aircraft where needed. Search by input to find accidental assignments; duplicated pitch, roll, yaw or throttle axes are a frequent cause of jumping controls.
- Sensitivity: Apply a small dead zone only when an axis jitters near its centre. Large dead zones and aggressive sensitivity curves make precise approaches harder.
- Traffic: Live or AI traffic and high airport-vehicle density can increase MainThread load at busy hubs. Reduce these before sacrificing texture quality when the developer counter reports a CPU limitation.
- Online scenery: Bing data and Photogrammetry improve scenery but depend on connection quality and cache behaviour. Our guide to configuring online scenery, bandwidth and rolling cache covers these separately from graphics performance.
Weather, time, traffic and multiplayer selections made under Flight Conditions apply to the planned session. Some online activities or multiplayer arrangements can constrain those choices, so a setting that is unavailable there is not necessarily a fault in General Options.
Why do MSFS 2020 settings not save or remain unavailable?
Repeated resets usually come from leaving without applying changes, an abnormal shutdown, synchronisation conflicts or a configuration file that cannot be updated.
- Use Apply & Save, return to the main menu and close Microsoft Flight Simulator normally.
- Expect some options to remain unavailable when the hardware, selected renderer or platform does not support them.
- Restart after changing the rendering API or any option carrying a restart notice.
- Do not edit
UserCfg.optmerely to make ordinary menu changes; the in-game interface should handle normal graphics configuration.
If values revert after a clean shutdown, follow our checks for graphics settings that keep resetting, including synchronisation and local configuration problems.