How do I configure touchscreen monitors in MSFS?

To configure a touchscreen monitor in Microsoft Flight Simulator on PC, connect both its video and USB data cables, extend the Windows desktop, map touch input to that display, then pop out supported cockpit instruments and drag them across. MSFS 2020 and MSFS 2024 do not make the whole 3D cockpit a native multi-touch panel.

Configure the touchscreen monitor in Windows first

Windows handles the monitor, touch mapping and calibration; MSFS only receives the resulting pointer input. A touchscreen therefore has two separate connections: a video connection for the picture and a USB data connection for touch.

1. Connect video and touch data. Use HDMI, DisplayPort or a suitable USB-C connection for the picture. Connect the monitor's USB upstream port to the PC unless one USB-C cable explicitly carries video and touch data. Charging-only USB cables will not work.
2. Extend the desktop. Open Windows Display settings and select Extend these displays. Duplicate mode is unsuitable when the main monitor and MSFS touch panel need to show different content.
3. Arrange the displays. Select Identify, then drag the numbered rectangles so they match the monitors' physical positions. This determines which screen edge the pointer and instrument windows cross.
4. Set resolution and scaling. Start with each monitor's native resolution. Mixed Windows scaling is supported, but it can complicate window sizing; reopen MSFS after changing scaling.
5. Map touch input. Open Calibrate the screen for pen or touch input, select Setup and follow the identification prompts. Press Enter whenever the prompt appears on a non-touch monitor, and tap the touchscreen when the message reaches it.
6. Calibrate only after mapping. Calibration corrects inaccurate or offset taps. It does not fix a touch device assigned to the wrong monitor. Set the final screen orientation before calibrating.

The touchscreen does not need to be the Windows primary display. Making it primary changes where applications open, but it does not assign the USB touch device to that screen. Our explanation of touchscreen connections and Windows display mapping covers the hardware side in more detail.

There is no search bar: how do I open touch calibration?

A visible Windows search bar is not required. Press the Windows key, immediately type Calibrate the screen for pen or touch input, then open the matching Control Panel result.

If that result does not appear, press Windows+R, enter control.exe /name Microsoft.TabletPCSettings and press Enter. If Windows still offers no touch setup controls, check Device Manager under Human Interface Devices for an enabled HID-compliant touch screen. A missing device usually points to the USB cable, USB port or monitor driver rather than MSFS.

How do I put MSFS cockpit instruments on the touch screen?

The normal method is to pop a supported avionics display out of the 3D cockpit and move its separate Windows window onto the touchscreen.

1. Load and power the aircraft. Turn on the battery, avionics and relevant display units. An unpowered screen may be blank or impossible to identify.
2. Target the display surface. Move the pointer over the illuminated PFD, MFD, GPS or navigation screen, not its bezel or dashboard surround.
3. Use the default pop-out gesture. Hold Right Alt and left-click when the pop-out pointer appears. Support is determined by the aircraft; not every display can be detached.
4. Move the instrument window. Drag its title bar onto the touchscreen and resize it. If the window opens off-screen, select it and use Windows+Shift+Left Arrow or Windows+Shift+Right Arrow to move it between monitors.
5. Test direct input. Tap a visible control and confirm that the pointer appears on the same screen. A tap that lands on another display means Windows touch mapping is wrong.

A pop-out commonly contains only the electronic display surface. Physical bezel buttons, rotary knobs and soft keys may remain in the virtual cockpit, and a touchscreen cannot add controls that the aircraft has not exposed. Toolbar panels such as maps or checklists can be moved separately only when that panel provides an undock or separate-window control.

What about the Citation Longitude touchscreen controllers?

The Citation Longitude's in-cockpit touchscreen controllers are simulated aircraft components, not automatic outputs for a physical touchscreen monitor. Try the pop-out gesture on the lit display area itself. If that screen does not offer a pop-out pointer, connecting a touch monitor cannot force it into a separate window.

Do not assume that support for the Longitude's large flight displays means every smaller controller or bezel will also detach. The exact result can differ between aircraft implementations and between MSFS 2020 and MSFS 2024.

What is the best layout with 2 monitors?

For two monitors, keep the main outside view on the larger display and place popped-out instruments on the touchscreen below or beside it. Leave the main display as primary unless another application specifically requires the touch panel to be primary.

Match that physical arrangement in Windows and connect both monitors before launching the simulator. If you need to configure resolutions, positions or a separate rendered view, follow our Windows and MSFS multi-monitor setup steps.

Each popped-out glass-cockpit display adds work, even when the second screen shows only instruments rather than another outside view. Use only the panels you need and avoid driving the touchscreen at a needlessly high resolution. If performance drops after adding the second display, work through the causes in our two-monitor MSFS frame-rate guide.

Why does the touchscreen control the wrong monitor?

The USB touch device has been assigned to a different display in Windows. Display numbering, primary-monitor status and touch assignment are separate settings.

• Run Calibrate the screen for pen or touch input and select Setup again.
• Press Enter on every non-touch display rather than tapping it with the mouse.
• Reset old calibration data before recalibrating, especially after rotating a screen or changing ports.
• Connect each touchscreen's USB data cable directly to the PC or to a confirmed data-capable hub.
• Keep identical touchscreens on the same USB and video ports between sessions; changing ports can alter device enumeration.

If taps are correct in Windows but wrong only inside one panel, touch mapping is probably not the cause. Recreate that pop-out, return both monitors to native resolution and restart MSFS after any scaling change.

Why will an MSFS instrument not pop out or remain black?

An instrument will not pop out unless the aircraft exposes it as a detachable display. Confirm that the avionics are powered, click the active screen rather than the bezel and return keyboard focus to the main simulator window before trying Right Alt and left-click again.

A black pop-out can indicate an unpowered unit, unsupported custom avionics or a window that failed during creation. Close and recreate the pop-out after the cockpit display is working normally. If no pop-out pointer ever appears on that screen, the limitation belongs to the aircraft rather than the monitor.

Why is MSFS 2024 Shift+C not working after using the touchscreen?

MSFS 2024 keyboard shortcuts can stop responding when a detached instrument window has Windows focus. Click the main flight view or use Alt+Tab to return to it, then try Shift+C again.

If that does not work, select the keyboard in the MSFS 2024 controls screen and inspect the active profile. Confirm that the intended command is still assigned to Shift+C and that another contextual command has not taken the same combination. Menu wording can change between simulator updates, so our MSFS 2024 control-profile instructions explain how to find assignments and conflicts without relying on one fixed menu layout.

Does the MSFS 2024 Input Viewer configure touch input?

No. The MSFS 2024 Input Viewer is a diagnostic aid; it does not map a USB touch device to a Windows monitor, calibrate tap positions or make an unsupported cockpit display detachable. A screen tap may be handled as mouse or pointer input rather than as a separately assignable simulator controller.

Test the touchscreen on the Windows desktop first. If touch fails there, repair the USB connection or Windows mapping. If it works in Windows but not on one MSFS panel, investigate that panel's pop-out support and window focus.

What touchscreen limitations should I expect in MSFS?

A touch screen used with Flight Simulator is most effective for large buttons and supported glass-cockpit pop-outs, not as a complete replacement for a mouse, encoder or physical cockpit controls.

• Multi-touch is limited: most interactions behave like single-pointer input rather than independent multi-finger cockpit control.
• Rotary knobs remain awkward: small drag targets and controls designed for a mouse wheel can be difficult to operate accurately.
• Window focus changes: tapping a detached panel can redirect keyboard input away from the main simulator window.
• Positions may not be restored: MSFS does not always reopen every instrument at its previous size and location. Connect and wake all displays before starting the simulator.
• Aircraft support differs: one cockpit may expose several avionics screens while another exposes one or none.

Can touchscreen monitors be configured on Xbox or PlayStation?

This extended-desktop touchscreen workflow is for the Windows PC versions of Microsoft Flight Simulator. MSFS 2024 also runs on Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5 and PS5 Pro, while MSFS 2020 runs on Xbox as well as PC, but the console editions do not provide Windows touch mapping or movable desktop pop-out windows.