Connect SimBrief to the FlyByWire A32NX or A380X in MSFS, import the latest OFP into the FMS, and fix account ID or route errors.
To connect SimBrief to the FlyByWire A32NX or A380X in Microsoft Flight Simulator, enter your SimBrief Pilot ID in the aircraft’s own EFB, generate an operational flight plan, import that plan, then request it in the cockpit FMS. The simulator’s native EFB connection is separate.
What do you need before connecting SimBrief?
You need a compatible PC installation of the FlyByWire aircraft, a SimBrief account and a generated operational flight plan (OFP). A paid chart or navdata subscription is not required merely to use the connection.
- Use the FlyByWire A32NX or A380X, not a stock Airbus or an A380 from another developer.
- Select an aircraft profile intended for the model you are flying. The wrong profile may still import the route, but its fuel, weights and performance assumptions will be wrong.
- Finish the plan by generating the OFP. A route left in the editing stage is not available to the aircraft.
- Keep an internet connection active while importing the plan.
If the plan has not yet been prepared, our explanation of setting up the aircraft profile and generating a SimBrief OFP covers that part without duplicating the cockpit procedure here.
How do I link SimBrief to the FlyByWire EFB?
The FlyByWire EFB stores your SimBrief account identifier and uses it to retrieve the latest generated OFP.
- Power the aircraft and avionics. Battery or external power must be on so the EFB and cockpit FMS can operate.
- Open the aircraft’s EFB. Use the FlyByWire tablet in the cockpit, not the MSFS toolbar or the native MSFS 2024 EFB.
- Find the SimBrief integration setting. Look in the EFB settings under SimBrief, Integrations or Third Party Options. The label can vary between aircraft builds.
- Enter your Pilot ID. Copy the numerical Pilot ID shown in your SimBrief account profile. Do not enter an email address. If the field explicitly accepts a username, the exact username may also work, but the Pilot ID avoids problems caused by renamed accounts or display names.
- Import the OFP. Open the EFB dashboard, dispatch or flight-planning page and select the SimBrief import option. Confirm that the displayed origin, destination, callsign and aircraft match the intended flight.
- Request the route in the cockpit FMS. Importing the OFP into the tablet does not always populate the cockpit route automatically. Use the relevant FMS request described below.
- Inspect the route before departure. Check every airway transition, discontinuity, runway and procedure rather than assuming the imported plan is ready to fly.
No separate connector program or manually exported .pln file is required for this direct integration.
Is the process different in the A32NX and A380X?
Both aircraft use the same SimBrief account principle, but their cockpit flight-management interfaces are different.
| Interface | Route request | Main gotcha |
|---|---|---|
| FlyByWire A32NX | Open the MCDU’s INIT page and use INIT REQUEST when available. | An OFP visible on the EFB does not prove that the MCDU route has been loaded. |
| FlyByWire A380X | Use the initialisation or SimBrief request function in the cockpit FMS on the multifunction display. | The A380X does not simply reproduce the A32NX’s physical MCDU layout, and control labels can vary between development builds. |
| Native MSFS 2024 EFB | Uses its own account connection and transfer process for supported avionics. | Linking SimBrief here does not necessarily configure the FlyByWire EFB or FMS. |
For the last option, follow our separate instructions for linking the native MSFS 2024 EFB and transferring its plan. Do not confuse that simulator-level workflow with the tablet built into a FlyByWire aircraft.
Why will SimBrief not connect or import the plan?
Most failures come from an incorrect account identifier, an OFP that was never generated, or use of the wrong aircraft package.
- There is no SimBrief option: confirm that you loaded the FlyByWire aircraft rather than a stock A320. For installation problems, use our A32NX package and Community-folder checks for MSFS 2020 or the correct package-selection steps for MSFS 2024.
- The import returns nothing: re-enter the numerical Pilot ID without spaces, verify internet access and confirm that the flight has been generated as an OFP.
- An old flight keeps appearing: the integration retrieves the latest generated plan for the saved account. Regenerate the revised flight, then run the import again.
- The EFB has the OFP but the FMS is empty: perform the separate INIT or SimBrief request in the cockpit FMS.
- Waypoints or airways are rejected: the aircraft and SimBrief may be using different navigation-data cycles. Resolve missing fixes and airway changes manually rather than accepting a broken route.
- The route contains duplicated or altered legs: avoid loading one plan through the MSFS world map and another through FlyByWire unless you deliberately need simulator-level synchronisation. Use one route source as the master.
What does the SimBrief import leave for the pilot?
A successful import supplies planning data, but it does not complete the aircraft setup or guarantee a valid departure route.
- Choose and verify the runway, SID, STAR and approach against the weather, clearance and available procedures.
- Clear only appropriate route discontinuities and check altitude or speed constraints.
- Review planned fuel and payload. Some builds require a separate EFB action to apply those values to the aircraft.
- Calculate or enter take-off performance data such as flap configuration, thrust setting, trim and V-speeds where required.
- Confirm that the FMS route, EFB OFP and any simulator-level ATC plan agree.
The connection is not a live synchronisation. Once the Pilot ID is saved, you normally leave it in place, generate a new OFP for each flight, import it again and repeat the cockpit FMS request.