How do I view and change default keyboard controls in FSX?

In Microsoft Flight Simulator X (FSX) and FSX: Steam Edition, open Settings > Controls and choose Buttons/Keys to view the active keyboard map. Select an event, choose New Assignment, press the replacement key or combination, remove any unwanted duplicate, apply the change, then test it in a default aircraft.

Where are the default keyboard controls in FSX?

The keyboard assignments used by FSX are listed on the Buttons/Keys tab of the Controls screen. From the opening screen, select Settings > Controls. During a flight, press Alt if the menu bar is hidden, then select Options > Settings > Controls.

Use the event-category selector to narrow the list or choose All Events when a command is difficult to find. The Controller Type box may show a joystick, yoke or another device, but the keyboard column still shows the associated key assignments.

This screen shows your active controls, which may no longer match the factory layout. Previous edits, controller software and add-ons can all change what is assigned. To compare your setup with the original layout, use our complete FSX and FSX: Steam Edition keyboard reference.

What are the most common FSX keyboard commands?

The stock FSX controls below cover the commands most often needed during a flight.

These are core simulator defaults rather than guaranteed assignments for every installation. Add-on aircraft may use custom gauges or system logic that does not respond to the standard event. Our downloadable FSX keyboard command sheet provides a printable stock reference.

How do I open the FSX map with the keyboard?

FSX does not provide a dedicated factory single-key command for opening its in-flight map. Press Alt to reveal the menu bar, then select World > Map.

Alt, World and Map are a menu sequence, not a simultaneous key combination. Menu access letters can differ with the interface language, so use the arrow keys and Enter if the usual letter navigation does not match your installation.

How do I change an FSX keyboard shortcut?

FSX lets you reassign or remove stock keyboard commands from the Controls screen without editing configuration files.

1. Open the assignment list. Go to Settings > Controls > Buttons/Keys.
2. Find the correct event. Select a category or All Events, then highlight the command. Check its wording carefully: set, toggle, increase and decrease events are separate controls.
3. Open the assignment dialogue. Choose New Assignment or the equivalent assignment button beneath the list. The wording can vary with the interface language.
4. Enter the replacement. Press one key or a combination using Shift, Ctrl or Alt. Avoid operating-system combinations such as Alt + F4.
5. Resolve conflicts. If FSX reports that the input is already assigned, remove or rebind the unrelated command. A duplicate can be retained deliberately, but one key controlling two unrelated events usually causes confusing behaviour.
6. Apply and test. Confirm the change, return to the cockpit and test it in a default FSX aircraft with no menu, ATC dialogue or text field active.

To remove a shortcut, select its keyboard assignment and use Delete Assignment. Check that you are removing the keyboard entry rather than a joystick or yoke button you still need.

Which Microsoft Flight Simulator X controls should I remap?

Remap controls needed during taxi, take-off and landing, while leaving infrequently used commands at their defaults. This preserves compatibility with tutorials and checklists while putting urgent functions within easy reach.

• Prioritise immediate actions: brakes, parking brake, landing gear, flaps, trim and the cockpit or external views you use most often.
• Keep analogue movement on axes: keyboard input is digital, so a joystick, yoke, pedals or throttle axis provides finer pitch, roll, rudder, braking and power control.
• Change a few commands at a time: test each small group before continuing. This makes duplicate assignments much easier to identify.
• Avoid global shortcuts: combinations reserved by Windows, the Steam overlay or another utility may never reach FSX.

If you only need a practical core set, our short list of high-value FSX shortcuts explains which commands are most useful in normal flying.

How do FSX brakes work from the keyboard?

Hold the main keyboard . key to apply normal wheel brakes, and press Ctrl + . to toggle the parking brake. The default differential brake commands are F11 for the left wheel and F12 for the right.

On laptops, the function keys may require Fn, while a non-English keyboard layout may place the full-stop key differently. If the printed default is inconvenient or does not register, assign a new key by pressing it directly in the assignment dialogue.

If the brakes remain applied after releasing the key, inspect joystick, pedal and gamepad assignments for another brake button or axis. Keyboard braking is not proportional, so pedals are the better choice when progressive braking matters.

What should I do if my keyboard has no numpad?

On a keyboard with no numeric keypad, reassign the numpad-dependent view and aircraft-control events to unused ordinary keys or modified combinations. The number row above the letters is not the same input as the numeric keypad.

• Remap only what you use: start with trim, rudder or view controls rather than replacing the entire keyboard layout.
• Use modifiers to create space: combinations such as Shift plus a letter are often easier to remember than scattered punctuation keys.
• Check Num Lock and Fn behaviour: compact keyboards can send different inputs according to the active function layer.
• Choose an external numpad when retaining defaults matters: this is useful if you regularly follow manuals that refer to stock keypad commands. Remapping is simpler when only a few keypad events are needed.

Are FSX: Steam Edition controls different?

The core keyboard commands in FSX: Steam Edition are the same as the boxed FSX controls covered here. The active assignments can still differ because each installation may retain its own per-user settings, especially when both editions have been installed on the same computer.

Steam itself does not require a different braking, throttle or landing-gear layout. Its overlay or controller features can, however, capture a key combination before the simulator receives it. If a shortcut works in boxed FSX but not Steam Edition, check for an overlay conflict and compare the two editions’ Buttons/Keys screens rather than assuming their saved assignments are shared.

Why is FSX ignoring my new keyboard assignment?

FSX usually ignores a shortcut because the wrong event was edited, another command or device shares the input, or the keystroke is being captured before it reaches the cockpit.

• The wrong event is assigned: normal brakes, differential brakes and the parking-brake toggle are separate events. Throttle cut, decrease, increase and full power are also distinct.
• The controller entry was changed: confirm that the replacement appears in the keyboard column, not only beside a joystick button.
• A duplicate remains: remove the old binding if one key causes two actions or appears to work intermittently.
• A window has keyboard focus: close ATC windows, menus and text fields, then click the main simulator window before testing.
• Num Lock or Fn alters the input: verify what the laptop or compact keyboard is actually sending.
• Another application captures it: overlays, global hotkeys and controller utilities can intercept combinations before FSX sees them.
• A second device sends the same event: temporarily disconnect the joystick, pedals or gamepad. If the fault stops, inspect that device’s button and axis assignments.
• The aircraft uses custom systems: test the key in a default aircraft. If it works there, the global keyboard map is sound and the add-on needs its own control method.

If changes work only until FSX is restarted, select Apply or OK and close the simulator normally once. When every edit disappears after relaunch, check whether Windows security software is blocking the simulator from saving its per-user settings or whether its controls configuration has been made read-only.

Can I restore the original FSX keyboard controls?

You can restore one or two commands manually or use Reset Defaults when the complete FSX keyboard map has become confused.

• For isolated changes: look up the original key and assign it manually. This preserves the rest of your customised controls.
• For widespread conflicts: use Reset Defaults on the relevant Controls page. Read the confirmation carefully because the reset can affect more than the highlighted command.
• Before resetting: record customised yoke, joystick, throttle and pedal assignments so they can be recreated if necessary.
• When only one aircraft fails: do not reset the global controls. A shortcut that works in a default aircraft points to the add-on’s custom systems rather than a damaged FSX keyboard map.