How do I display the FPS counter in FSX?

In Microsoft Flight Simulator X (FSX) and FSX: Steam Edition, press Shift+Z while a flight is running. The built-in red diagnostic overlay cycles through several pages, so press Shift+Z again until Frames/sec appears at the top of the screen. Continue pressing the same shortcut to hide the FPS counter.

How do I turn the FSX FPS counter on and off?

The Cycle Coordinates/Frame Rate command controls FSX's built-in frame-rate display.

1. Load a flight. Wait until the cockpit or external view has appeared; the shortcut is not intended for the opening menus.
2. Hold Shift and tap Z. Red diagnostic text should appear along the top of the simulator view.
3. Cycle to the FPS page. Press Shift+Z again if the first page shows coordinates or other flight data without Frames/sec.
4. Hide the counter. Keep pressing the same shortcut until every red diagnostic line disappears.

This method works in the boxed edition of FSX and FSX: Steam Edition, in full-screen or windowed mode and in cockpit or external views. The overlay may also show coordinates, altitude and other data; our guide to the red Shift+Z flight-information lines explains what those additional readouts mean.

Why does Shift+Z not show the frame rate?

If no FPS counter appears, the usual causes are an incomplete overlay cycle, lost keyboard focus or a reassigned command.

• Press it more than once: Shift+Z cycles through several combinations. Seeing red text without Frames/sec does not mean the counter is unavailable.
• Return focus to FSX: close any open menu, text box, map or add-on panel, click the main simulator view and try the shortcut again.
• Check how the keys are pressed: hold Shift, tap Z and then release them. Do not press the two keys one after the other.
• Inspect the control assignment: open FSX's control settings and locate Cycle Coordinates/Frame Rate in the Buttons/Keys assignments. Restore Shift+Z or give it an unused combination.
• Test for intercepted keys: temporarily assign the command to another key. If that works, an add-on, keyboard utility or overlay is capturing Shift+Z.

Do not confuse the Target frame rate graphics slider with the counter. That setting limits the rate FSX attempts to produce; it does not turn the Frames/sec readout on.

Is Shift+Z also the FPS shortcut in FS9, MSFS and X-Plane 12?

Shift+Z works in FSX and FS9, but modern Microsoft Flight Simulator and X-Plane 12 use different controls.

Does Shift+Z show FPS in FS9?

Yes. Microsoft Flight Simulator 2004, usually called FS9, uses the same Shift+Z shortcut to cycle diagnostic text containing the frame rate. The layout differs from FSX, but no separate FPS add-on is required.

How do I show the MSFS 2020 or MSFS 2024 FPS counter?

On PC, enable Developer Mode in the simulator settings. A developer menu appears along the top of the screen; open Options and select Display FPS. Use the same menu item to close the window when testing is complete.

The MSFS developer display reports more than a single number, including timing information that helps identify a main-thread or GPU limitation. With frame generation enabled, it may not match a graphics-driver overlay because the two counters can measure different stages of the rendered output. Our detailed MSFS 2024 and 2020 FPS-counter instructions cover the PC menu differences and how to read the result.

The PC Developer Mode counter is not exposed as an equivalent player option in the console editions. This includes MSFS releases on Xbox and MSFS 2024 on PlayStation 5; MSFS 2020 was never released for PlayStation.

X-Plane 12: how do I show FPS?

Open Settings, select Data Output, find the row labelled Frame rate, and tick its Show in Cockpit box. Close the settings window and the live data will appear in the simulator view. Return to the same row and clear the box to remove it.

X-Plane's line can contain frame timing and simulation data alongside the FPS value. That is normal and does not indicate that several separate FPS counters are running.

What does the FSX Frames/sec figure mean?

The number is FSX's live rendering rate for the scene on screen. It changes with the aircraft, airport, scenery density, clouds, AI traffic, cockpit gauges and camera view.

FSX is often limited by processor workload, especially around complex airports or with heavy AI traffic. Lowering display resolution alone may therefore produce little improvement. A high peak also does not guarantee smooth flight: short pauses and uneven frame delivery can feel worse than a lower but steady reading.

If the counter remains exactly at the selected Target frame rate, FSX is meeting that cap in the present scene. It does not reveal how much unused performance remains, and a demanding airport or weather change may still pull the rate below the target.

What FPS should I aim for in FSX?

There is no single correct FSX frame rate; choose a target your computer can sustain in the demanding flights you actually use.

Judge the result by control response, visual smoothness and consistency rather than chasing the highest number while parked at an empty airport. If FSX repeatedly falls below the chosen cap, set a more realistic target or reduce the settings responsible for the load. A stable capped rate usually gives a better experience than a counter that swings widely.

How should I test FPS accurately in FSX?

Use the same demanding flight and change only one setting per test.

1. Create a repeatable scenario: keep the aircraft, airport, runway, weather, time, traffic and camera view unchanged.
2. Let the scene finish loading: wait for nearby scenery and textures to settle before judging the counter.
3. Measure the same segment: watch the FPS range during the same taxi route, take-off or approach instead of recording one momentary peak.
4. Change one option: moving several sliders at once makes it impossible to identify which one helped or hurt performance.
5. Record smoothness as well as FPS: note pauses, delayed texture loading and uneven motion that the average number may hide.

If the repeatable test confirms persistently low or unstable performance, our prioritised FSX frame-rate and performance fixes explain which settings to change first.