How do I enable and use the HUD in Microsoft Flight Simulator?

In Microsoft Flight Simulator, enable the simulator overlay under Settings/Options > Assistance by turning on Instrument Heads-Up Display for the Cockpit Camera, Chase Camera or both. For a modelled aircraft HUD, choose a HUD-equipped aircraft, power its avionics, enter cockpit view and raise the HUD brightness.

Which HUD are you trying to enable?

Microsoft Flight Simulator uses “HUD” for two distinct displays, and their controls are not interchangeable.

The assistance overlay can provide flight information even when the aeroplane has no real HUD. It does not add a working combiner display to an aircraft that was never equipped with one. Our visual guide to common HUD symbology and controls explains the broader differences between these display types.

How do I enable the Microsoft Flight Simulator HUD overlay?

The simulator-generated HUD is enabled separately for cockpit and external chase views.

1. Load a flight. This lets you confirm the result without leaving the aircraft.
2. Open the Assistance settings. In Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020, go to Options > Assistance Options > User Experience. In Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024, open Settings > Assistance and find the HUD or instrument-display controls; the grouping can differ between interface revisions and platforms.
3. Choose the required camera overlay. In MSFS 2020, look for Instrument Heads-Up Display – Cockpit Cam and Instrument Heads-Up Display – Chase Cam. Turn on either or both, selecting the full display level where that choice is offered.
4. Apply the change and resume flying. Switch to the corresponding cockpit or chase camera to see the overlay.
5. Preserve the individual setting. Changing the overall assistance preset afterwards can replace your HUD choices.

Cockpit and chase-camera HUDs are independent. The external display normally belongs to the standard chase camera, not the drone or showcase camera. If you later want clean screenshots, the same controls work in reverse; our instructions for removing the cockpit and chase-camera overlays give the exact MSFS 2020 switch names.

How do I switch on an aircraft’s built-in HUD?

A built-in HUD works only in an aircraft model that includes one and may remain blank until the cockpit systems are powered.

1. Enter cockpit view. An aircraft HUD is viewed through its combiner glass, so it will not appear as the same display in an ordinary external camera.
2. Power the aircraft. Turn on the required battery, electrical and avionics systems. In more detailed aircraft, some navigation cues also depend on system alignment.
3. Deploy the combiner if required. Some aircraft provide a control to stow or lower the HUD glass; others model it in a fixed position.
4. Increase HUD brightness. Use the dedicated HUD or display-brightness control where one is provided. The general panel-lighting knob does not control every HUD.
5. Align the pilot viewpoint. Centre the camera behind the combiner. If the symbology is clipped or vanishes as you move, use the correct eye position rather than treating it as a display fault. Our guide to resetting and aligning the cockpit viewpoint covers the camera controls.

Controls vary by aircraft, particularly with third-party models. A Primary Flight Display is not automatically a HUD, and no assistance option can create modelled HUD hardware in an unequipped cockpit.

How should I use the HUD while flying?

Use the flight-path marker to judge where the aircraft is travelling, then cross-check speed, altitude, attitude and navigation guidance instead of fixating on one symbol.

• Flight-path marker or velocity vector: shows the projected direction of travel rather than simply where the nose points. During a stable approach, it can be placed near the intended runway aiming point.
• Pitch ladder and horizon line: show aircraft attitude. They remain the primary reference when the flight-path marker is displaced by wind or manoeuvring.
• Airspeed and altitude tapes: provide the same core information found on the flight instruments, but within the forward field of view.
• Heading, track and navigation cues: depend on the aircraft and selected navigation source. Missing guidance can mean that no route, approach or relevant flight mode is active.
• Flight-director or command cues: should be followed only after confirming the selected autopilot or flight-director modes. The HUD presents the command; it does not choose the correct mode for you.

In a crosswind, an offset between the aircraft’s nose and flight-path marker is normal. Forcing every symbol into the centre can produce unnecessary control inputs.

Why is the HUD missing, faint or cut off?

A missing HUD is usually caused by the wrong HUD type, camera mode, assistance setting, cockpit power state or pilot viewpoint.

• No external HUD: confirm that Chase Camera HUD is enabled and that you are using the normal chase camera rather than drone or showcase mode.
• No cockpit overlay: enable the Cockpit Camera HUD separately; turning on the chase display does not necessarily enable it.
• Blank built-in HUD: verify that the aircraft actually has a HUD, then check electrical power, avionics, display brightness and any stow/deploy control.
• Symbols disappear near the edge: reset and centre the cockpit camera. Modelled collimated HUDs have a limited eye box, so an offset seating position can clip the image.
• HUD is too dim: raise its dedicated brightness control and check day/night display settings. The same principles used to make dim cockpit instruments readable apply, although the exact control is aircraft-specific.
• Only basic data appears: select the intended navigation source and verify the active flight-director or autopilot mode. Some guidance symbols appear only when their associated mode is available.
• The setting keeps changing: an assistance preset may be overwriting the individual HUD selection. Configure the HUD after choosing the preset you intend to keep.

Can I use the overlay and aircraft HUD together?

Yes, but displaying both often duplicates airspeed, altitude and attitude information. We recommend the built-in HUD in a properly equipped cockpit and the chase-camera overlay for external flying; use the cockpit overlay when accessibility or quick instrument awareness matters more than an uncluttered, realistic view.