Find Saitek X52 button numbers in Windows and your flight simulator, and fix mismatched numbering, hats, mode switches and missing inputs.
The reliable way to find Saitek X52 button numbers is to press each control in Windows Game Controllers or, better, in the target simulator’s binding screen and record the label shown. Do not rely on a universal chart: drivers and simulators may count from zero or one, while hats and axes are labelled differently.
For general PC flight simulator bindings, the label displayed by the simulator is the authoritative one. The controller may appear under either Saitek or Logitech branding, depending on the installed driver.
How do I identify each X52 button number?
- Open Windows Game Controllers: press
Windows key + R, enterjoy.cpl, and select the X52 from the device list. - Open the test panel: choose Properties and locate the page that displays axes, hats and numbered button indicators.
- Test one control at a time: press a button and note which numbered indicator illuminates. Test both trigger detents separately and move every hat in each direction.
- Check inside the simulator: select the X52 in its controls menu, activate input scanning or assignment capture, and press the same physical control.
- Record the simulator’s label: make a simple list containing the physical control, its Windows result, the simulator label and the command assigned to it.
If the X52 is absent from joy.cpl or its test panel does not react, resolve detection before creating bindings. Our X52 detection and calibration checks for MSFS cover the relevant Windows-side tests.
How do I check the number inside my simulator?
Use the simulator’s input-capture function rather than translating the Windows number yourself:
- Microsoft Flight Simulator: open Controls Options, select the X52 and use Search by Input to reveal existing assignments. For an unassigned control, open the required command’s binding box, start input scanning and press the button. Our MSFS 2024 X52 profile workflow explains the full device-selection and binding process.
- FSX: open the controls settings, select the Buttons/Keys area, choose a command and use Change Assignment before pressing the X52 control. The resulting joystick-button label is the one FSX uses. See our FSX control-assignment procedure for the dialogue sequence.
- X-Plane: open Joystick settings and press the physical control. The corresponding button input should highlight so that a command can be selected.
- DCS: open the aircraft’s Controls page, select the appropriate X52-column cell, choose Add and press the button. DCS records the detected
JOY_BTNinput.
Why do X52 button numbers differ between Windows and the simulator?
Different input systems do not always use the same numbering convention. Windows may display the first input as Button 1 while a simulator or configuration file identifies it from zero, making every displayed number appear one lower.
| Physical control | Likely input type | What to bind |
|---|---|---|
| Pushbutton or toggle | Numbered button | The exact button label captured by the simulator |
| Two-stage trigger | Two separate buttons | Test and assign each detent independently |
| Hat switch | POV or hat direction | Hat directions or the corresponding view commands |
| Slider, rotary or mini-stick | Axis | An axis command, not a button command |
| Mode dial, pinkie or clutch control | Button, shift state or profile layer | Depends on the active X52 software profile |
Multiple controllers can also have identically numbered buttons. A binding such as Button 4 is incomplete unless it remains associated with the X52 device rather than a yoke, pedals or another button panel.
Why is an X52 button not detected?
A missing input is usually being treated as something other than an ordinary joystick button or intercepted before it reaches the simulator.
- The control is an axis or POV hat: look in the simulator’s axis or hat assignments instead of its numbered-button list.
- An X52 software profile is active: it may translate the press into a keyboard command. Clear or disable the profile temporarily when identifying raw inputs.
- Clutch or shift mode is enabled: the clutch button or pinkie switch may be reserved by the device software. Disable that special function if you want a normal simulator button.
- The mode selector changes programming layers: it may not behave like a conventional bindable switch under every driver and profile configuration.
- The wrong device is selected: verify that the bindings page is showing the X52, not a general keyboard profile or another controller.
- A controls filter hides the result: switch from an assigned-only filter to the option that displays all commands, then repeat input capture.
If Windows detects the press but the simulator does not, create a clean simulator control profile and test again. If Windows itself shows no response, reconnect the controller, avoid an unreliable USB hub and recheck the stick-to-throttle connection before changing any bindings.
Should I bind controls in X52 software or the simulator?
Bind directly in the simulator when it recognises the required X52 control; this keeps assignments visible and makes duplicate commands easier to diagnose. Use the X52 programming software only when you specifically need mode layers, shifted functions or keyboard macros.
A common mistake we see is mixing raw simulator bindings with an active X52 keyboard profile. One button can then operate both the assigned joystick command and a simulated keystroke. If a press triggers two cockpit actions, search the simulator for duplicate assignments and inspect the active X52 profile before changing the button number.