Why won't FSX save my controller settings?

FSX and FSX: Steam Edition usually fail to save controller settings because the active per-user Standard.xml file is corrupt, read-only or unwritable, or Windows has re-identified the controller after a USB change. Back up and rebuild the correct file, map one device at a time, then exit FSX normally and retest.

Reinstalling FSX is rarely the right first step. Native controller assignments are stored in your Windows user profile, outside the main simulator installation, so a damaged or blocked controls file can survive an installation repair.

Is FSX failing to save, or is the controller not responding?

A binding that vanishes from the Controls screen after relaunch is a saving failure; a binding that remains listed but does nothing is not.

If Windows detects the hardware but the initial mapping is uncertain, follow our FSX joystick detection and axis-assignment procedure before treating it as a saving fault.

I didn't find it — where is Standard.xml?

If you did not find Standard.xml, you may be looking in the inactive FSX profile, browsing the installation directory, or using a different Windows account from the one that runs the simulator.

• Boxed FSX commonly stores it at %APPDATA%\Microsoft\FSX\Controls\Standard.xml.
• FSX: Steam Edition commonly stores it at %APPDATA%\Microsoft\FSX-SE\Controls\Standard.xml.

Steam Edition can use the FSX folder instead of FSX-SE, depending on installation history and whether boxed FSX has also been installed. Check both locations rather than assuming the folder name identifies the active one.

Paste %APPDATA%\Microsoft into File Explorer's address bar. This opens the Roaming profile directly even when AppData is hidden. Do not look under the FSX installation in Program Files; that is not where per-user controller assignments normally live.

If both configuration folders exist, close FSX and compare their contents and modification dates. The active Standard.xml should receive a newer timestamp after a successful control change and normal exit. If no file is created or updated, either the folder is not active, FSX is running under another account, or writing is being blocked.

How do I rebuild FSX Standard.xml safely?

The safest repair is to remove the active controls file temporarily and let FSX generate a clean replacement.

1. Close FSX completely. Do not alter the file while the simulator is running, because FSX may overwrite your changes when it exits.
2. Open the possible Controls folders. Inspect both %APPDATA%\Microsoft\FSX\Controls and %APPDATA%\Microsoft\FSX-SE\Controls if they exist.
3. Back up the old file outside the folder. Copy Standard.xml somewhere safe, then move the original out of the Controls folder. Keeping the backup lets you refer to old assignments without feeding damaged XML back into FSX.
4. Confirm the folder is writable. Create and delete a temporary text file in the Controls folder. If Windows refuses, correct the permissions for the Windows account that runs FSX. The read-only box shown for a folder is not a reliable test, but a read-only attribute on Standard.xml itself must be cleared.
5. Check the controller in Windows. Run joy.cpl and confirm that buttons and axes respond. If the device is absent or dead there, rebuilding an FSX file cannot repair it.
6. Start FSX with one controller connected. Make sure controllers are enabled, select that device in the Controls settings and assign one obvious button plus one axis as a test.
7. Reconnect the other devices and inspect each one. FSX may automatically assign aileron, elevator, rudder and throttle axes to every suitable controller it finds. Leave each flight axis assigned only to its intended device.
8. Exit FSX normally. Avoid ending it through Task Manager or testing after a simulator crash, because the latest changes may not be committed correctly.
9. Relaunch and inspect the same device. If the test button and axis remain assigned, rebuild the rest of the profile gradually. Do not copy the entire damaged XML file back.

A fresh Standard.xml may contain automatic default assignments immediately; that is normal behaviour. Review every device in the controller selector because those defaults can introduce duplicates before you have made any manual changes.

If FSX does not create a replacement file, the usual causes are an inactive configuration folder, a different effective Windows account, insufficient folder permissions or security software blocking FSX from writing. Allow the simulator to write to its own user-profile folder rather than relying permanently on “Run as administrator”, which can conceal the underlying profile problem.

How can I tell whether FSX actually saved the change?

FSX has saved the assignment when it remains listed under the same controller after a complete restart and the active Standard.xml has a newer modification time.

• Check the assignment after closing and reopening the simulator, not merely after leaving the Controls screen.
• Select the correct controller from the device list; two entries can have similar or identical names.
• Test in normal flight with a default aircraft, not in Slew mode or only inside a complex add-on aircraft.

If the assignment remains in the menu but the aircraft still ignores it, stop rebuilding the file. The remaining fault is detection, a conflicting assignment, an add-on control system or the selected aircraft—not saving.

Why do FSX controller settings reset after changing USB ports?

FSX associates assignments with the device identity supplied by Windows, so reconnecting through another port or hub can make the same physical controller appear to be a different device.

Connect the joystick, throttle and pedals before launching FSX, use the same USB ports where practical, and avoid unplugging them while the simulator is running. An unstable hub can also power-cycle devices and cause re-detection; connect directly to the computer while diagnosing that behaviour.

When Windows creates a new device identity, FSX may add fresh default mappings while retaining old entries for the previous identity. Assign the controller entry FSX now displays and remove unwanted defaults. Manually transplanting device identifiers inside the XML is more error-prone than rebuilding the mapping.

Why are the settings present but the axes still behave incorrectly?

Axes that pull, jump or override one another usually indicate duplicate assignments or calibration trouble, not lost settings.

Inspect every connected yoke, joystick, throttle quadrant and pedal set in FSX. A common mistake is leaving the rudder assigned to both twist-grip input and pedals, or the throttle assigned to both a yoke lever and a separate quadrant. Our duplicate-axis and joystick-calibration checks cover the next steps when an aircraft drifts despite apparently correct bindings.

What if every FSX setting resets?

If graphics options, realism settings or saved flights also disappear, the fault extends beyond Standard.xml and usually affects the whole FSX user configuration.

That pattern points to profile permissions, configuration corruption, a different Windows account or software blocking file writes. Use our repair steps for FSX settings and saved-flight storage instead of repeatedly rebuilding only the controls file.

If “не работает нихуя” fits — what if nothing works at all?

“Не работает нихуя” is a blunt way of saying “nothing works at all”; at that stage, separate a Windows detection failure from an FSX profile failure instead of repeating the same XML repair.

1. Test with joy.cpl. If the controller is missing or its inputs do not move there, reconnect it directly, check its power and resolve the Windows device or driver problem first.
2. Test one device in FSX. Disconnect other controllers temporarily, enable controllers in FSX and make one simple assignment. This removes hubs, duplicate mappings and multi-device confusion from the test.
3. Watch the active Controls folder. If Standard.xml is not created or its timestamp never changes, concentrate on the Windows account, active profile path and write permissions.
4. Check whether the assignment remains listed. If it does, saving works. Test a default aircraft in normal flight and disable any separate controller profile that could be intercepting the input.
5. Avoid reinstalling as the first response. FSX's per-user control files can remain after an installation repair or reinstall, leaving the actual fault untouched.