How do I set up a Logitech yoke with a separate throttle in MSFS?
Logitech yoke setup for MSFS 2020 and 2024: connect a separate throttle, bind Ailerons Axis, fix Windows 11 detection and save profiles.
On PC, connect the Logitech yoke and separate USB throttle before opening Microsoft Flight Simulator, confirm both in Windows, then assign Ailerons Axis, Elevator Axis and the appropriate throttle axes under each device. Remove duplicate bindings, check axis direction and travel, and save a custom profile for each device.
Which Logitech yoke and throttle connection do I have?
A bundled Logitech throttle quadrant connects to the yoke, while a genuinely separate quadrant connects by USB and normally appears as its own controller.
| Throttle type | Connection | How it appears in MSFS |
|---|---|---|
| Quadrant bundled with the Logitech G Flight Yoke System | Round plug into the matching socket on the yoke | Its three lever axes appear under the Logitech or Saitek yoke device |
| Standalone Logitech USB throttle quadrant | USB connection to the PC, a powered hub or the powered USB hub on the yoke | Normally appears as a separate throttle device |
| Throttle from another manufacturer | Its own USB connection | Appears under its own device name or as a generic controller |
Do not connect the bundled quadrant's round plug to a keyboard or mouse socket, and do not expect a generic plug adaptor to turn it into a standalone USB throttle. It is designed to communicate through the yoke.
The bundled quadrant may therefore look separate on the desk without being a separate Windows controller. Conversely, a USB throttle remains a separate controller even if it is physically connected through the yoke's powered USB hub.
Logitech yoke setup in MSFS 2020 and MSFS 2024
The setup process is broadly the same in Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020 and Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024, although the controls screen and profile wording differ.
- Connect the hardware before launching MSFS. In Windows 10 or Windows 11, run
joy.cpland open each controller's properties. The yoke should show pitch and roll movement; a separate USB throttle should have its own entry. A bundled quadrant's levers are tested under the yoke entry. - Select the yoke in the MSFS controls screen. Duplicate the default preset or create a custom one so the simulator allows you to edit and save it. Set the command filter to show all controls if a search appears empty.
- Assign the flight-control axes. Bind left and right yoke movement to
Ailerons Axis, and forward and back movement toElevator Axis. - Select the throttle controller. Choose the separate throttle's device tile. If you have the bundled quadrant, remain on the yoke tile because its levers belong to that controller.
- Bind each lever as an analogue axis. Use a general throttle axis for one lever controlling all engines, or engine-specific axes when separate levers should control separate engines. Assign propeller and mixture only for aircraft that use them.
- Remove duplicate axes. Inspect the yoke, throttle, pedals, joystick and gamepad with the assigned-controls filter. Keep only one intended assignment for each pitch, roll, rudder and throttle function.
- Check direction and full travel. Move each control slowly from one end to the other. Reverse only an axis that moves opposite to the hardware, then confirm that both endpoints are reached.
- Save and test the profiles. Load a simple aircraft with the parking brake set and the autopilot disengaged. Confirm that the cockpit yoke and engine controls follow the hardware without jumping, snapping back or moving by themselves.
How do I bind Ailerons Axis and Elevator Axis?
Select the Logitech yoke itself and bind its two continuous movements to the analogue axis commands, not to button-style direction commands.
| Physical input | Correct MSFS assignment | Avoid |
|---|---|---|
| Yoke left and right | Ailerons Axis | Ailerons Left, Ailerons Right or roll increase/decrease commands |
| Yoke forward and back | Elevator Axis | Elevator up/down button commands |
| Rudder pedals, if fitted | Rudder Axis | Binding rudder to the yoke, which has no twist-rudder axis |
Digital left, right, up and down commands are intended for keys or buttons. Assigning a yoke to them causes abrupt control movement and removes proportional response.
Which throttle axis should I choose?
Choose the axis that matches both the number of physical levers and the range expected by the aircraft.
| Control layout | Typical MSFS command | Use it when |
|---|---|---|
| One lever for every engine | Throttle Axis or Throttle Axis (0 to 100%) | You want one lever to move all engine throttles together |
| Two independent throttles | Throttle 1 Axis and Throttle 2 Axis | Flying a twin with one physical lever per engine |
| Propeller lever | Propeller Axis or an engine-specific version | Flying a variable-pitch propeller aircraft |
| Mixture lever | Mixture Axis or an engine-specific version | Flying a piston aircraft with manual mixture control |
A 0–100% throttle axis is usually the right choice when the physical lever runs from idle to full forward thrust and has no usable reverse section. If an aircraft supports physical reverse detents or has its own cockpit or electronic-flight-bag calibration, first establish a working MSFS axis and then perform that aircraft-specific calibration.
A three-lever quadrant cannot independently operate two throttles, two propeller controls and two mixture controls at the same time. For a twin-engine piston aircraft, decide which controls need individual levers and which can move together. Our detailed MSFS 2020 throttle calibration workflow covers axis selection, reversal and duplicate bindings in greater depth.
Why is there no separate throttle tile in MSFS?
There is no separate device tile for the quadrant supplied with the Logitech yoke because Windows and MSFS treat its levers as part of the yoke.
That behaviour is normal. Select the yoke tile and move a throttle lever while searching for an input or viewing assigned controls; the moving axis should belong to the yoke.
A standalone USB quadrant should appear separately. If it does not, close MSFS and check joy.cpl:
- If Windows does not list it, try a direct USB port or powered hub and verify the correct cable and model-specific Logitech software.
- If Windows lists it but MSFS does not, reconnect it before launching the simulator, inspect every controller tile and set the filter to all controls.
- If the tile exists but contains no assignments, create a custom preset. An empty preset does not mean the hardware is undetected.
- If an older unit appears under the Saitek name, configure that entry; Logitech-branded and earlier Saitek versions may retain different Windows device names.
For a yoke that remains absent despite working USB connections, follow our Saitek and Logitech recognition checks for MSFS.
Why is the yoke or throttle reversed, using half its travel or fighting another control?
Wrong axis types, duplicate assignments and incomplete calibration cause most direction, range and control-conflict problems.
| Symptom | Likely cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Idle registers as full power | Throttle axis direction is reversed | Enable the reverse option for that binding once; do not reverse it in several places |
| Only part of the throttle travel works | The selected axis expects a different range | Try the 0–100% variant and check both endpoints |
| Yoke or throttle moves by itself | The same function is assigned to another controller | Remove pitch, roll or throttle axes from unused gamepads, joysticks and the default yoke preset |
| Control snaps fully left, right, up or down | An analogue control is bound to a digital command | Replace direction or increase/decrease bindings with the corresponding axis |
| Input flickers while untouched | Noise around the resting position | Add the smallest dead zone that stops the flicker; a large dead zone makes fine control difficult |
| Cockpit control moves and then returns | Another axis, assistance feature or autopilot is commanding it | Clear competing bindings and test with assistance and autopilot control disabled |
A mistake we see constantly is configuring the new throttle correctly while leaving a throttle axis assigned to a gamepad or to the Logitech quadrant that is no longer being used. MSFS then alternates between the two input values.
In Flight Simulator 2024, use the simulator's calibration and sensitivity tools only after the correct axis has been assigned. Our MSFS 2024 axis-calibration checks explain dead zones, direction and endpoint testing.
Does Windows 11 need special Logitech yoke software?
Windows 11 should enumerate the yoke and any separate USB throttle as game controllers, but model-specific Logitech software may be needed if the device is absent or some functions are unavailable.
Start with joy.cpl. If all axes and buttons respond there, repeatedly reinstalling drivers is unlikely to fix an MSFS binding problem. Create a fresh simulator preset and assign one axis manually instead.
If the controller is absent from joy.cpl, close MSFS, reconnect it to a direct USB port and restart Windows. Test without an unpowered hub. For intermittent disconnects, also check the cable, powered hub and Windows power management for the affected USB connection rather than changing sensitivity settings in MSFS.
Should I use different profiles for different aircraft?
Separate aircraft profiles prevent irrelevant throttle, propeller and mixture assignments from interfering with one another.
- Single-engine piston: one throttle, one propeller and one mixture lever.
- Twin-engine aircraft: independent throttle axes where two levers are available.
- Jet: one or two throttle axes, with piston-only propeller and mixture assignments removed.
Presets belong to individual peripherals, so save and select the yoke profile and separate throttle profile independently. Matching names such as Single piston - yoke and Single piston - throttle make the intended pair easier to identify. MSFS 2024 users should also understand how profiles are stored for separate peripherals before assuming one preset changed every connected device.
Can I use the Logitech yoke and throttle on Xbox or PlayStation?
The standard Logitech G Flight Yoke System is Windows PC hardware; an ordinary USB connection or adaptor does not make it compatible with a console.
Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020 is available on PC and Xbox, while Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 is available on PC, Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5 and PS5 Pro. On Xbox or PlayStation, use flight-control hardware specifically supported by that console and simulator version. The PC setup and joy.cpl instructions above do not apply to console editions.