How do I map and save controller bindings in MSFS 2024?

Open Settings > Controls in Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024, select the exact joystick, throttle, pedals or gamepad, and duplicate its default preset or create a blank custom one. Assign axes and buttons, clear harmful conflicts, save or apply the preset, and repeat the process for every connected device.

How to map controller buttons and axes

The reliable method is to configure and test one physical device at a time.

1. Connect the controller before starting the simulator. Confirm that MSFS lists it in Controls. If a PC peripheral is missing or an axis does not respond, use our joystick detection and initial axis setup workflow to check it outside the simulator first.
2. Select the exact device. Choose the named joystick, yoke, throttle, pedals or gamepad rather than the keyboard or another controller. Bindings and active presets are stored separately for each physical device.
3. Create an editable preset. Duplicate the default when its basic assignments are useful, or start with a blank custom preset if it contains numerous unwanted mappings. Built-in presets may not be editable. Give the copy a clear name such as Yoke - GA or Gamepad - Airliner.
4. Choose the correct control scope. Aircraft, camera and general commands may be separated. Select aircraft controls for flight axes, switch to the all-controls filter if a search returns nothing, then search by command name.
5. Scan the input. Select the assignment field and move one axis or press one button without touching another control. Move an analogue axis through most of its travel so MSFS identifies it correctly. Searching by input, where offered, reveals commands already assigned to that control.
6. Inspect conflict warnings. Remove an old assignment when two active flight controls would fight each other. Reusing a button for mutually exclusive camera or interface contexts can be harmless, so do not clear every warning automatically.
7. Save and test. Use the save or apply action shown on screen, confirm that the custom preset remains selected, then test every axis through its full travel in the cockpit. Repeat the process for each separate USB device.

On Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5 and PS5 Pro, the process is similar, but the console must recognise the peripheral itself. Assigning a PC-only USB joystick inside MSFS cannot make it console-compatible.

Should I use an axis or a button binding?

Continuous hardware controls should use axis commands; buttons, switches and rotary encoders should use toggle, set, increase or decrease commands.

Command names can vary slightly with the aircraft and control context. A throttle that switches only between idle and full power is usually bound to digital throttle commands rather than a throttle axis.

What controls should I map first?

Map the controls needed to fly and stop the aircraft before adding lights, cameras or specialist systems.

1. Pitch, roll and yaw axes
2. Combined or engine-specific throttle axes
3. Wheel brakes, toe brakes and parking brake
4. Elevator trim buttons, or a trim axis for a physical wheel
5. Flaps, landing gear and spoilers where applicable
6. Cockpit view movement and view reset
7. Autopilot disconnect and pause

Which controller profile should I use?

Use a copied default preset for the first setup, then create another version only when the aircraft or hardware role genuinely requires different commands.

• One joystick or gamepad: start with one general custom flying preset.
• Yoke, throttle and pedals: keep a separate active preset for each physical device; MSFS does not combine all peripheral bindings into one device profile.
• Single-engine and multi-engine aircraft: use a combined throttle for one lever and engine-specific axes when separate levers must control individual engines.
• Fixed-wing aircraft and helicopters: separate presets prevent throttle, collective and cyclic assignments from being mixed.
• Complex aircraft: create a variant only when an airliner, helicopter or add-on needs commands absent from the general preset.

Do not make nearly identical presets for every aircraft. They become difficult to distinguish because every connected device has its own preset selection. Our guide to assigning aircraft-specific control profiles explains when a dedicated variant is useful.

Why does MSFS 2024 forget saved controller bindings?

Bindings usually appear to be missing because MSFS loaded a different device preset, aircraft profile or control context.

• The default preset is active: reopen Controls and select the named custom preset.
• The wrong device is selected: inspect the joystick, throttle, pedals and gamepad separately.
• The aircraft changed: verify the active aircraft-control preset after loading another aeroplane or helicopter.
• The command is in another context: check the aircraft, camera and general control sets.
• The edit was not applied: reopen the preset immediately after saving and confirm that the assignment remains present.
• The hardware appears as a new device: a different USB port, hub, firmware change or detected device name can leave the old preset attached to the previous device entry.

If a preset contains many unexplained duplicates, clear and rebuild the controller bindings cleanly instead of deleting assignments at random.

How do I fix reversed, drifting or doubled inputs?

Most bad control behaviour comes from an incorrect axis direction, insufficient dead zone, unsuitable command type or the same control being assigned to several devices.

• Reversed movement: enable the binding's reverse-axis option and check both ends of its travel. Do not use negative sensitivity merely to reverse an axis.
• Drift near neutral: add only enough dead zone to stop the movement. Excessive dead zone makes the aircraft unresponsive around the centre.
• Twitching or doubled movement: filter by assigned inputs and remove duplicate pitch, roll, rudder or throttle axes from unused gamepads and other peripherals.
• Throttle or rudder moves by itself: check duplicate bindings and assistance options before increasing the dead zone.
• An axis moves in Controls but not in the aircraft: confirm that the command suits that aircraft. A helicopter collective, for example, may not respond to an aeroplane throttle assignment.
• Travel jumps or does not reach its limits: check that the hardware reports its full range, then follow our steps for calibrating joystick and throttle travel before changing sensitivity or extremity settings.