How do I set joystick controls and sensitivity in MSFS 2020?

In Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020, open Options > Controls Options, select the joystick, duplicate its preset, and bind Ailerons Axis, Elevator Axis, Rudder Axis and a throttle axis. Open Sensitivity, start with a linear response, add only enough dead zone to stop drift, test full travel, then save.

Where is Controls Options if there is no Options button?

From the MSFS 2020 Welcome screen, choose Options > Controls Options; while flying, open the pause menu first and then choose Options. The in-flight toolbar is not where controller assignments are edited.

Select the joystick tile before looking for Sensitivity. If Keyboard, Mouse or another device is selected, you may not see the joystick's axis graph or relevant controls. If the joystick tile is missing entirely, reconnect the device, confirm that the computer recognises it, and restart the simulator with it already connected. On Xbox, the peripheral must be compatible with the console.

Menu names are translated on localised installations. In Spanish, look for the equivalents of Opciones and control options; gases refers to the throttle controls. If the problem is described as нет кнопки «Параметры», return to the main or pause menu and look for Параметры rather than the flight toolbar.

These instructions are for Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020, which is available on PC and Xbox and was never released for PlayStation. A PlayStation user is running Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024, whose controller interface differs.

How do I assign joystick axes in MSFS 2020?

Assign each proportional control to a command ending in Axis, then remove any automatic bindings that make another device control the same function.

1. Connect every controller before starting MSFS. A separate throttle quadrant, rudder pedals and button panel normally appear as separate device tiles, each with its own preset.
2. Create a custom preset. Select the joystick, open Preset Manager and duplicate the default preset, or create a new preset if the device has no useful default. Give it a recognisable name before changing assignments.
3. Change the filter to All. The Assigned filter hides unassigned commands, which is a common reason an axis appears to be missing.
4. Bind the primary flight controls. Search for Ailerons Axis, Elevator Axis and, for a twist grip or pedals, Rudder Axis. Use input scanning and move only the intended control; otherwise a noisy throttle or another axis may be detected instead.
5. Assign the throttle. Use Throttle Axis for one lever controlling all engines, or numbered throttle axes for separate engine levers. A command containing (0 to 100%) is generally appropriate when the lever's normal travel is idle-to-full and reverse is handled separately.
6. Check the direction. Moving the stick right must command right roll, pulling back must command nose-up elevator, and advancing the throttle must increase power. Use Reverse Axis on the assignment if any movement is backwards.
7. Remove conflicts and save. Search every connected device for duplicate pitch, roll, rudder and throttle axes. Select Apply & Save, then reopen the preset once to confirm it remains selected.

Do not bind an analogue stick to commands such as Aileron Left, Elevator Up or Throttle Increase. Those are digital button commands: they produce an abrupt on/off response instead of following the control's physical position.

One physical throttle may intentionally be assigned to both numbered engine axes when it must operate two engines together. In that case, remove the general throttle axis so the general and numbered commands do not compete. Readers using independent stick and throttle units can follow our split HOTAS setup and conflict-checking process.

What MSFS 2020 joystick sensitivity settings should I use?

Start at zero sensitivity, zero dead zone and 100% reactivity, then change only the setting needed to solve a specific problem. Short desktop joysticks usually benefit from a gentler centre response; long sticks and full-size yokes generally need little curve.

These figures are starting ranges, not universal presets. Set both Sensitivity − and Sensitivity + to the same value on a properly centred pitch, roll or rudder axis. Adjust the two sides independently only when there is a measured asymmetry that calibration cannot correct.

What do the sensitivity controls actually change?

• Sensitivity − and Sensitivity + shape the negative and positive halves of the axis. Negative values soften response near the centre while still allowing full output at the endpoint; positive values make small movements more aggressive.
• Dead Zone ignores movement around the centre. Increase it one or two percentage points at a time until unwanted input stops. Too much creates a control gap before the aircraft responds.
• Neutral moves the neutral point of the response curve. Leave it at zero for a correctly calibrated centred stick rather than using it to disguise an off-centre sensor.
• Extremity Dead Zone makes maximum simulated output occur before the hardware reaches its endpoint. Use a small amount only when a calibrated axis cannot quite reach full travel.
• Reactivity determines how quickly the simulated input follows the hardware. Lower settings add smoothing and delay; 100% is the clean starting point for direct control.

Change one value at a time while watching the input graph. Test gentle corrections in trimmed, stable flight and during an approach. Take-off is a poor sensitivity test because trim, crosswind, torque and propeller effects can make a correctly configured aircraft feel lively. Our control-by-control sensitivity starting points cover finer pitch, roll, rudder and throttle adjustments.

Why does the joystick drift, reverse or fight my inputs?

Drift, reversed movement and unexplained control deflections usually come from hardware calibration, the wrong command type or duplicate bindings—not from an unsuitable sensitivity curve.

• The sensitivity graph moves while the stick is untouched: calibrate the hardware outside MSFS, return to the simulator and add the smallest dead zone that produces a steady centre. Use our Windows calibration and MSFS axis-testing checks to separate sensor trouble from a simulator setting.
• The aircraft rolls or yaws but the graph is steady: check trim, wind, engine effects and fuel balance. Do not add dead zone to hide normal aircraft behaviour.
• An axis operates backwards: enable Reverse Axis for that assignment. Distorting the sensitivity curve will not correctly invert it.
• The control jumps or snaps back: replace directional or incremental commands with the corresponding Axis command.
• The aircraft responds without joystick movement: inspect the gamepad, pedals, throttle and any other connected controller for the same axis. Default presets often create these conflicts.
• The hardware reaches its stop but the graph does not reach 100%: calibrate first, then use a small extremity dead zone if the endpoint remains slightly short.
• The graph responds but the aircraft does not follow normally: disengage the autopilot and inspect piloting assistance settings. Fly-by-wire protections may also limit the aircraft's response even though the joystick input is valid.

How should I configure the Fenix A320 joystick and throttles?

For the Fenix A320, keep the MSFS pitch and roll axes linear or only mildly curved, leave the throttle response linear, and calibrate the idle, CL, FLX/MCT and TOGA detents in the aircraft's own calibration interface.

Yes, both engine throttles need a valid input when separate levers are used: bind the left lever to the first engine throttle axis and the right lever to the second. With one physical lever, use the general throttle axis or intentionally map that lever to both numbered axes, but do not leave competing general and numbered assignments active.

Do not use the MSFS sensitivity curve or Neutral setting to force the Fenix detents into place. That stacks simulator-side shaping on top of the aircraft's calibration and can make the CL or FLX/MCT zones unnecessarily narrow. The exact location of the Fenix calibration page can change between aircraft releases, so use the calibration facility included with the installed Fenix version.

Is that all, or should I create aircraft-specific profiles?

That is all for a basic joystick, but separate named profiles prevent airliner detents, twin-engine mappings and specialised response curves from disrupting a general-aviation setup.

Keep a simple profile for light aircraft, then duplicate it for the Fenix A320 or any aircraft needing different throttle commands. Check the active preset whenever you change aircraft or reconnect a device; MSFS 2020 presets should not be treated as dependable automatic per-aircraft switching. Our guide to creating, saving and switching controller profiles explains how to preserve those configurations without overwriting the default preset.