Learn how to use the MSFS 2024 EFB on an iPad for flight planning, what will not sync, and the PC, Xbox and PS5 limitations.
You can use an iPad for the browser-based flight-planning part of Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024, but not as a native, fully connected copy of the in-simulator EFB. On PC, a popped-out EFB can also be shown on an iPad configured as a second display; consoles do not support that workaround.
What parts of the MSFS 2024 EFB work on an iPad?
MSFS 2024 Sim Update 5 does not provide a standalone iPadOS EFB app or a direct remote connection to the live cockpit EFB. Microsoft’s browser-based Flight Planner shares the simulator’s planning system, however, so an iPad can be used to create and save routes.
| Method | Works on iPad? | What it provides |
|---|---|---|
| Browser Flight Planner | Yes | Route creation and cloud-saved flight plans |
| Native MSFS EFB app | No | There is no official standalone iPadOS EFB |
| Popped-out EFB window | PC workaround | The simulator’s EFB displayed through an extended-desktop or screen-sharing setup |
| Aircraft-specific tablet | Varies | A separate system controlled by the aircraft developer |
The browser planner is not a remote cockpit display. Do not assume that every aircraft, performance, payload or live-state function from the standard EFB will appear there. Our guide to the standard MSFS 2024 EFB and its controls explains what belongs to the simulator’s own tablet.
How do I plan an MSFS 2024 flight on an iPad?
The cleanest iPad workflow is to create the route in Microsoft’s browser Flight Planner, save it to your account and then open that saved plan inside the simulator.
- Sign in on the iPad using the same Microsoft account associated with MSFS 2024.
- Create the route, including the departure, arrival and any required procedures.
- Save the plan so it is stored with your account rather than left as an unsaved browser session.
- Open the in-simulator EFB and load or refresh the saved-plan list.
- Check the route in the aircraft before departure. Loading a plan into the EFB does not guarantee that every aircraft’s FMS or GPS has received it.
If you need help with route creation rather than the tablet itself, follow our walkthrough of the built-in MSFS flight-planning workflow. An iPad can also be used to prepare an external plan; our SimBrief-to-EFB import instructions cover the transfer and the aircraft-specific caveats.
Can I display the live EFB on an iPad?
PC users can sometimes place the actual in-simulator EFB on an iPad by treating the tablet as an additional Windows display. This is screen extension, not a native EFB connection.
- Configure the iPad as an extended display using a compatible display-extension or screen-sharing arrangement.
- Open the EFB in MSFS 2024 and use its undock or pop-out control when that EFB view provides one.
- Move the window from the main monitor onto the extended iPad display.
- Test touch input. Some display tools translate taps into mouse clicks, while gestures, text entry and window focus may behave differently.
This method still relies on the PC rendering the EFB. The window may return to the main display after an aircraft change, panel reset or simulator restart, and an extra display or capture path can affect performance.
Does the iPad EFB workaround work on Xbox or PS5?
Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5 and PS5 Pro cannot export an individual MSFS 2024 EFB window to an iPad. Console users can use the iPad for browser flight planning, charts and reference material, but not as a separate live EFB display. Whole-screen remote play does not isolate the tablet panel.
Why is my iPad flight plan not appearing in MSFS 2024?
Most missing-plan problems come from account, saving or avionics-transfer issues rather than the iPad itself.
- Different account: confirm that the browser and simulator use the same linked Microsoft account.
- Plan not saved: save it explicitly, then refresh or reopen the EFB’s plan list.
- EFB and avionics disagree: the route may be visible on the EFB map but absent from the aircraft’s FMS or GPS. Transfer or enter it using the method supported by that aircraft.
- Add-on tablet confusion: an aircraft developer’s tablet is separate from the standard MSFS 2024 EFB and may maintain its own flight-plan system.
- Browser layout problems: use landscape orientation or the browser’s desktop-site view if map controls are hidden or cramped.
If the standard panel itself is blank, frozen or missing data after the plan reaches the simulator, work through our MSFS 2024 EFB troubleshooting checks. Fixing the in-simulator EFB is separate from fixing browser synchronisation on the iPad.