Open the kneeboard in FSX or FSX: Steam Edition with Shift+F10, use each page, and fix shortcut, blank checklist and navigation log problems.
In Microsoft Flight Simulator X (FSX) and FSX: Steam Edition, press Shift+F10 after a flight loads to open or close the kneeboard. Use its tabs for the briefing, navigation log, checklist, aircraft reference and key commands. The available content depends on the selected flight, flight plan and aircraft.
How do I open the FSX kneeboard?
Press Shift+F10 while the main FSX flight window has keyboard focus.
- Start or resume a flight. The kneeboard is an in-flight panel, so it is not available from the opening menus.
- Click inside the simulator window. This returns keyboard focus to FSX if you have used another programme or monitor.
- Press Shift+F10. Hold Shift and tap F10 once. On a laptop or compact keyboard, you may need
Shift+Fn+F10if the top-row keys control volume, brightness or media functions. - Choose a page. Select one of the visible tabs or page buttons to move between the briefing, navigation log and aircraft information.
- Close the panel. Press Shift+F10 again when you have finished.
You can also reveal the in-flight menu bar with Alt and choose Aircraft > Kneeboard. This menu route is particularly useful when diagnosing a failed shortcut.
FSX labels the feature Kneeboard as one word. Although people often write “knee board”, use the one-word spelling when looking for the command in the Controls list. Our printable FSX keyboard-command reference includes the shortcut alongside other useful flight controls.
What does each kneeboard page do?
Each page provides reference material associated with the loaded flight, flight plan or aircraft.
| Page | What it shows | What it needs |
|---|---|---|
| Briefing | Mission objectives, flight instructions or notes | A flight or mission containing briefing material; a basic Free Flight session may show little content |
| Navigation Log | Route legs, headings, distances and other flight-plan details | A flight plan loaded into FSX |
| Checklist | Procedures supplied for the active aircraft | A checklist file correctly referenced by that aircraft |
| Reference | Operating speeds, limitations and aircraft-specific notes | A reference file supplied and configured by the aircraft developer |
| Keys | A reminder of keyboard assignments and simulator controls | No flight plan, although add-on-specific commands may not be listed |
The navigation log is a text-based route list, not a moving display of the aircraft. For a visual route overview or to inspect your position, use our instructions for how to open and use FSX’s built-in map.
The kneeboard is also not an interactive electronic flight bag. Selecting a checklist item does not move the corresponding switch, and the panel cannot fly the route or control the autopilot.
Can I open only the checklist page?
No separate default shortcut opens just the checklist; open the kneeboard with Shift+F10, then select Checklist.
Use the listed procedures as prompts and operate the controls in the cockpit yourself. Our guide to using FSX checklists for each phase of flight explains how to work through them and what to check when an aircraft has no usable list.
Why does Shift+F10 not open the kneeboard?
Most failures come from lost keyboard focus, laptop function-key behaviour, a changed assignment or another programme capturing the shortcut.
- Restore focus to FSX. Click inside the flight window and try again. If Shift+F10 opens a Windows context menu elsewhere, the simulator does not have keyboard focus.
- Check the F-key mode. Try
Shift+Fn+F10, or change the keyboard’s function-lock setting so F10 is sent as a standard function key. - Test the menu command. Open
Aircraft > Kneeboard. If that works, the kneeboard itself is available and the fault is limited to the key assignment or keyboard handling. - Verify the control assignment. In FSX’s Controls settings, find the command for displaying or hiding the kneeboard. Follow our steps to check or reassign the default FSX controls if Shift+F10 has been removed or replaced.
- Rule out a conflict. Keyboard utilities, overlays and complex add-on gauges can intercept keys. Test with a stock FSX aircraft; if the shortcut works there, the add-on or its active gauge is handling the input.
Why is the navigation log, checklist or reference page blank?
A blank individual page usually means the loaded flight or aircraft did not provide the required content; it does not mean the entire kneeboard is broken.
- Blank Navigation Log: Create or load a flight plan in FSX, then reopen the kneeboard. An aircraft position by itself does not generate a route log.
- Blank Briefing: Load a mission or saved flight that includes briefing text. Ordinary Free Flight sessions often have no detailed briefing.
- Blank Checklist or Reference: Test a stock aircraft. If its pages work, the add-on aircraft has probably omitted its supporting files or configuration references.
FSX aircraft commonly identify those files through kb_checklists and kb_reference entries in the relevant [fltsim.x] section of aircraft.cfg. The referenced checklist or reference file must also exist in the aircraft’s folder. This content is optional for add-ons, so a working aircraft can still have empty kneeboard pages.
Does opening the kneeboard pause FSX?
No, opening the kneeboard does not pause FSX; the aircraft and simulation continue while the panel is visible.
The separate Pause on task switch option may pause the simulator if you move focus to another programme, but the kneeboard itself does not trigger that behaviour. Open it before a busy approach or other high-workload phase, then hide it with Shift+F10 if it obstructs instruments or cockpit controls.