Request taxi directions from ATC in Microsoft Flight Simulator, find the Ground frequency, follow the clearance, and fix a missing taxi option.
To request taxi directions in Microsoft Flight Simulator, open the ATC panel, tune the airport’s Ground frequency, then choose Request Taxi for Departure. Read back or acknowledge the clearance, note the assigned runway and taxiways, and follow airport signs or enable the Taxi Ribbon if you need a visual route.
Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020 and 2024 use the same basic radio sequence, although panel layouts and command labels vary by version and platform. ATC menu choices are contextual, so the taxi option appears only when your aircraft, radio and airport state allow it.
How to request taxi clearance before departure
At a controlled airport, Ground will issue your taxi route once the aircraft is at a parking position and ready to move.
- Start at a gate or parking stand. Select a parking position rather than a runway when setting up the flight. A runway start bypasses taxi clearance and places you in the take-off sequence.
- Prepare the aircraft. For an IFR departure, obtain IFR clearance first. Complete any required pushback before moving; taxi clearance is not pushback permission.
- Open the ATC panel. Use the in-flight toolbar or the ATC command assigned to your keyboard or controller.
- Tune Ground. Select the departure airport and its Ground frequency. If the airport combines controller positions, the menu may direct you to Tower instead.
- Request taxi. Choose Request Taxi or Request Taxi for Departure. The wording may also identify the flight as IFR or VFR.
- Acknowledge the clearance. ATC will assign a runway and name the taxiways to use. Select the available readback or acknowledgement response.
- Taxi and hold short. Follow the specified taxiways, but stop at the runway holding point until Tower clears you to enter or take off.
A VFR taxi request does not normally require a flight plan. IFR handling does depend on the simulator recognising an active route; our explanation of when MSFS ATC needs a flight plan covers that distinction.
Which frequency should I use for taxi directions?
Ground normally issues taxi instructions, while Clearance Delivery handles IFR clearances and Tower controls the runway. Smaller controlled airports may combine these positions, in which case Tower can provide the taxi clearance.
An uncontrolled airfield has no Ground controller. MSFS will usually offer traffic-frequency calls such as announcing taxi intentions instead of assigning taxiways; you must select a safe route yourself and give way to other traffic.
Why is Request Taxi missing from the ATC menu?
The taxi option is usually missing because the flight started on a runway, the wrong frequency is selected, or the airport has no ground-control service.
| Symptom | Likely cause and fix |
|---|---|
| Only take-off options appear | You started on the runway. Restart from a gate or parking stand if you want the full ground sequence. |
| No taxi request appears at parking | Tune the airport’s Ground frequency, or Tower where controller positions are combined. |
| Only traffic announcements appear | The airfield is uncontrolled. Announce your intentions and taxi using signs and markings. |
| The AI answers automatically | Disable the assistance option that lets the AI handle radio communications if you want to make each call yourself. |
| The IFR taxi choice is absent | Confirm that the departure and IFR route were loaded into the active flight. Use the built-in flight planner workflow rather than relying on a route displayed only inside separate aircraft avionics. |
| The ATC panel is blank or unresponsive | Check the aircraft’s electrical and radio power, reopen the panel and retune the frequency. If the whole system remains unavailable, work through our ATC fault checks. |
How do I follow the taxi route in MSFS?
The clearance gives you a runway, a sequence of named taxiways and any hold-short instruction. MSFS does not provide true spoken progressive taxi for every turn, so use the yellow-and-black airport signs or enable the Taxi Ribbon in the assistance settings.
The ribbon displays a visual path along the ground but does not grant permission to enter or cross a runway. Our MSFS 2020 taxi-guidance walkthrough explains the ribbon, Ground calls and assigned route in more detail.
Taxiway data can be imperfect, particularly where scenery and the simulator’s airport data disagree. If a ribbon route looks impossible, stop and avoid a runway incursion; the verbal clearance and hold-short instruction remain more important than the arrows.
How do I request taxi directions after landing?
After landing at a controlled airport, vacate the runway completely and contact Ground when Tower instructs you to do so. Acknowledge the frequency change, tune or contact Ground, then select Request Taxi to Parking or the equivalent gate option.
Ground will assign a route and, where supported, a parking position. At an uncontrolled airport, announce that you are clear of the runway and self-taxi to a suitable stand without crossing an active runway unnecessarily.