Restore the missing FSX menu bar with the Alt key, keep it visible in windowed mode, and fix focus, keyboard or menu-crash problems.
In Microsoft Flight Simulator X (FSX and FSX: Steam Edition), press and release the Alt key to show the missing menu bar. FSX hides the bar in full-screen mode; Alt brings it back temporarily. To keep it visible, press Alt+Enter to switch to windowed mode, where the standard menu normally remains at the top.
How do I bring the FSX menu bar back?
Click inside the FSX window, then use Alt to toggle the menu bar.
- Give FSX keyboard focus: click once inside the simulator window or cockpit.
- Press and release Alt: use the left Alt key if your keyboard has an AltGr key.
- Open the required menu: click it with the mouse or use the arrow keys and Enter.
- Keep the bar visible: press Alt+Enter to leave full-screen mode and run FSX in a window.
Pressing Alt again can hide the bar. Our FSX keyboard command reference covers this toggle and the other standard simulator shortcuts.
Why does the FSX menu bar keep disappearing?
The disappearing menu bar is normal in full-screen mode because FSX uses an auto-hidden menu to maximise the flying area.
After you choose a command or return to the cockpit, the bar may disappear again. Press Alt whenever you need it, or use Alt+Enter and remain in windowed mode if you want permanent access. A brief black screen or display resize while switching modes is normal.
What should I do if pressing Alt does nothing?
If Alt does not reveal the menu, FSX usually lacks keyboard focus or another program is intercepting the key.
- Click inside FSX before pressing Alt; desktop notifications and other windows can take focus.
- Try the left Alt key rather than AltGr, which Windows treats as a different key combination on many keyboard layouts.
- Press Alt+Enter once to change display mode, wait for FSX to redraw, and then try Alt again.
- Temporarily close keyboard-remapping tools or overlays that capture Alt shortcuts.
- Restart FSX if the display changed modes incorrectly or the interface stopped responding.
If other commands are also missing or altered, use our instructions for checking and restoring FSX keyboard assignments. Reinstalling the simulator is not a sensible first fix for a hidden menu bar.
What if FSX crashes when I open the menu?
A crash or freeze when the bar appears is a separate menu-handling fault, not the normal full-screen hiding behaviour.
This is especially associated with some FSX installations on newer Windows systems. Follow our targeted UIAutomationCore.dll menu-crash procedure rather than downloading an unverified DLL or changing files merely because the bar was hidden.
What if only the Add-ons menu is missing?
A missing Add-ons entry does not mean the main FSX menu bar is broken.
That entry generally appears only when a compatible add-on has loaded and registered a menu command. If the standard menus are visible but Add-ons is absent, check that the relevant module is enabled, installed for the correct FSX edition and loading without an error; pressing Alt cannot create an entry for an add-on that failed to load.