Set up ChasePlane with Stream Deck in MSFS using reliable hotkeys, aircraft-specific views, Smart Profiles and fixes for common input conflicts.
To set up ChasePlane with a Stream Deck in Microsoft Flight Simulator, save your ChasePlane views, assign each view or camera action a unique keyboard shortcut, then map the same shortcuts to Stream Deck Hotkey buttons. Keep MSFS focused, avoid duplicate simulator bindings, and make sure ChasePlane is connected through SimConnect.
This is a Windows PC workflow for MSFS 2020 and MSFS 2024. ChasePlane cannot be installed in the Xbox or PlayStation editions, so the complete integration is not available on consoles.
How do I map ChasePlane views to Stream Deck?
Use one unique ChasePlane shortcut for every Stream Deck button you want to create.
- Confirm that ChasePlane is connected. Load a flight and check that ChasePlane can control the camera before configuring Stream Deck. If it cannot, resolve the installation or SimConnect connection first using our guide to installing ChasePlane and preparing its MSFS connection.
- Create and save the camera views. Select the correct aircraft, position each camera and save it to a consistent view slot. Camera positions are aircraft-specific; our walkthrough for building and binding ChasePlane views in MSFS 2024 covers that part of the process.
- Assign shortcuts inside ChasePlane. Open ChasePlane's control or shortcut assignment area and give each saved view a distinct keyboard chord. Prefer direct actions such as a specific cockpit-view slot over state-dependent commands such as Next View.
- Check for MSFS conflicts. In the simulator's keyboard controls, search using each proposed input and remove any duplicate camera command you do not need. A shortcut that changes both ChasePlane and the native MSFS camera will produce jumps, zoom changes or apparently random views.
- Create a Stream Deck profile for MSFS. Associate a Smart Profile with the running simulator executable selected through the Stream Deck app. Associate it with MSFS rather than ChasePlane, because the simulator is normally the foreground application while flying. Our broader guide to configuring Stream Deck profiles and hotkeys for MSFS explains app association in more detail.
- Add a Hotkey action for each view. Record exactly the same modifier-and-key combination used in ChasePlane, then label the button by function: Pilot, Overhead, Pedestal, Left Wing or Exterior, for example.
- Test one button at a time. Return focus to the simulator and verify each view before building additional pages or actions. This makes a duplicate binding or incorrect shortcut immediately obvious.
Do I need a ChasePlane Stream Deck plugin?
No dedicated plugin is required for ChasePlane camera views; Stream Deck's built-in Hotkey action is normally the simplest and most dependable method.
| Stream Deck action | Best use | Main caveat |
|---|---|---|
| Hotkey | Saved views, camera resets and ChasePlane toggles | The identical shortcut must exist in ChasePlane |
| Hotkey Switch | Alternating between two genuine states | Its displayed state can become wrong if the command is also changed elsewhere |
| Multi Action | A deliberate sequence of two or more commands | Timing-dependent camera macros are harder to troubleshoot |
| SimConnect action | Native MSFS functions exposed through SimConnect | It is not the normal route to an individual ChasePlane saved view |
For a fixed cockpit or exterior view, choose a single Hotkey rather than a macro. Reserve Multi Actions for cases where the order is intentional, and avoid adding delays unless one command genuinely needs time to complete.
Why don't my ChasePlane Stream Deck buttons work?
Most failures come from a lost ChasePlane connection, the wrong Stream Deck profile, conflicting controls or mismatched Windows privilege levels.
- Nothing happens: verify that ChasePlane reports a simulator connection and that the required view works when its shortcut is pressed on the physical keyboard.
- The wrong Stream Deck page appears: the Smart Profile may be associated with ChasePlane rather than the simulator, or with the wrong MSFS executable. Select the running application through Stream Deck rather than guessing its file location.
- The button works only outside MSFS: keep the cockpit window focused. A text field, browser or another foreground app can receive the keystroke instead.
- The button works on the keyboard but not Stream Deck: make sure the Hotkey action sends the complete chord simultaneously. A Multi Action containing separate modifier and letter presses is not equivalent.
- The camera performs two movements: search the MSFS keyboard profile for the same input and clear the unwanted native camera assignment.
- Windows ignores the Stream Deck input: do not run MSFS or ChasePlane as administrator while Stream Deck runs normally. Windows can block simulated input sent from a lower-privileged process; keeping all three applications at the same privilege level avoids that problem.
- A view works in one aircraft only: load or create the ChasePlane view set belonging to the active aircraft. Reusing another cockpit's camera coordinates can place the viewpoint outside the cabin.
How do I organise Stream Deck views for several aircraft?
Keep the button roles and shortcut slots consistent even though each aircraft needs its own camera coordinates.
For example, use the same first slot for the normal pilot view, the second for the overhead and the third for the centre console in every aircraft view set. One Stream Deck layout can then control several aircraft without changing its hotkeys; ChasePlane supplies the aircraft-specific position stored in each slot.
Use fixed buttons for repeatable viewpoints and leave continuous looking or panning to a hat switch, mouse or head tracker. If those devices fight ChasePlane after adding the Stream Deck bindings, follow our advice on removing duplicate camera, hat-switch and head-tracking assignments.
If you use both MSFS 2020 and MSFS 2024, create a Smart Profile association for each simulator executable. The visible layout and ChasePlane hotkey scheme can remain the same.