How do I set up a Logitech X56 HOTAS in MSFS 2024 and MSFS 2020?

To set up a Logitech X56 HOTAS in Microsoft Flight Simulator, connect both USB units before launch, verify both in Windows, and create separate stick and throttle profiles. In MSFS 2024 use Settings > Controls; in MSFS 2020 use Options > Controls Options. Bind analogue axis commands, clear duplicates, save both profiles and test them.

This procedure covers the PC editions of MSFS 2024, also shortened to MSFS24, MFS24 or FS 2024, and MSFS 2020. The X56 is a PC USB controller and is not natively supported by the Xbox or PlayStation editions.

The joystick and throttle are two independent USB devices. A mistake we see constantly is configuring the stick, assuming the similarly named throttle profile was created with it, and then wondering why the levers do nothing.

Logitech X56 setup in MSFS 2024

MSFS 2024 requires a separate active profile for each X56 unit, with the aircraft axes normally placed in the aircraft-control profile group.

1. Connect both X56 USB cables before starting the simulator. Leave the throttle levers unlocked for independent engines or engage the physical throttle lock for a linked setup. Even when locked, the two levers still produce separate electrical inputs, so bind only one of them to a combined throttle command.
2. Verify both devices in Windows. Press Win+R, run joy.cpl, and open the properties for the stick and throttle separately. Every axis should move smoothly and every button should register. If one unit is absent, use our X52/X56 driver and Windows detection steps before creating simulator profiles.
3. Open the MSFS 2024 Controls screen. From the main menu or pause menu, go to Settings > Controls. Select the X56 joystick in the device list first. Older units may appear under a Saitek rather than Logitech name.
4. Create the stick profile. In the profile controls, duplicate an editable preset or create a new one for the aircraft-control group. Use a clear name such as X56 Stick – GA. MSFS 2024 separates General, Aircraft and Camera control profiles; pitch, roll, yaw and throttle belong in the aircraft group.
5. Create the throttle profile separately. Select the X56 throttle device, create another profile and give it the matching name X56 Throttle – GA Linked. Creating or renaming the stick profile does not alter the throttle device.
6. Show unassigned commands. Change the assignment filter from Assigned to All, then use the text search to find commands such as Ailerons Axis. Use Search by Input or the input-detection control to inspect everything attached to a physical axis or button.
7. Bind and check each axis. Move the intended control through a deliberate range. If MSFS captures a noisy rotary or mini-stick instead, choose the physical input manually. Use Reverse Axis only when the cockpit control moves in the opposite direction.
8. Clear duplicate assignments. Check the stick, throttle, pedals, gamepad and any other connected controller. One physical axis must not be assigned to both a generic throttle command and an engine-specific throttle command in the same profile.
9. Apply, save and verify both profiles. Use the on-screen Apply/Save action, then confirm that the named stick and throttle profiles remain selected. Load a simple aircraft and watch its cockpit yoke, rudder and throttle animations before attempting a take-off.

The MSFS 2024 workflow is not identical to MSFS 2020. MSFS 2024 uses Settings > Controls and separates profile groups such as General, Aircraft and Camera controls; MSFS 2020 uses device presets managed from Options > Controls Options. Do not assume a 2020 preset has been imported or selected in 2024.

X56 MSFS 2024 profile layouts

An effective X56 MSFS 2024 profile is a matched stick-and-throttle pair built around the aircraft's engine controls, not one oversized preset for every aircraft.

Choose a profile according to what the aircraft expects. Use split throttles when the cockpit has independent engine levers and the simulation exposes separate engine axes. Use a linked profile for single-engine aircraft, or when an aircraft is designed around one combined throttle input.

Keep the profile names paired and inspect both device selectors before the first flight in a different aircraft. The same stick profile can technically serve several aircraft types, but matching names make it much harder to combine a GA stick profile accidentally with a split jet throttle profile.

Logitech X56 setup in MSFS 2020

MSFS 2020 also treats the X56 stick and throttle as separate devices, but its presets are managed through a different menu.

1. Open Options > Controls Options. Select the X56 stick from the device row.
2. Open Preset Manager. Duplicate the default preset or create a blank preset named for the intended aircraft type.
3. Repeat this for the throttle. Give it a matching but clearly device-specific name.
4. Set the filter to All. Search by command name or use Search by Input to expose existing assignments.
5. Bind the analogue axes and remove conflicts. Pay particular attention to gamepad defaults, throttle mini-sticks and rotary controls.
6. Select Apply & Save. Confirm that both presets are selected and test them in the cockpit.

These profile layouts can be recreated in MSFS 2020, but the menu structure and saved presets are not automatically interchangeable with MSFS 2024. Our broader control-screen and assignment guide explains searching by input and clearing conflicts across connected devices.

Which X56 axis commands should I bind?

Bind commands containing Axis for every analogue X56 control; directional commands such as Ailerons Left, Elevator Up and Increase Throttle behave like on/off buttons.

Useful button assignments include elevator trim, flaps, landing gear, wheel brakes, parking brake and autopilot disconnect. The X56 does not provide toe-brake axes, so progressive left and right braking requires separate rudder pedals.

How should reverse thrust be set up?

For most aircraft, keep the throttle on a 0-to-100% axis and assign a separate hold or toggle reverse-thrust command to a convenient button.

After engaging reverse mode, the physical lever can control reverse power where the aircraft supports that command. Test the behaviour at the gate because some aircraft require a hold command, others accept a toggle, and advanced airliners may require throttle-detent calibration through their cockpit tablet or configuration panel.

Use a full-range axis with reverse below idle only when the aircraft explicitly supports and calibrates that arrangement. Never bind the same lever simultaneously to a 0-to-100% throttle axis and another full-range or engine-specific axis.

How do I calibrate the X56 HOTAS and set sensitivity?

X56 calibration begins in Windows; simulator sensitivity should only shape an input that is already stable and reaches its endpoints.

1. Close Microsoft Flight Simulator. Run joy.cpl and test the stick and throttle independently.
2. Check centre and range. Pitch, roll and twist should return consistently to centre. Throttles and rotaries should travel smoothly from one endpoint to the other.
3. Calibrate only if required. If the device properties expose a Windows calibration routine, use it when an axis is off-centre or cannot reach its range. If the device is missing or behaves erratically, fix the driver or USB connection first.
4. Open the simulator's sensitivity controls. Start with a linear response and zero dead zone, then alter one axis at a time while watching the input and output graph.

• Pitch and roll: Add a small softened centre response only when fine control is too sensitive.
• Rudder twist: A dead zone around 2–5% can help if the axis jitters or twists unintentionally. Use zero if it is stable.
• Throttle: Keep the response linear unless an aircraft-specific calibration requires something else. Confirm that both idle and full power are reached.
• Extremity dead zone: Use it only when a calibrated axis stops short of an endpoint. Excessive adjustment shortens the useful travel.
• Neutral offset: Do not use a large offset to conceal incorrect Windows calibration or a physical centring fault.

The curve controls and scales should not be copied blindly between simulator versions. Our detailed MSFS 2020 response-curve and dead-zone method explains the tuning principles; its menu wording is specific to MSFS 2020.

Why does my X56 drift, ghost or control two things?

The location of the unwanted input identifies the likely cause: movement visible in joy.cpl points to hardware, USB power or a driver, while movement seen only in MSFS points to a binding, profile or assistance conflict.

• The axis moves by itself in joy.cpl: Connect the affected unit to a direct rear motherboard port, avoid an unpowered hub and try the stick and throttle on separate USB ports. A good externally powered hub can help when the computer's ports do not provide stable power.
• The axis is stable in Windows but moves in MSFS: Use Search by Input on every connected device. Clear duplicate flight and throttle axes from the other X56 unit, a gamepad, pedals, mini-sticks and rotaries.
• One button performs two actions: The button may be assigned directly in MSFS while Logitech programming software sends a keyboard command. Retain one method and remove the other.
• Locked throttle levers fight each other: Both physical lever axes have probably been assigned to the same combined command. Keep only one binding.
• The cockpit throttle ignores or overrides the X56: Check autothrottle, AI piloting assistance and aircraft-specific throttle calibration. An advanced aircraft may override the generic simulator curve.
• One X56 unit disappears: Close the simulator, reconnect both units, verify them in joy.cpl, and then restart MSFS. Profiles cannot repair a device that Windows does not detect.

Do I need an MSFS X56 profile download or Logitech software?

No profile download or Logitech macro profile is required for basic X56 operation when Windows detects both devices correctly.

An MSFS X56 profile download is rarely a better starting point than creating the three layouts above. Imported assignments can refer to different device identifiers, simulator versions, aircraft commands or throttle arrangements, and a Logitech programming profile is not the same thing as a native Microsoft Flight Simulator control profile.

Logitech software remains useful for lighting, mode layers and specialised keyboard macros. Complete the native MSFS setup first, keep the X56 mode selector in one position, and add programmed layers only after confirming that they do not duplicate commands already bound inside the simulator.